Since Mean Girls debuted in 2004 it has fast become a cult classic of our times. Just think how many phrases we use from that movie throughout the year, especially when it comes to beauty. When someone asks you how you got your hair that big, isn't your reflex to respond with, 'It's full of secrets!'? Just us? Fine. The point is there are more beauty lessons in Mean Girls than you might think and with the new musical iteration of the Mean Girls phenomenon hitting cinema screens on Friday 12 January, you can expect tons more beauty notes to be had.
Let's return to big hair, for example. Did anyone else notice the direct correlation between big hair and allegiance to The Plastics in the movie? When Cady first moves to town she's relatively innocent and that's reflected in her unassuming hairstyle; straight lengths in a low ponytail - not Plastics material. As Cady gets closer to The Plastics her hair, like magic, gets bigger. There's root lift, there are curls, you name it - it gets it. The message is clear. In Mean Girls World, the bigger your hair, the more Plastic you are. You have been warned.
Then there's the issue of lip gloss. When The Plastics are done with their monumental rendition of Jingle Bell Rock (a true classic) they group together to revel in their success. Regina's boyfriend, Aaron Samuels bounds over to congratulate his girlfriend. He flings his arm over her shoulder and moves in for a kiss, at which point he's faced with her hand and the words 'err, lip gloss!'. Lipgloss boundaries are a thing Aaron! It only takes one peck to smudge away that glorious sheen of an immaculately applied shade of lip gloss. What's more - with lip gloss, adding another layer over the top just doesn't cut it. Nope, you have to start again. From scratch - oh the effort! OK, Regina might not be our favourite person, but you have to respect the girl's lip gloss boundaries.
Mean Girls also taught us to regularly check in on our skincare, especially if you've offended someone recently. When things start to spiral for Regina the pranks are let loose and the girls swap her cleanser for foot cream. We're not quite sure how she didn't notice the change in the product she supposedly uses every morning and night, but one thing's for sure - it's not going to do much for her pores. Be. Vigilant. People.
Keen to revisit more moments of nostalgia and browse the best beauty lessons in Mean Girls? Get scrolling:
Browse: All The Totally Fetch Beauty Lessons We Learnt From Mean Girls Without Even Realising It
Beauty Lessons We Learned From Mean Girls
1 of 71. Self Love Is Good Regina, OK?!
When Cady first gets invited to talk to The Plastics this is what goes down: Regina: 'But you're like really pretty.' Cady: 'Thank you'. Regina: 'So you agree? You think you're pretty.' Hold up Regina, the inference here is that it's rude to think you're pretty?! That moment had us all sending evil stares her way, and the power of that moment? We all knew that no one has the right to tell us it's not OK to love ourselves. Point. Made.
2 of 72. Pre-Planning Your Look Has Its Benefits
Karen's infamous line 'on Wednesdays we wear pink!' stereotypes The Plastics, sure, but there's nothing wrong with a bit of forward planning. Try scheduling in a day of the week that's reserved for a bold lip, it's the ultimate pick-me-up.
3 of 73. Lipgloss Boundaries Are A Thing
After that monumental rendition of Jingle Bell Rock, The Plastics group together to congratulate each other and Aaron Samuels flings his arm around Regina to give her a kiss. That's before he's warded off with the words 'Err, lip gloss!' of course. Regina might not be our favourite person, but lip gloss boundaries, they're a thing!
4 of 74. Big Hair = Big Secrets
Gretchen Wiener's biggest accolade in the movie is her big hair. Who will ever forget the commentary 'She knows everything about everybody, that's why her hair's so big, it's full of secrets!'. Who's not envious of those big bouncy curls though? Personally we think that volume's more likely down to a few haircare secrets, a large curling tong and some root lift spray for example.
5 of 75. The Bigger Your Hair The Greater Your Allegiance To The Plastics
Speaking of hair, there's a direct correlation between volume and Plastic allegiance in this movie. When Cady first moves to town she's got straight hair in a low pony. The more she's influenced by The Plastics the bigger the root lift and curls. Coincidence? We think not.
6 of 76. Regularly Check Your Face Wash To Make Sure It's Not Foot Cream
When things start to spiral for Regina the pranks come out to play and one of them involves swapping her face wash for foot cream. Below the belt? Yep. If you've offended anyone recently it's well worth keeping tabs on your skincare products. Foot creams these days smell quite nice, but they're not going to do your pores much good.
7 of 77. Always Check On The Crowd's Hair Situation Before You Set Off Any Sprinklers
OK fine if there's a serious fire in the offing you wouldn't think twice but Mr. Duvall took this drastic action by way of crowd control without even checking what effect this might have on anyone's do, causing one poor girl to cry out 'Oh crap! My hair!' - not cool Mr. Duvall, not cool.
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