The Psychology of Mean Girls: Understanding Social Hierarchies

Mean Girls is so popular because it reveals the dark parts of our psychology. People who don't know what they want adopt other people's desires until their models become their enemies.

Thread: pic.twitter.com/1eAyxM7jAJ

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

The movie begins with Regina George as the high school queen bee. Cady is new to the high-school world. She’s naive to the social hierarchy of her new world. Cady isn't in touch with her authentic desires. Instead of developing her own wants, she takes on Regina's as her own. pic.twitter.com/Sj6zssWbki

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

When Regina sees that Cady is attractive, she invites her to join her clique: “The Plastics.” Regina wants Cady to live inside her system. She believes that by owning the hierarchy, she can stay on top. By keeping her potential enemy close, Regina thinks she can limit her power.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Cady eventually decides she wants to be popular. Things are initially peaceful. Regina is the model. Cady imitates her. At the beginning of the movie, there’s enough distance between them to maintain peace. But conflict begins to brew as Cady begins to resemble her hero: Regina. pic.twitter.com/Dp0cnL8owX

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Cady adapts to life as a plastic by imitating her model: Regina. She talks like her, dresses like her, drinks alcohol for the first time, and joins the group ritual of critiquing her own body. This is root of René Girard's idea of "metaphysical desire."https://t.co/6URIajntXX

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

The reveals that we don't really know what we want,. Instead, they mimic successful people's desires. The core illusion: Achieving their ideals of their success will bring satisfaction.

“When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.” – Eric Hoffer

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Girard's Mimetic Theory rests on the assumption that all our cultural behaviors are imitative. Our capacity for imitation is unconscious, but core to our psychology. We’ve known this for centuries. In the time of Shakespeare, the word ape meant both “primate” and “imitate.”

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

People don't necessarily do things because they actually like them. They do things because they see others who seemingly enjoy them. Through imitation, the mind tricks them into thinking their dreams and desires are their own when, in fact, they've been programmed by society.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

People influenced by others' desires think achievement will bring them lasting satisfaction. They think Straight A’s and a prestigious job will fulfill them. But no matter what they achieve, and no matter how much they progress down the conveyor belt, they still feel empty.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Girard says: The closer the rivals, the worse the rivalry.

The more Cady's status goes up, the more Regina feels threatened. When Cady develops a crush on Regina's ex-boyfriend (Aaron Samuels), Regina wants him back. Regina's desires now become mimetically influenced by Cady's. pic.twitter.com/RPgfgs0NQE

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

The rivalry between Cady and Regina heats up when Regina kisses Aaron Samuels at the Halloween party. pic.twitter.com/xmlBNtyCXj

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

After the kiss, Cady feels betrayed. She sees Regina as an object of hatred instead of merely an object of desire — an enemy and a friend. Cady says: “The weird thing about hanging out with Regina was that I could hate her, and at the same time, I still wanted her to like me.”

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

According to Girard, many of the worst conflicts happen when two people want the same thing or hold the same role. Conflict rises with every action. Rivalry increases, no matter what happens. The more intense the conflict, the less difference there is between the people involved.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

At first, the relationship between Caty and Regina is positive-sum. Caty's popularity improves The Plastics' social status. But as their rivalry intensifies, their relationship becomes zero-sum. Instead of focusing outward, they focus on themselves, which leads to vengeance.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Our tendency to imitate others shows up throughout the movie. Caty visits Regina’s house and sees her little sister dancing sexually like the girls on TV. Even Regina’s mom tries to stay hot by imitating Regina, and being the "cool mom" who talks and dresses like her daughter.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Mimetic imitation is the basis of mass media and mass education too. pic.twitter.com/MBraE0ZnlC

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Girls say mean things about each other throughout the movie — that's why "Mean Girls" is the title. Talking behind each other’s back is Girard's scapegoat ritual in action. Blaming problems on another person helps us let off steam and restore peace to the group.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

True to Girard’s scapegoat mechanism, the troubles at the high school are finally resolved when Regina is hit by a bus. Many students even believe that Cady pushed Regina into it.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

As Girard predicts, Cady becomes just like Regina. As her "Mimetic double," Cady goes as far as acting stupid in math class in order to attract the attention of Aaron Samuels. Eventually, Aaron Samuels says to Cady: "You are just like a clone of Regina." pic.twitter.com/nqnMuknalv

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Mimetic conflict emerges when two people desire the same, scarce resource. Like lions in a cage, we mirror our enemies, fight because of our sameness, and ascend status hierarchies instead of providing value for society. Mimetic imitation leads to envy and escalating violence.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Girard says that we learn how and what to desire by observing others.

Think of how Cady copies Regina. She imitates everything about her. Our Mimetic nature is both a strength and a weakness. It's a shortcut to learning when it works, but a shortcut to conflict when it doesn't.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023

Here's what we learn from Mean Girls:

1) People are masters of imitation who learn by watching others, copying them, and adopting other people's desires as their own.

2) Rosy relationships devolve into vicious rivalries when people become too similar and want the same thing.

— David Perell (@david_perell) March 3, 2023