You Can't Sit With Us: How the Movie Mean Girls Illuminates Oligarchical Dynamics Within a
High School Setting
Description
Analyses of the iconic film ”Mean Girls” have often characterized the dominant
clique, The Plastics, as embodying an absolute autocracy, which is a system of government ruled by one person with absolute power. However, I will argue that viewing
The Plastics through the lens of oligarchy offers a more nuanced understanding of
their political behavior and power dynamics. By applying a political framework to
existing psychological and sociological arguments, this study argues that The Plastics
operates under an oligarchical regime, where power is concentrated among a select
few individuals. To test this theory, I conducted a focus group study with thirteen
participants, comprising a mix of graduate and undergraduate students. Results from
the focus group revealed that seven out of the thirteen participants agreed that The
Plastics can be best characterized as an oligarchical regime. By complementing political theory with psychological and sociological analyses, this paper seeks to provide a
comprehensive understanding of the dynamics within ”Mean Girls” and their broader
implications.
Date Created
The date the item was original created (prior to any relationship with the ASU Digital Repositories.)
2024-05
Agent
- Author (aut): Lerma, Analeigh
- Thesis director: Woodall, Gina
- Committee member: Simhony, Avital
- Contributor (ctb): Barrett, The Honors College
- Contributor (ctb): School of Politics and Global Studies