Teen comedy Mean Girls was a big deal back when it was released almost two decades ago for the way it both satirized and acknowledged clique mentality in high school. The story sees new high schooler Cady struggling through the social hierarchy at her high school, which is headed by Regina George and her two sidekicks.
Staying true to its title, Mean Girls features many characters engaging in rude behavior and nasty antics. But were the popular Plastics the only bad eggs? Or did some certain "greatest people you will ever meet" get in on the meanness too?
Ron Duvall Was A Pushover
Characters like Ron are the reason why Mean Girls still holds up well today because it’s easy to like them. Ron was the school’s principal yet was a big pushover who didn’t really know how to stand up for himself. Still, he didn’t hold it against others and remained a good guy throughout the movie.
There wasn’t anything mean about him since he had a knack for wanting to be liked. Ron’s nice nature makes him one of the most beloved characters from the movie, as he’s a subversion to the story’s “mean” theme.
Aaron Samuels Was Sweet But Ignored Regina's Meanness
The purpose of Aaron’s character was for him to be part of a love triangle with Regina and Cady. The girls didn’t realize until later that he didn’t care about all the high school drama and was a simple guy who just wanted to be with a girl he liked.
Aaron was never outright mean but he was relatively naive in that he dated Regina without realizing how horrible she was to others. He was generally a friendly person who was amicable with everyone he met, which was a direct contrast to the two girls who pursued him.
Sharon Norbury Was Sarcastic Yet Assertive
Sharon Norbury was the strongest voice of reason in the story, given that she actually confronted the many issues everyone had. Like Ron, she wasn’t mean overall, although she had an assertive quality that saw her take subtle jabs at those who annoyed her.
It’s because of her sarcastic nature that she can be considered slightly meaner than a couple of other characters, but Ms. Norbury was by no means rude in general. Her confrontational behavior was actually healthy since she got everyone on the same page, singling out bullies for their bad behavior and inspiring the teens to stand up for themselves.
Karen Smith Was Nice On Her Own But Part Of The Plastics' Bad Behavior
Karen is largely considered the funniest character in Mean Girls for her innocent nature and awkward personality. She was arguably very nice as well, as she didn’t go out of her way to belittle anyone, seeing as she never really understood much of anything, to begin with.
Still, she was mean by proxy since Karen was around Regina whenever the latter mistreated and mocked other students. Karen didn’t do anything to aid characters who were on the receiving end of the bullying, so she’s a party to Regina’s attitude. On her own, however, Karen was pleasant to be around since she didn’t personally want to make anyone feel bad.
Kevin Gnapoor Was Cocky But Unapologetically Himself
Kevin wasn’t around for much of the movie and showed up just to brag about himself or the Mathletes. He wasn’t consciously rude to anyone, but he had the tendency to think too much of himself.
That included being very forthright with women, such as claiming he was a real catch whom Cady was, unfortunately, not going to be able to date. On the other hand, Kevin was mainly just confident in his own skin, so he can’t really be faulted for being open about who he was.
Damian Leigh Had Savage One-Liners But Never Meant Any Harm
Damien was perhaps the most sarcastic character in Mean Girls, with his role largely just to throw in one-liners at the expense of others. He was relatively judgmental since he gave the recap of every clique around the school to Cady, judging them for their stereotypical qualities in the process.
Damien is still one of the best characters in the movie because he wasn’t the source of all the conflict. He didn’t go out of his way to cause the high school drama and just commented on things when they happened. While he did have an acid tongue, it was reactionary rather than of the malicious kind.
Gretchen Wieners Was Vain But Just Wanted To Be Liked
Gretchen was someone whose opinions were unpopular in Mean Girls because they largely served her own vanity. In fact, her apology during the assembly was to claim she was sorry the students were jealous of beauty and popularity, resulting in none of the girls, apart from Karen, bothering to catch her.
Looking at her a bit deeper uncovers the reality that Gretchen wasn’t inherently mean since all she did was try to impress Regina. She was a classic example of a follower who hung onto to Regina’s every word — Gretchen’s meanness only came out when she was influenced by Regina.
Cady Heron's Mean Streak Didn't Take Long To Come Out
Despite being the protagonist, Cady had the potential to be quite rude, which she was to just about everyone after she embraced the clique mentality. Although she ultimately meant well, Cady instigated a lot of issues within the school when things got out of hand.
She didn’t start out wanting to be mean but embraced that attitude when she started to compete with Regina for the role of Queen Bee. Moreover, Cady became estranged from her friends when they learned she’d badmouthed them as well, leaving her alone until she apologized for her actions.
Janis Ian Tried To Destroy Regina's Life
Mean Girls remains one of Lizzy Caplan’s best film credits, and Janis Ian is a pop culture icon. But while she has many fans, Janis was easily one the meanest characters since she was the one who concocted the scheme to take Regina down.
Janis was also the most confrontational, almost always insulting people to their faces even if they didn’t mean to tick her off. Janis and Regina were like two sides of the same coin, seeing as the former's plotting also brought on cruel repercussions.
Regina George Was The Queen Of Mean
Regina George is Mean Girls, as she ruled North Shore High with an iron fist. It was almost as if she didn’t realize just how nasty she was toward people, including her own mother and friends. There is nobody she wouldn't spread rumors about.
Regina reveled in the culture of chaos and her status as Queen Bee. The fact that even the principal claimed he had been insulted by Regina proves that she was a class apart when it came to being mean. On the flip side, the end of the film saw her turning over a new leaf and becoming a better person.