There are moments in our often confusing and anxiety-ridden teenage years where specific remarks, jibes, and flyaway comments stand out more than others.
For some reason, we remember these instances more – maybe because the comments cut to the core, or because we feel more personally attacked than usual.
For the most part when this happens, we accept that we’ve been trapped dealing with a bully and we take that experience with us into our adult lives, hopefully never having the need to really think about it again.
But what if we took those comments and did something freakin’ awesome with them instead?
That’s what Tina Fey did!
During a recent chat with Variety for their Power of Women issue, Fey admitted that one of the most quotable scenes from her 2004 masterpiece, Mean Girls, was taken directly from her own high school experience.
A classic #MeanGirls line was inspired by Tina Fey's own experience in high school https://t.co/PnKNCzVZtY pic.twitter.com/IvS8yxZZgJ
— Variety (@Variety) April 11, 2018
“A girl did say to me once, like my freshman year of high school, ‘Oh you’re really pretty,’ and I was like ‘Thank you.’ She was like ‘Oh, so you agree?’ It was a trap. It was a trap, she didn’t think I was pretty.”
But the joke’s on that girl, because look at where Fey is now!
To think that this brief but impactful exchange could inspire a scene stealing moment from a film we’re still obsessed with nearly 15 years after it was released, gives me hope that every boy or girl being bullied or trolled can take something nasty and turn it into a positive future moment
If I were a Mean Girl character.
Besides the quotable lines, the Mean Girls message of: ‘hey let’s not tear each other down to feel better about ourselves’ resonated strongly with teens around the world.
Now in 2018, it needs to infiltrate all of our lives considering the political and cultural landscape we find ourselves in, and the increased instances of bullying and trolling on social media.
Ultimately, we need to be nice to everyone, and if someone can’t afford you the same courtesy, take their insecure comments (bullying is a coping mechanism after all) with a grain of salt, store the trolling remarks in the back of your mind, and then unleash them onto the world in a creative endeavour so marvelous and exquisite, that even Regina George would be lost for words.
If you or anyone you know needs a helping hand, please reach out to the following support services:
Lifeline on 13 11 14
Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
Headspace on 1800 650 890