Aaron Samuels: Teenage Sexualization
While the film Mean Girls is predominantly a film about teenage girls, much of the film has to do with sexualized male-female relationships. When Cady first comes to North Shore, she experiences a common teenage phenomenon, a high school crush. In her math class, Cady first meets Aaron Samuels. Her interaction with him is limited to letting him borrow a pencil, and when he asks her what day it is, (October 3rd). This scene of Cady’s silent adoration is instantly recognizable for all teenage girls and bespeaks the way in which high school is dominated by sexually aggressive males that relegates girls to passive players.
When Cady begins to hang out with The Plastics, one of the first conversations she has with Gretchen is about boys she likes. Gretchen absolutely forbids Cady from pursuing Aaron, because as Regina’s ex-boyfriend, that would go against, “the rules of feminism.” Relationships are about ownership in high school. Aaron is a piece of Regina’s property, an accessory to show her social status. She parades him in front of Cady while cheating on Aaron with Shane Oman. Mean Girls also shows how heterosexism is the status quo in high schools.
Mean Girls accurately portrays the idiotic yet real way that teenage girls feel the need to sexually degrade, or dumb themselves down for the attention of boys. Cady starts to fulfill the sexually passive female role, and realizes that she only has a limited opportunities to interact with Aaron. She starts to fail her math exams so Aaron will notice her. Aaron offers to tutor her once he sees her failing and her “cries for help.” While tutoring, Cady and Aaron kiss and reveal the feelings they have for each other. Aaron is taken back because this means he is cheating on Regina. Cady reveals Regina’s infidelity and seizes Aaron as her own, to use him as an accessory like Regina. The scene in her bedroom during the house party, shows that despite her genuine feelings for Aaron her subversion of her self to act like a Plastic has doomed their possible relationship. By the conclusion of the film, Cady lets go of the "plastic" facade that she has built up around her, and is free to be herself. Aaron and Cady have a healthy relationship by the end of the film, and Cady can be confident in her intelligence.
Regina sets an influence for her little sister, and encourages the idea that a woman is especially sexy if she is degrading herself for a man's pleasure. In the scene where Cady first sees Regina's house, Regina's little sister is shown imitating suggestive dance to the music video of Kelis's hit "Milkshake." In a later scene, the younger sister is shown emulating the actions of girl's on "Girls Gone Wild"- a show where girls willingly take their clothes off and engage in sexual activity for t-shirts, hats, or money.
When Cady begins to hang out with The Plastics, one of the first conversations she has with Gretchen is about boys she likes. Gretchen absolutely forbids Cady from pursuing Aaron, because as Regina’s ex-boyfriend, that would go against, “the rules of feminism.” Relationships are about ownership in high school. Aaron is a piece of Regina’s property, an accessory to show her social status. She parades him in front of Cady while cheating on Aaron with Shane Oman. Mean Girls also shows how heterosexism is the status quo in high schools.
Mean Girls accurately portrays the idiotic yet real way that teenage girls feel the need to sexually degrade, or dumb themselves down for the attention of boys. Cady starts to fulfill the sexually passive female role, and realizes that she only has a limited opportunities to interact with Aaron. She starts to fail her math exams so Aaron will notice her. Aaron offers to tutor her once he sees her failing and her “cries for help.” While tutoring, Cady and Aaron kiss and reveal the feelings they have for each other. Aaron is taken back because this means he is cheating on Regina. Cady reveals Regina’s infidelity and seizes Aaron as her own, to use him as an accessory like Regina. The scene in her bedroom during the house party, shows that despite her genuine feelings for Aaron her subversion of her self to act like a Plastic has doomed their possible relationship. By the conclusion of the film, Cady lets go of the "plastic" facade that she has built up around her, and is free to be herself. Aaron and Cady have a healthy relationship by the end of the film, and Cady can be confident in her intelligence.
Regina sets an influence for her little sister, and encourages the idea that a woman is especially sexy if she is degrading herself for a man's pleasure. In the scene where Cady first sees Regina's house, Regina's little sister is shown imitating suggestive dance to the music video of Kelis's hit "Milkshake." In a later scene, the younger sister is shown emulating the actions of girl's on "Girls Gone Wild"- a show where girls willingly take their clothes off and engage in sexual activity for t-shirts, hats, or money.