"Mean Girls" to "Mean Moms": Ever-present relational aggression in media

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Almost exactly one decade ago, on April 30, 2004, Mean Girls was released in theaters. Ten years later, the movie is still a pop culture icon and is surviving through various forms of social media, spin-off movies and series, and every pre-pubescent girl who has ever uttered the word "fetch."

In honor of its 10th anniversary, The Huffpost and The New York Times both praised the film with segments.

The New York Times article "10 Years Later, the Clique Still Reigns," talked to many of the humbled and iconic actresses of the film, as well as author Rosalind Wiseman, who wrote Queen Bees and Wannabes, the parenting book from which Mean Girls was adapted.

The actresses and author all commented on the movies continued success, even as a completely new generation enters the big, bad world of middle school.

"It has this little net that catches girls as they pass through preteen and high school age," said Tina Fey, who both wrote the film and starred in it. "Girls will come up to me and say it helped them get through a terrible year."

In the Huffpost's article, which taped 14 to 18 year olds' reactions towards watching the Mean Girls trailer and interviewed them about their thoughts on the movie, it was obvious that watching the film is still seen as a "right of passage" life event.

When asked what it was about Mean Girls that makes it remain so popular, many of the teens responded that it was because it was still relevant and accurate, despite its exaggeration of high school.

"Every teenage girl in high school can relate to at least some part of that movie," said 18-year-old Rachel. "You're gonna be labeled, you're gonna be identified, and you're gonna be put in a clique. And it's terrible but it's something that just happens in high school."

Huffpost then asked the teens what the definition of a "mean girl" in high school was. Being fake, two-faced, judgmental, rude, a spoiled brat or passive aggressive, having "so many friends because everyone is scared of them," and using other people for their own personal gains were some of the answers.

When asked what they would say to the writer (Tina Fey) or director (Mark Waters), one teen suggested they make a movie titled "Mean Boys." It turns out his request was only slightly off, as Mean Moms, which is also based on a Rosalind Wiseman book, is set to hit theaters in 2015.

So what exactly makes this movie relatable? As hinted to in some of the interviews with the actresses and teens, the answer is relational aggression.

In contrast to physical aggression, which is intent to harm someone, relational aggression is the intent to damage someone's relationships, reputation with peers, or credibility in a social group.

According to Dr. Laura Stockdale, a professor of Psychology at Loyola University Chicago, there are three times as many instances of relational aggression than physical aggression per hour of television. These instances are also often justified, rewarded, or the characters (who are most often female) are perceived as popular or powerful.

It has been well-known for much time that media significantly impacts those who watch it. Violent video games have been under the radar for years, but Stockdale's research focuses more on the young girls and the affect of the media's overuse of relational aggression on them.

Girls as young as four years old have been shown to exhibit "queen bee" behavior, and even Disney films have about 10 acts of relational aggression per hour. Dumbo is the best example, as the baby elephant and his mother are belittled and ridiculed for his physical appearance.

Through her research, Stockdale has found a correlation between viewing relation aggression in any type of media and increased exhibition of relational aggression. For example, people who watched a video with relational aggression were much harsher in their judgments of an experiment assistant than those who watched a clip with no aggression.

While Mean Moms will undoubtedly be successful, the time has come to look at how the media portrays relational aggression. These coming-of-age types of films are funny and even "iconic," but directors and writers should keep in mind the portrayal of relational aggression in their works, with the knowledge that what they put out will affect generations to come.

Sources Cited:

Goodman, William. "Watch How Teens Reach To 'Mean Girls' 10 Years Later." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 21 Apr. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/21/teens-react-to-mean-girls_n_5187222.html>.

Angelo, Megan. "10 Years Later, the Clique Still Reigns." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Apr. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/movies/from-internet-chat-to-related-projects-mean-girls-endures.html?_r=0>.

Stockdale, Laura. "Media Violence and Your Brain: Can Exposure to Violence Really Lead You to See the World Through Blood-Red Tinted Glasses?" Neuroscience Seminar. Loyola University Chicago, Chicago. 17 Feb. 2014. Lecture.