Mean girlscms 330

Samantha komulainen-york

summary and characters

The main characters are cady heron, regina george, gretchen wieners, karen smith, and janice ian.

Cady has been homeschooled her whole life and has just moved back to the u.s from africa. she is entering high school not knowing anyone or the communication norms of todays society. she befriends janis, who used to be friends with regina and her “plastic” friends gretchen and karen. The two of them put together a plan to bring regina down and in the meantime stir up some serious drama. everything is extremely over the top, but it gives the viewer an inside view of what high school can seem like.

Stereotyping - applying the beliefs you have about the characteristics of a group to an individual whom you identify as a member of that group.

This is a common thing seen throughout the film. One of the first scenes involves shots of all the different "cliques" that are in the high school, such as the jocks, nerds, band geeks, girls that don't eat enough, etc. All of these groups are full of people that all seem to look the same and have the same personality types. Comments like "if you are smart you sit with the nerds" are made as well. A specific moment that shows stereotyping was when Lindsey Lohan's character sees an African American student and says "Jambo", which means hello. Being from Africa she was not aware that they did not speak that language and she made a stereotypical assumption based on the girls race. This chapter also discusses assumed similarities which is very common throughout the film. "The Plastics" aka the popular crowd, assumes that because you are attractive you will like all the same things as them. Cady experiences this first hand when the group asks her to sit with them in the cafeteria. They ask her to join because she is "like really pretty" and then proceed to bombard her with their mutual activities.

perceptions

intercultural communication

The dominant culture - those that are in "power" tend to set the expectations and trends for those below them.

Cultural identity - self image that represents who you most closely align yourself with.

This type of communication is very important to the whole of the film. This is how the different groups in the school act and respond to one another. The idea of this dominant culture is also important because there are many "monkey see monkey do" actions that take place. One scene in particular is when Cady and her other group of friends are trying to sabotage Regina by cutting holes in her tank top to expose her bra. This plan backfires as Regina walks out of the locker room with her head held high and the next shots shown are of all the girls in school wearing the same shirts because Regina did. There is also a moment in the beginning of the film where a character says "I saw her wearing army pants and flip flops so I decided to wear army pants and flip flops", in regards to Regina. This "Plastic" group has such a high appeal to others and is a very central focus for the trends that appear throughout the school. Cultural identity also takes place since the popular girls have a set of wardrobe rules that must be followed in order to stay apart of the group. "You can only wear your hair in a pony tail once a week" or "on Wednesdays we wear pink" are a couple of the guidelines that are followed in order to create their own identity within the schools culture.

verbal messages and language

Idioms - words specific to that group that are used in a way other than what normal society would use them for.

Sociolinguistic meaning - meaning of a word according to language norms

Slang - vocabulary used by specific co-cultural groups in society.

There is definitely a mixed set of languages that appear throughout the film. It seems that each clique has their own sayings or slang that is used. Cady has a hard time understanding why her new friends keep telling her to "shut up" whenever she says something that comes as a surprise to them. This demonstrates one of the idioms used. Cady takes it as they are telling her to be quiet, but her friends are using it in the context as a way to say "oh my gosh". Gretchen also tends to say “fetch” instead of “cool” or “awesome”. There is another scene that takes place in the cafeteria where one of the male characters asks Cady if she wants him to "butter her muffin for  her". The sociolinguistic meaning behind this is a lot more vulgar than the simple sentence it seems to be and it is a phrase used by this group in particular.

non-verbal messages

These consist of body language, eye contact, touch, personal space, etc.

Throughout the film there are a wide variety of these actions that take place. In fact, its these actions that say more than most of the verbal ones. Eye contact is a major factor when Cady is questioned by her teacher about some of the things that were said about other students and faculty members. She can't look at her teacher in the eyes, this is because she is lying about how much she really knows and her involvement. It is a cue that sticks out to the viewer as her being guilty and feeling that same guilt. Body language also plays a key part in the groups. Most of the members present themselves in the same manner. You can tell by looking at the characters who is confident and who is not as sure about themselves.

holding effective communication

Gossip - discussion of people not present for the conversation.

Gossip is probably the central focus of the entire movie. The "burn book" is a compilation of random hurtful things about everyone in the school. It is "the plastics" way of venting and probably their way of making themselves feel superior. It is this gossip factor that causes much of the turmoil between students. You find that not only does each group talk about one another, but those within the groups talk about each other too. It is a vicious cycle and not a very productive way for holding a conversation.

communicating personal information

Disclosure - revealing confidential/secret information

Risk benefit analysis - weighing the advantages we might gain by disclosing private information

There are lots of secrets shared between all the different groups in school. Part of the plan to get rid of "the plastics" is to make the group members so frustrated with Regina they expose all of her secrets. There is a scene that takes place where Cady confides in Gretchen about her feelings for one of Regina's ex boyfriends. She tells her that her secret is safe with her, but later Cady is getting a phone call from Regina telling her Gretchen told her what she said. This was done by Gretchen most likely to show her loyalty to her. There are a number of other similar scenes where information is disclosed in order for those disclosing to benefit.

using interpersonal influence

This is the act of changing the attitudes or behaviors of others.

Persuassion - the use of verbal messages designed to influence the attitudes and behaviors of others.

Verbal Aggression - sending messages that attack another persons self-esteem.

This is seen in the very beginning when Janice persuades Cady to sabotage Regina. She uses her past experiences with her as leverage to convince Cady it is the right thing to do and that she has to do it. Verbal aggression is also common for all of the different groups. There is a constant slamming of one another by pointing out flaws or saying things that would embarrass them.

managing conflict

Collaborating - combining the ideas and opinions of both parties to come to a conclusion of resolution.

Forgiveness - communication that allows your partner to over come the damage that was done.

Towards the end of the movie there is a rush of chaos that breaks out between the girls that causes them all to have to sit in the gym to discuss their problems with one another. They are able to work together as a group to move past the craziness and move forward. They are able to find forgiveness through a trust fall exercise. Each of the girls are instructed to stand on this platform, say what they are sorry for and then they do a trust fall into a sea of their classmates. By doing so, their past actions are supposed to be forgiven and they are able to have a better and healthier understanding of one another.

communicating in intimate relationships

Over-accommodate - excessively adopting ones communication style to the perceived desires of the other person.

Regina's mom desperately tries to impress and fit in with her daughter and her friends. She tries to act and talk like them saying "there are no rules in this house, I'm not like other moms, I'm a cool mom". This prevents a lot of effective communication and parenting to take place in the household and is not a great example to be setting. This is also seen at the school when the other girls try to fit in or be liked by Regina and her group. They try to dress like them or say things that make them seem appealing to the girls.  

conclusion

These are really only some of the many different interpersonal communication examples that take place. It has a wide range of them which is why i thought it would be a good example to use. like i said in the beginning, the events are very over the top, but unfortunately, the gossip and social circles really do exist and high school is hard for many people. i think it is a movie that can be watched for entertainment purposes, but also as a learning tool.

sources

our textbook

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