Mean Girls is Still Grool and We’re Talking About It With Katy Donahue

Katy Donahue is flawless. I hear her hair’s insured for $10,000. I hear she does car commercials… in Japan. One time she met John Stamos on a plane, he told her she was pretty, and if she punched me in the face, it would probably be awesome.

Wondering why? It’s because Katy Donahue, a fellow Hoya in the College, has been published on Slate.com discussing everyone’s favorite movie: Mean Girls. Katy’s a senior majoring in Economics with a Spanish minor and she loves to quote the 2004 film just as much as you do. Katy’s answer to the lifelong question “Why is Mean Girls So Quotable?” on her Quora account caught Slate’s attention, so we made sure to talk to her because we want to know: What is up? What’s the 411? What has everybody been up to? What’s the hot gossip? Because we’re cool moms.

Can you describe to our readers who don’t know what Quora and Slate.com are and how you got involved with them?

Quora is like a classier Yahoo! Answers. Members post under their own names and answer questions, usually with some expertise or experience about the subject. Questions include anything from “What do you think the economic and social implications are of fracking in the UK?” to “What is it like growing up in North Dakota?” and answers are ranked by a vote down/vote up system. Slate is a popular news website that has a partnership with Quora to publish selected answers under a specific Quora blog.

Why did you want to respond to the question “Why is Mean Girls so quotable?”

I responded to the question because in general, I often get a lot of information from Quora yet feel like I can’t contribute as much as someone with more life experience. When I see a question that I feel I can contribute to, I love to answer it! As a member of the generation of girls (and boys) that have grown up with Mean Girls, I felt like I could understand and explain why it has become so embedded in our generation as a “cult” movie.

One of the reasons you mentioned was that the issues portrayed in Mean Girls are relatable for many girls our age. How did you relate to the movie personally?

Mean Girls came out when I was in middle school, and I absolutely remember relating to the girl-friendship dynamics that the movie portrays. It may have become a cycle of life imitating art, unfortunately, because I do remember a few “burn books” being circulated after the movie.

It’s amazing that Mean Girls quotes are still used often. Should we be quoting Mean Girls if it illustrates a negative view of girls in high school? Or do you think the movie encourages a healthier, more compassionate lifestyle for high schoolers by showing the lunacy of bullying that goes on? Does it matter either way?

Overall, I don’t think it matters much either way, since I doubt a few offhand quotes would change people’s perceptions much. However, I think its enduring place in our collective lexicon of movie phrases may encourage people who may not have otherwise wanted to see it – especially men – to watch the movie. Although the draw of Mean Girls is its hilarious dialogue, it does help expose culturally relevant issues. It uses comedy to expose a major problem between females: the subtle idea that we are all constantly in competition (for jobs, husbands, etc.). It’s not exactly one of the hallmark quotes of the movie, but this quote by Ms. Norbury illustrates the point: “You all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it OK for guys to call you sluts and whores.”

What is your favorite Mean Girls quote and why?

“The limit does not exist.” Great scene in the movie, applicable in many situations and it made me less reluctant to learn calculus.

Do you wear pink on Wednesdays?

Always.

Finally, is butter a carb?

Yes, but Kalteen bars aren’t.

Whatever, Katy, we’re getting cheese fries.