Queer Theory

Queer Theory in "Mean Girls"

   In this blog post i will be discussing how Queer Theory is used in the film "Mean Girls" by discussing the characters seen in the first twenty minutes.

Like in any film, the begining is used to introduce indivual characters and show the audience who they are and how they act.

   Two of the characters who are put in to a homosexual stereotype are Damien and Janice because of the way they dress, talk and act. Damien is very much like a queen and Janice would be considered a butch lesbian. Because these two are friends the stereotypes they fit into stand out more, and you could say its a role reversal.

   We first meet Damien on the Cadys first day of high school. The first action he takes is grabing Cadys hair and explaining how he would like to have the same colour she does. Not only does he do this in a femanin way but the way he speaks is very femanin too. He is immideatly put into the stereotypical homosexual group as a queen. As well as the way he speaks, he also  uses very femanin hand gestures while he speaks and wears clothing that would be considered as girly. He is also seem using the girls bathroom and says yes to owning items of cothing which are pink. This last point isnt what makes him stereotypically gay, but at the same time, Janice, who is consudered a butch lesbian answers no. This draws attention to how the pair are very different from each other and enhanses the steryotype given to them.

   Janice is best friends with Damien and is stereotypically a butch lesbain because she wears a lot of dark clothing and has a lot of her body covered up, opposed to other girls in the school who wear bright colours such as pink and have a lot of skin showing. She is also targeted as a butch lesbian for the language she uses when speaking and for having a low voice compared to other girls who are shown speaking with a higher voice.

   These stereotypes petrude from the social school life simply because they are different. They arent what the audience typically expect then to be like. While other girls are wearing pink and showing lots of skin, Janice is wearing dark clothes all over. And most of the guys shown are talking about firls and sports but damien is spenind time in the girls bathroom acting like a typical queen.

   The issues these characters in the film have are that they are, in a way, outcasts for not acting how most people of their gender should act. Some of the audience watching the film may have a problem with this as the only homosexuality portrayed for a male is a typical queen, which is not how all gay men are like. Its the same for the woman, not all lesbians are butch and this could cause offence.