Mean Girls: 10 Iconic Expressions The Movie Invented

The world became fixated on one movie that seemed to describe an entire generation in just 97 minutes. Written by SNL funny gal Tina Fey, Mean Girls showed what life was like for teenagers over at North Shore High School in Illinois. Focusing on new girl Cady Heron, we see how her move from Africat to the States was a drastic change. And although so many of us impressionable girls saw what high school was like through another person’s eyes (Cady’s), the movie did have an effect on many of us to be nicer to our classmates.

Now that it’s been 14 years since the release of  Mean Girls, we’re taking a look back at some of the movie iconic phrases and expressions from the movie that are still with us today. It’s one of those movies that’s ultra quotable and will go down as one of the best comedy dramas in history.

11 That’s So Fetch

One of the biggest phrases from Mean Girls that’s still used today in basic conversation (mainly as a joke) is “fetch.” Poor Gretchen Weiners told her squad that she’s making up a word that could be used instead of “awesome.” And although Gretchen tried and tried to make fetch happen, Regina George was not enthused about her supposed best friends’ latest effort.

The saddest part about Gretchen Weiner is that she would do anything for her friends even though they treat her horribly. She vented to Cady about it in the bathroom one day and was in tears just thinking about those white-gold hoops Regenia wouldn’t let her wear anymore. Regina may have told Gretchen to stop using fetch but it sure had picked up among the viewers!

10 Is Butter A Carb?

Who can forget when Regina was focusing on nothing more than losing three pounds. Unbeknownst to her, Cady was feeding her these bars that actually made her gain weight instead of losing it. It was all downhill after that. Regina was “losing” her natural physique and began eating more, which led to sweatpants being the only thing that fit her.

Her sitting down at the lunch table in a matching jumpsuit spreading butter on her bread (and asking if butter is a carb) is an iconic moment that so many of us can’t stop staring.

9 Effin’

Whether you cussed or didn’t cuss in the early 2000s, Regina Geroge opting to say the word “effing” instead of the real word was a humbling moment. We saw in this scene, Regina compliments a fellow student on her skirt. Once the girl says it was her mom’s in the ’80s, Regina turns to Cady to tell her how “effing” ugly her skirt was. What’s gutting is we’re shown a flashback to Cady giving a similar compliment from Regina and now she doesn’t know if that too was “effing” ugly.

Regardless of your thoughts on Regina, her giving a free compliment to someone only to turn around and say the opposite proves she has no idea what her real identity is.

8 Whatever, I’m Getting Cheese-Fries

Somewhere in the middle of the movie, we see Cady Heron busting her butt to become “in” with the girls and not seen as a loser. Once Cady gained more confidence and Regina began getting thicker, the roles were reversed.

Cady eventually becomes popular at North Shore (instead of being the foreign chick from Africa) while Regina’s status is slowly fading. After wanting to lose three pounds, she questioned everything she ate and decide on cheese fries one day for lunch — making an iconic moment for all us cheese fry lovers.

7 Skeez

When Cady is first invited to sit at the cool table, Regina George took the reigns in trying to get to know this new girl in school. Near their lunch table, Cady was hit on by a random student (Jason), asking her questions that were basically sexual questionnaires in hiding.

And in an odd turn of events, Gretchen seemed to be hooking up with Jason, which made this entire interaction uncomfortable, prompting Regina to call him a “skeez” in front of his friends.

6 Grool

Lindsay Lohan committed to a ton of acting gigs as a young girl and adult but Mean Girls is one of her best works. Throughout the movie, Lindsay’s character Cady had a crush on Aaron Samuels — the hottest senior in school. The problem, of course, is that Aaron was Regina’s property.

Eventually, Cady learns that Aaron actually has feelings for her after inviting her to his Halloween party. He also told her not to bring other guys, which is very telling. Stunned that her crush just invited him over, she spit out the word “grool”; the combination of great and cool. What was added as a joke is now a word viewers use when not being able to find the right word.

5 Word Vomit

Word vomit is the perfect expression for anyone who has a lot to say at once and can’t help but spit it out. After holding her truest feelings in for months, Cady had “word vomit” where she told Aaron that Regina was cheating on him and that she thought he was cute. Sadly for Cady, every time she thought her word vomit was going to work out for her, it made her look—and feel—even worse.

4 I’m a Mouse, Duh

The Halloween segment of Mean Girls made viewers cry with laughter because it’s so true. Halloween is most definitely a time where women have the nerve to wear something scandalous, smack a title or a theme to it, and call it Halloween.

When Karen opens the door wearing lingerie and mouse ears, she doesn’t understand how Gretchen doesn’t grasp the concept. She simply says “I’m a mouse, duh.” Karen is one of the more ditzier girls in their girl squad but she created Halloween ideas for bored young-adults alike for years to come.

3 On Wednesdays We Wear Pink

To be apart of The Plastics, you have to get accustomed to their rules. And it wasn’t just Cady who had to follow these strict tules, everyone did. Gretchen even made Regina leave the cafeteria one day after wearing sweatpants (which she wasn’t supposed to do)!

Once Cady was one of them, Karen reminded her that on Wednesdays, they wear pink. Being new to high school and teenaged reality, she didn’t own any pink but Damien sure did!

2 Everyone In Africa Can Read Swedish

After being caught in a few lies, Cady’s secret plan of pretending to be a Plastic was melting away. This was especially true when Regina was trying to lose weight and Cady did her best to make her feel heavier.

After being born and raised in Africa, you would think she would understand that Americans are going to have a lot of questions for her, but Cady is so convincing it was hard for The Plastics to read through her.

1 I’m Not A Regular Mom, I’m A Cool Mom

Amy Poehler acting as Regina Geroge’s “cool mom” is everything we didn’t know we wanted. Although all the actors and actresses in this movie are all fantastic, nothing beats Poehler’s implants gracing her frame as she makes her underaged daughter and friends sip on fake mocktails. Another great moment is when she sneaks into her daughter’s room and offers the pair condoms and snacks!

About The Author

Lynn Gibbs
(1652 Articles Published)

Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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