Language, Culture and Society
1
Subject
Language, Culture and Society
2
Lecturer
Hoàng Thị Hạnh
3
Class
QH2021D1
4
Group 2
1. Nguyễn Thị Hoàng Anh - 21045008
2. Phùng Thị Khánh Linh - 21045030
3. Trần Bích Ngọc - 21045033
4. Phạm Thị Thu Trang - 21045049
5. Nguyễn Hoàng Anh Trúc - 21045050
LANGUAGE AND GENDER:
GENDER DISCRIMINATION IN ‘’MEAN GIRLS’’
There have been worldwide breakthroughs in attempts to promote gender equality
throughout the previous few decades. The recognition of 1975 as International Women's Year
and 1976-1985 as the Women's Decade marked a turning point; however, inequality and
discrimination between men and women in school, work, family, and society at large still exist
worldwide. This gender inequality is also reflected in the cinema industry as a huge number of
movies and films remain stuck in their gender bias. According to research carried out by New
York Film Academy, women are portrayed more sexually than men; for example, 26.2% of
women actors get partially naked while 9.4% of men do. That is to say gender inequality needs
to be taken seriously and much work needs to be done to remove stereotypes about women in
films and in real-life.
In our analysis, we look at the film “Mean girls” by Tina Fey, an actress, comedian, and
writer known for her contributions to Saturday Night Live in the early 2000s. It is based in part
on Rosalind Wiseman's 2002 non-fiction self-help book, Queen Bees and Wannabes, which
describes female high school social cliques, school bullying, and the damaging effects they can
have on students. 'Mean Girls' was conceived by Fey as a film that satirises and dramatises the
intricate social dynamics of high school teenage girls. As a result, in our analysis, we focus on
gender inequality in the movie reflected through language-related elements used to refer to
people’s characteristics and appearance.
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Language, Culture and Society
People’s characteristics
In the movie, gender bias related to people’s characteristics are induced repeatedly in
many characters’ speeches.
Gender
No.
Script
Hidden message
discrimination
Critique
element
1
Janis:
Regina Hair is important Girls care too much Hair should not be
George... How do I for a girl; Regina’s about their hair;
related to girls’ image
begin to explain hair is beautiful; Spending
only;
Regina George?
Emma
she is rich.
extravagantly
Gerber:
on People
hair is ridiculous.
in
general
have the right to take
Regina George is
care of themselves.
flawless.
Mathlete Tim Pak:
I hear her hair's
insured
for
$10,000.
2
Amber D'Alessio: I Regina
has
an Sexy and beautiful Being beautiful has
hear she does car attractive body to women
be nothing to do with
related to negative anyone’s career.
commercials... in be a model;
Japan.
can
Regina uses her images: they seduce Women should not be
beauty
to
earn men.
regarded as a tool to
money from being They work as a satisfy men's needs.
a model for adult model - an easy job
content
and
earn
easy
(cars/Japan).
money by selling
their image.
3
Kristen
Her
Hadley: Regina is a normal Teenage girls like Enjoying art is part of
favourite girl
movie is Varsity girls:
Blues.
like
she
other rom-com
movies human’s
life
in
likes which are made just general, which has no
rom-com movies;
for the purpose of relation
entertainment
casting
with
their
can
have
gender.
good- Anyone
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Language, Culture and Society
looking celebrities their own preference
to
attract
young when it comes to art
girls and women.
such as a movie/a
song.
4
Short Girl:
One Regina
is
truly To a girl/woman, Long
time
ago,
time she met John beautiful and even beauty is one of the women
Stamos
on
a a
plane...
famous
star most
important considered
complimented her factors.
Jessica Lopez: - for
were
as
a
symbol of beauty.
her
However,
besides
And he told her she appearance.
appearance, a person
was pretty.
has many aspects and
each
individual
consists
of
many
factors.
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Jason Mandarino: Jason Madarino is Women
Is
your
are Women are not the
cherry a school boy and conceptualised as a ones who can be
popped?
he wanted to know dessert, something teased in a sexual
Would you like us if Cady is still a sweet to be eaten way in public place.
to assign someone virgin.
and shared and can
to
be talked sexually
pop
your
in public
cherry?
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“Regina's
gonna It seems to be an A
woman’s Discrimination
figure this out. She appearance issue. appearance
probably
among women may
weighs However, it comes becomes an issue come from jealousy
herself every five
from
Jenis’s that
Minutes.”
selfishness.
She jealousy
wants
see women.
to
“Wait. There's this Regina’s
trick I learned at
could
woman
raise of
among Women
A
appearance.
or
men
slim should behave nicely
can
be towards each other
disappointment in easily criticised by without caring about
fat camp. You pop losing weight.
others
who
the top off the
jealous of them.
are their appearance.
scale, and you take
some dental
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Language, Culture and Society
floss ••.”
People’s body image/appearance
Gender
No.
Script
Hidden message
discrimination
Critique
element
1
father Cady’s parents are When it comes to Clothing
Cady's
and
CHIP, 43, a lanky scientists so they women, they should appearance
professorial
type, do not care about be
takes a picture of their
Cady
and
beautiful
should
and not be judged as a
appearance have a good taste in measure
her much.
fashion.
to
understand a person.
mother BETSY, 43. Cady’s mother is
Women don’t have to
Betsy is attractive old-fashioned
know
as
but not concerned she would wear
about
fashion/latest trends.
with style. The kind something
of
woman
who unfashionable
would still wear a such as a fanny
fanny pack.
2
Next
pack.
we Gretchen is a girl Women who dress Women should not be
see· GRETCHEN, who
a
puny
wears expensively
little expensive clothes usually
hot
are judged by the way
and they dress and should
brunette. She is not but is not hot, stylish girls.
not have stereotypes
"hot"
about
but
has which means that
expensive clothes.
this girl is only
women's
fashion
racing to dress up,
but
she
doesn't
dare to dress hot.
3
She is a little G~cci A
Hootchie.
woman
who Girls called hoochie A
woman
in
often wears tight are often considered revealing clothes is
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Language, Culture and Society
clothes that are not spoiled girls, often not
necessarily
suitable for the dressed in revealing considered a spoiled
purpose
of clothes to attract
showing off her attention
body
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“God! My hips are Appearance seems Girls who are not A girl should be
huge.” “Oh, please. to strongly affect extremely beautiful confident in herself,
I hate my calves.” girls. It expresses as they expected no
“I’ve
got
man how
shoulders.”
hairline
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attractive tend
“My girls are.
is
so
be happens. This issue
unconfident.
And needs to be pointed
they often receive out in education as
negative comments well.
are huge.”
from others.
your
muffin The man uses the Men
buttered”
what
to
weird.” “My pores
“Is
matter
often
use Women should not be
word “Muffin” to sensitive language treated
“Would you like us show
disrespect to insult women’s disrespectfully
by
to assign someone and seems to bully bodies and tease men through body
to
butter
your Cady,
muffin?”
a
new them
shaming language.
female student at
school.
6
“Why do boys like Cady
feels There
are
girls who wear a lot unequal when men benefits
of
make-up
and tend
to
show their boobs interested
be advantages
more Women should be
and treated
equally by
given men in any cases
in from men to women without considering
better
women who are who
show
their their appearance.
than real girls?”
wearing sexy (on sexy appearance.
their purpose).
7
“I wanna lose three To Regina, she There is a fact that Standard of beauty
pounds.”
“Oh
What
wants
my
are
to
lose society
God? weight due to her discriminates
still should be changed
properly.
Beauty
you opinion that the against fat people. doesn’t come from
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Language, Culture and Society
talking
about?
more
skinny They don't get good appearance only, it
You're so women are, the looks from others.
skinny ••• Etc. “
more
they are.
attractive
also
comes
other
from
factors
like
characteristics,
knowledge, and so
on.
As vividly illustrated in the film, there are many social norms induced with gender
discrimination in the movie related to people’s appearance and characteristics. The author used
many words to show gender discrimination in the movie, especially toward female characters.
It is obvious that sexism is somehow explicitly expressed in the film, which can have a negative
effect on the awareness and behaviour of viewers. With the popularity of the movie ‘’Mean
girls’’, many people may subconsciously absorb misled ideologies about gender. Therefore, the
movie industry should acknowledge their responsibility in societal influenceable issues, and
viewers themselves should critically enjoy any artwork and encourage gender equality in
society.
References
1. Davis Ryalls, E., 2011. The Culture of Mean: Gender, Race, and Class in Mediated
Images of Girls' Bullying. Ph.D Candidate. University of South Florida.
2. Mean Girls. 2004. [film] Directed by M. Waters. America: Broadway Video.
3. Sites.williams.edu. 2016. Mean Girls and Male Dominance in Feminism | The
Prolongation of Work. [online] Available at: <https://sites.williams.edu/engl-117fall16/uncategorized/467/>
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