We all love Glen Coco (whoever that is), we swoon over Aaron saying “It’s October 3rd,” and we can’t help but laugh as Regina George is suddenly hit by a bus in the most shocking plot twist of the story. It’s no wonder Tina Fey’s masterpiece, Mean Girls, defined a generation. 

I mean, if the obsession with Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” has taught us anything, it’s that this film is as popular today as it was in 2004, if not more.

But while we reference this movie as a pop culture classic and hail the movie’s comedic genius, we often leave aside why Fey wrote this film in the first place. 

While exaggerated, the depictions of high school female cliques still ring concerningly true to young women today. And we should spend more time talking about them.

Understanding the valuable messages in this movie doesn’t make it any less perfect. As a matter of fact, it just makes it funnier. For example, my favorite quote from the movie is:

I mean, Tina Fey is a comedic genius. She so perfectly explains our complex obsession with “celebrity” — whether that’s a popular mean girl or the latest TikTok star.

If you can’t tell by now, I’m obsessed with Tina Fey, and after you realize the pure genius of her messages, you will, too.

Here are some of the most important life lessons from Mean Girls:

Table of Contents

Focus on putting positive energy out into the world

If you’re saying something about someone that you wouldn’t want repeated to them, you shouldn’t be saying it in the first place.