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So Fetch: The Making of Mean Girls
From the New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia comes the totally fetch story of one of the most iconic teen comedies of all time, Mean Girls , revealing how it happened, how it defined a generation, “like, invented” meme culture, and why it just won’t go away, filled with exclusive interviews from the director, cast, and crew. Get in, loser. We’re going back to 2004. It’s been 20 years since Mean Girls hit theaters, winning over critics and audiences alike with its razor-sharp wit, star-making turns for its then unknown cast, and obsessively quotable screenplay by Tina Fey. Fast forward two decades and Mean Girls remains as relevant as ever. Arguably, no other movie from the 2000s has had as big of an impact on pop culture. In So Fetch , New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia , Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, offers the first ever authoritative book about this beloved classic that shaped an entire generation. Based off revealing interviews with the director, cast, and crew, So Fetch tells the full story of the making of Mean Girls , from Tina Fey’s brilliant adaptation of a self-help guide for parents of teen girls, to the challenges of casting Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and the iconic supporting players. So Fetch also explores the film’s lasting cultural influence, from its role in the rise of Y2K tabloid culture, impact on girls of all ages and lgbtq+ culture, to how we use it to define female relationships to this day. Timed for the 20th anniversary and the release of the new movie musical adaptation, So Fetch is the perfect companion for fans and anyone who understands that when it comes to Mean Girls ’ enduring legacy, the limit does not exist!
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 16, 2024
57 people are currently reading
8120 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
12 books258 followersJennifer Keishin Armstrong’s writing takes readers behind the scenes of major moments in pop culture history and examines the lasting impact that our favorite TV shows, music, and movies have on our society and psyches. She investigates why pop culture matters deeply, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Seinfeld, to Sex and the City and Mean Girls, to Beyoncé, Taylor, and Barbie. She has written eight books, including the New York Times bestseller Seinfeldia, When Women Invented Television, Sex and the City and Us, and So Fetch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
March 25, 2024
This book was a love letter to Mean Girls, one of my favourite movies, but it ultimately just didn’t grab me. The strongest parts were behind-the-scenes details from on set, some of which were new and surprising to me. (As a Torontonian, I find it hilarious that the movie’s stars hung out at Dufferin Mall!) There was also some interesting criticism about the intersection of Mean Girls and the “girl boss” movement, as well as parts of the movie that seem problematic when viewed through a 2024 lens. And I enjoyed learning about how Gen Z and Gen Alpha are discovering the movie through TikTok.
However, the overall tone of the book was a bit too gushing for my taste. It felt as though it was pandering to fans. And as a Canadian, I didn’t love the way the author talked about Canada? For instance, she talked about how Canada has such a small acting scene that all the actors who played small roles knew one another from theatre… but Toronto does not equal all of Canada! Vancouver basically has an entire film industry of its own. I don’t know, it felt like Canada was being depicted as this backwater place? I wasn’t really a fan of that.
I would probably skip this one unless you’re a super diehard Mean Girls fan.
However, the overall tone of the book was a bit too gushing for my taste. It felt as though it was pandering to fans. And as a Canadian, I didn’t love the way the author talked about Canada? For instance, she talked about how Canada has such a small acting scene that all the actors who played small roles knew one another from theatre… but Toronto does not equal all of Canada! Vancouver basically has an entire film industry of its own. I don’t know, it felt like Canada was being depicted as this backwater place? I wasn’t really a fan of that.
I would probably skip this one unless you’re a super diehard Mean Girls fan.
February 7, 2024
The best part of this read was the realization that the last 40 pages were bibliography that I didn’t have to read. 😴
March 7, 2024
Like many reviewers who have given this book two or three star ratings, I too ultimately found it to be quite repetitive and often dull, with so much of the book’s content already being known to the mega Mean Girls fans that would make up its target demographic.
What I didenjoy: the beginning of the book, where we got to learn all of the details about how the script and movie came together, the auditioning process to find the perfect actors for the set roles - the most difficult decisions apparently were for Damien’s character, and Regina, Gretchen and Aaron Samuels were all a bit difficult to find the perfect actor for, as well.
They also had a difficult time figuring out where to place Lindsay Lohan. While director Mark Waters knew he wanted her on the film (as he’d just worked with her on Freaky Friday) it was more difficult deciding whether to cast her as Cady or Regina.
Lindsay wanted Regina, of course, not only because she was “the prettiest, most popular, most feared” (at a time when something like that would matter very much to a seventeen-year-old actress) but because she yearned to play the “bad girl” character for once, instead of her usual squeaky clean Disney roles.
It seems that production was finally able to sway her into accepting the role as Cady by telling her that not only would Cady be the main character narrating the flick, but that Cady’s role was written for Lohan - in the sense that it was a lot more challenging to pull off. You had to watch her go from good to bad/“Plastic” then back again, and all the while understand why she made the decisions she did, and still root for her. I believe once Lindsay realized she was unique for being able to meet that challenge, she was finally sold on the role.
While all of the casting decisions were interesting as well as the shooting of the movie itself, in its suburban Canadian location, with details of what the main actors did on/off the set, for me, it kind of fell apart after all that…
For as to what I didn’t enjoy: far too much focus on the characters with one or two “iconic lines” (really, that could have been kept to a few pages or an extremely short chapter rather than be a feature throughout the entire book), the focus on the paparazzi’s obsession with turning Lindsay from a heroine into a broken starlet (we already know how badly the 2000s treated young female stars - Britney, Lindsay, Paris, Mischa, Nicole, Mary-Kate Olsen) - it just didn’t seem necessary to devote an entire chapter into repeating all of that sad story which is so sickening to think we tolerated back then.
Also what I didn’t enjoy: all of the pages talking about memes and how MG was staying culturally relevant throughout the years by a new play adaptation (I really couldn’t care less about that, nor the new Mean Girls movie released this year… why mess with perfection? It just seems silly to me when you have such an iconic movie with iconic stars, to then give those parts to other actors, no matter how talented).
It was also a bit weird to me how much Rosalind Wiseman felt “cheated out” of Mean Girls royalties. I’ve seen reviews that said she was “shitted on” and not given her “due compensation”, but really, what was exactly her due compensation for this movie? I believe she got a half million dollar paycheck, but aside from that, she seems to be quite a bit bitter in a project that she really didn’t do too much to bring about.
She’s not in the Hollywood business, so I’m sure it’s easy to moan that she didn’t receive enough royalties. But again, for what, I ask? The book she wrote was nonfiction, based on her life’s work helping girls deal with hierarchical societies within high schools.
Tina Fey had to write the entire script and jokes herself, none of which were provided by Wiseman. Okay, I suppose she contributed the “assigned roles”: dictator/head Mean Girl Regina, sidekick Gretchen, dumb girl Karen, cool mom Mrs. George, etc.
Aside from that, though, this was Fey’s movie, and Fey definitely seems the type to push for people to get their fair share in an often unfair industry (especially women). But it wasn’t Wiseman that made the movie come to life. It was Tina Fey, Mark Waters, Amy Poehler, and the main cast of characters (which I wished we’d gotten to hear more from).
Ultimately, 2.5 stars. I wouldn’t really recommend unless you’re a diehard Mean Girls fan and have some kind of FOMO about not reading this. If that’s not the case, though… trust me, YouTube has plenty to offer that’s more entertaining.
What I didenjoy: the beginning of the book, where we got to learn all of the details about how the script and movie came together, the auditioning process to find the perfect actors for the set roles - the most difficult decisions apparently were for Damien’s character, and Regina, Gretchen and Aaron Samuels were all a bit difficult to find the perfect actor for, as well.
They also had a difficult time figuring out where to place Lindsay Lohan. While director Mark Waters knew he wanted her on the film (as he’d just worked with her on Freaky Friday) it was more difficult deciding whether to cast her as Cady or Regina.
Lindsay wanted Regina, of course, not only because she was “the prettiest, most popular, most feared” (at a time when something like that would matter very much to a seventeen-year-old actress) but because she yearned to play the “bad girl” character for once, instead of her usual squeaky clean Disney roles.
It seems that production was finally able to sway her into accepting the role as Cady by telling her that not only would Cady be the main character narrating the flick, but that Cady’s role was written for Lohan - in the sense that it was a lot more challenging to pull off. You had to watch her go from good to bad/“Plastic” then back again, and all the while understand why she made the decisions she did, and still root for her. I believe once Lindsay realized she was unique for being able to meet that challenge, she was finally sold on the role.
While all of the casting decisions were interesting as well as the shooting of the movie itself, in its suburban Canadian location, with details of what the main actors did on/off the set, for me, it kind of fell apart after all that…
For as to what I didn’t enjoy: far too much focus on the characters with one or two “iconic lines” (really, that could have been kept to a few pages or an extremely short chapter rather than be a feature throughout the entire book), the focus on the paparazzi’s obsession with turning Lindsay from a heroine into a broken starlet (we already know how badly the 2000s treated young female stars - Britney, Lindsay, Paris, Mischa, Nicole, Mary-Kate Olsen) - it just didn’t seem necessary to devote an entire chapter into repeating all of that sad story which is so sickening to think we tolerated back then.
Also what I didn’t enjoy: all of the pages talking about memes and how MG was staying culturally relevant throughout the years by a new play adaptation (I really couldn’t care less about that, nor the new Mean Girls movie released this year… why mess with perfection? It just seems silly to me when you have such an iconic movie with iconic stars, to then give those parts to other actors, no matter how talented).
It was also a bit weird to me how much Rosalind Wiseman felt “cheated out” of Mean Girls royalties. I’ve seen reviews that said she was “shitted on” and not given her “due compensation”, but really, what was exactly her due compensation for this movie? I believe she got a half million dollar paycheck, but aside from that, she seems to be quite a bit bitter in a project that she really didn’t do too much to bring about.
She’s not in the Hollywood business, so I’m sure it’s easy to moan that she didn’t receive enough royalties. But again, for what, I ask? The book she wrote was nonfiction, based on her life’s work helping girls deal with hierarchical societies within high schools.
Tina Fey had to write the entire script and jokes herself, none of which were provided by Wiseman. Okay, I suppose she contributed the “assigned roles”: dictator/head Mean Girl Regina, sidekick Gretchen, dumb girl Karen, cool mom Mrs. George, etc.
Aside from that, though, this was Fey’s movie, and Fey definitely seems the type to push for people to get their fair share in an often unfair industry (especially women). But it wasn’t Wiseman that made the movie come to life. It was Tina Fey, Mark Waters, Amy Poehler, and the main cast of characters (which I wished we’d gotten to hear more from).
Ultimately, 2.5 stars. I wouldn’t really recommend unless you’re a diehard Mean Girls fan and have some kind of FOMO about not reading this. If that’s not the case, though… trust me, YouTube has plenty to offer that’s more entertaining.
February 12, 2024
“The result of Mean Girls’ own phenomenon was a macro, fun-house mirror reflection of the very themes it sought to explore: the way girls and women are pitted against each other and held to impossible standards so that the more spectacular they rise, the more doomed they are to fall.”
“In Mean Girls, we learn cattiness and social striving are neither frivolous nor harmless - they are legitimate survival techniques for girls in a patriarchal society.”
I’ve always loved Mean Girls, I mean who doesn’t? It’s one of the most quotable movies with an incredible cast & even here in the book world there are bookstacks done every Wednesday “on Wednesdays we read pink”. This is a movie that has stood the test the time, but it was never expected to blow up the way it did.
This was an interesting look at how the story came to be and how a book called Queen Bees and Wannabes inspired it (and also how that author got totally shit on).This also detailed how the casting was done, what happened during and after filming (including some juicy bits I never knew before), and also the journeys of each actor before and after the film came out.
There are so many fun facts and every character, big or small, who made an impact were mentioned in this book. It was interesting reading about all the characters who wanted to play different roles (like Lindsay reallllly wanted to be Regina George 😱) and all of the other star studded actors who we know & love today who wanted a role but were ultimately rejected.
The tea is hot, and I really enjoyed all of the inside info I got regarding the cast and crew. I love the pure nostalgia I felt reading this & the entire section on Lindsay after the movie was helpful since I never understood what happened to her. I am thrilled to see she is happy and thriving now!
This did drag on a lot and much of this book felt repetitive, but I came away from this book with a new understanding and appreciation for this movie and the genre itself. This was the last great, widely seen teen movie of recent memory, and even though looking back there are a lot of problematic aspects, deep down we will all always have a special place in our hearts for Mean Girls. This was informative & many thoughtful statements were made. However, I totally felt attacked by Gen Zers by the end. 😂
Thank you to Jennifer Keishin Armstrong & Dey Street books for sending me this copy in exchange for my honest review! 💝
“In Mean Girls, we learn cattiness and social striving are neither frivolous nor harmless - they are legitimate survival techniques for girls in a patriarchal society.”
I’ve always loved Mean Girls, I mean who doesn’t? It’s one of the most quotable movies with an incredible cast & even here in the book world there are bookstacks done every Wednesday “on Wednesdays we read pink”. This is a movie that has stood the test the time, but it was never expected to blow up the way it did.
This was an interesting look at how the story came to be and how a book called Queen Bees and Wannabes inspired it (and also how that author got totally shit on).This also detailed how the casting was done, what happened during and after filming (including some juicy bits I never knew before), and also the journeys of each actor before and after the film came out.
There are so many fun facts and every character, big or small, who made an impact were mentioned in this book. It was interesting reading about all the characters who wanted to play different roles (like Lindsay reallllly wanted to be Regina George 😱) and all of the other star studded actors who we know & love today who wanted a role but were ultimately rejected.
The tea is hot, and I really enjoyed all of the inside info I got regarding the cast and crew. I love the pure nostalgia I felt reading this & the entire section on Lindsay after the movie was helpful since I never understood what happened to her. I am thrilled to see she is happy and thriving now!
This did drag on a lot and much of this book felt repetitive, but I came away from this book with a new understanding and appreciation for this movie and the genre itself. This was the last great, widely seen teen movie of recent memory, and even though looking back there are a lot of problematic aspects, deep down we will all always have a special place in our hearts for Mean Girls. This was informative & many thoughtful statements were made. However, I totally felt attacked by Gen Zers by the end. 😂
Thank you to Jennifer Keishin Armstrong & Dey Street books for sending me this copy in exchange for my honest review! 💝
July 22, 2024
I love mean girls as much as the next millennial who has a crisis every time they remember that this year is its 20th anniversary but this book was just so unforgivably boring
January 29, 2025
Jennifer Keishin Armstrong is an entertainment writer whose previous books include When Women Invented Television: The Untold Story of the Female Powerhouses Who Pioneered the Way We Watch Today (which I read and enjoyed) as well as retrospectives on various '90s and '00s popular shows like Sex and the City (Sex and the City and Us: How Four Single Women Changed the Way We Think, Live, and Love) and Seinfeld (Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything).
So Fetch is Armstrong's 20-year retrospective take on the 2004 movie Mean Girls, which reminded me a lot of the fan books common in the late '90s and early '00s, marketed to kids and teens, and written (or at least approved) by publicists with glowing commentary and "exclusive insider info" about popular singers, actors, athletes, etc. (I listened to the audiobook, so I don't know if the print and Ebook editions come with copious photos consistent with this genre or not.) As someone who's seen Mean Girls a handful of times (but always recognizing it as satire, not aspirational), I found parts of this book interesting and other parts largely irrelevant (particularly the focus on extremely minor characters-- probably because they were some of the only ones who agreed to be interviewed for this book). Armstrong seemed almost allergic to being openly critical of anything about the original movie or the subsequent adaptations, with the only criticism she presents being Rosalind Wiseman (author of Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence -- the very loose source material for Mean Girls)'s complaints about not getting more royalties since she sold rights to her book to Tina Fey. With a 20-year retrospective, this would have been an ideal venue to explore issues like how the character of Janis is queer-coded but the original movie thwarts this at the last minute, only to be changed in the subsequent adaptations, or the theory that the Mean Girls musical was written with the end of goal of making Tina Fey and her husband royalty money from middle school and high school adaptations, given that its Broadway tenure was not well-received and would likely have been fairly short even in an alternate universe where COVID didn't happen.
Further reading: '00s teen pop culture
Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s by Sarah Ditum | my review
Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire by Ashley Spencer | my review
My statistics:
Book 33 for 2025
Book 1959 cumulatively
So Fetch is Armstrong's 20-year retrospective take on the 2004 movie Mean Girls, which reminded me a lot of the fan books common in the late '90s and early '00s, marketed to kids and teens, and written (or at least approved) by publicists with glowing commentary and "exclusive insider info" about popular singers, actors, athletes, etc. (I listened to the audiobook, so I don't know if the print and Ebook editions come with copious photos consistent with this genre or not.) As someone who's seen Mean Girls a handful of times (but always recognizing it as satire, not aspirational), I found parts of this book interesting and other parts largely irrelevant (particularly the focus on extremely minor characters-- probably because they were some of the only ones who agreed to be interviewed for this book). Armstrong seemed almost allergic to being openly critical of anything about the original movie or the subsequent adaptations, with the only criticism she presents being Rosalind Wiseman (author of Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence -- the very loose source material for Mean Girls)'s complaints about not getting more royalties since she sold rights to her book to Tina Fey. With a 20-year retrospective, this would have been an ideal venue to explore issues like how the character of Janis is queer-coded but the original movie thwarts this at the last minute, only to be changed in the subsequent adaptations, or the theory that the Mean Girls musical was written with the end of goal of making Tina Fey and her husband royalty money from middle school and high school adaptations, given that its Broadway tenure was not well-received and would likely have been fairly short even in an alternate universe where COVID didn't happen.
Further reading: '00s teen pop culture
Toxic: Women, Fame, and the Tabloid 2000s by Sarah Ditum | my review
Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel's Tween Empire by Ashley Spencer | my review
My statistics:
Book 33 for 2025
Book 1959 cumulatively
February 17, 2024
As someone who quotes Mean Girls at least once a week, I thought this book was so grool. Perfect if you love a behind the scenes look at the film making process. I enjoyed learning about all of the many quotable side-characters who make this movie the gem that it is.
February 7, 2024
Read about half of it and honestly just couldn’t do the rest, it was interesting, but just droned on and on
February 20, 2024
apesar de se ter tornado um pouco repetitivo e me ter perdido ligeiramente nos últimos três capítulos, bem como a conversa sobre a Lindsay Lohan que me deu um pouco de comichão, diverti-me muito mais do que esperava com este livro.
para além dos títulos de capítulo absolutamente incríveis, e on theme, foi mega interessante perceber como tudo começou e todo o processo de escrita e casting deste filme que marcou, e continua a marcar, múltiplas gerações.
dei por mim a ficar emocionada de entusiasmo em diversas partes e a querer rever Mean Girls pela quinquagésima vez!
não será para toda a gente, mas para quem, como eu, vibra imenso com este universo, é uma leitura divertida e que, ultimamente, vale a pena!
para além dos títulos de capítulo absolutamente incríveis, e on theme, foi mega interessante perceber como tudo começou e todo o processo de escrita e casting deste filme que marcou, e continua a marcar, múltiplas gerações.
dei por mim a ficar emocionada de entusiasmo em diversas partes e a querer rever Mean Girls pela quinquagésima vez!
não será para toda a gente, mas para quem, como eu, vibra imenso com este universo, é uma leitura divertida e que, ultimamente, vale a pena!
January 29, 2024
3 ⭐️ For being a huge fan of the movie, I expected more out of this book. I struggled to get through the content. It was a little drawn out and dry for me.
February 1, 2024
I feel like I need a re-watch. Made me chuckle. The first time I watched this movie was when my son was in highschool. Please don't judge. Haha. I had my son in 2003, so I was a little busy. I feel like Mean Girls was to millennials as The Breakfast Club was to Gen X. Nostalgia value.
March 12, 2024
2.5 stars. I enjoyed a few of the early chapters, but overall found this to be repetitive and boring.
February 8, 2024
I really enjoyed the first half of this book (the only part that was about the making of the movie). A large chunk of this book is about Lindsay Lohans downfall in the tabloids, and it just makes me roll my eyes 🙄. We’ve heard this story a million times, it’s tired. Let Lindsay live.
November 29, 2023
"Why are you so obsessed with me?"
I didn't know what to expect when I requested to review this book. I just knew I loved the movie Mean Girls and apparently I'm not alone. This book is enjoyable giving a backstage look at the creation without being dry.
Once the movie was made and the released you would think the book would be almost over. 50% of the book is the aftermath. While fame of the actors is interesting the political & feminist angle was not. I really wish the book would have ended after the movie was released and letting us know that happened to the cast. I was bored by the Broadway stuff, I've never seen it so I'm in invested in those actors or production.
I think the last chapter needs to be reworked as the author says a Mean Girls 2 isn't going to happen but a new Mean Girls with a lot of the OG cast is coming out the same month as this book. The book feels out dated by saying that and it hasn't been released yet.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong & HarperCollins Publishers for this ARC. These are my honest opinions. This homage to the Burn Book comes out January 15th.
I didn't know what to expect when I requested to review this book. I just knew I loved the movie Mean Girls and apparently I'm not alone. This book is enjoyable giving a backstage look at the creation without being dry.
Once the movie was made and the released you would think the book would be almost over. 50% of the book is the aftermath. While fame of the actors is interesting the political & feminist angle was not. I really wish the book would have ended after the movie was released and letting us know that happened to the cast. I was bored by the Broadway stuff, I've never seen it so I'm in invested in those actors or production.
I think the last chapter needs to be reworked as the author says a Mean Girls 2 isn't going to happen but a new Mean Girls with a lot of the OG cast is coming out the same month as this book. The book feels out dated by saying that and it hasn't been released yet.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong & HarperCollins Publishers for this ARC. These are my honest opinions. This homage to the Burn Book comes out January 15th.
January 24, 2024
This was fun to listen to! I enjoyed the first half more about the actual making of the movie than I did the second half, delving into fame, infamy, the creation of the Broadway musical, and more. I’m disappointed to hear that Wiseman wasn’t given due compensation for the inspiration her book “Queen Bees and Wannabees” provided Mean Girls as a franchise; it’s a shame she sort of sold away the rights she did, but still, Hollywood is predatory and we should combat it… overall, as a Mean Girls fan, this was a fun foray into a pop culture phenomenon.
February 2, 2024
I mean, I basically had to read this a millennial nonfiction lover, but it was so repetitive that I was annoyed even though I enjoyed it. Fun tidbits and BTS but I got super tired of hearing about those famous lines like “on Wednesdays we wear pink.” I think I got it the first seven times…
March 1, 2024
Very well written and fun. Interesting if you like mean girls, millennial culture, and movie behind the scenes. Very fetch.
May 31, 2024
3.5 stars. I love a good memoir / making of / behind the scenes / etc. story, and in that case, this story was quite enjoyable. I have seen mean girls many times, but while I remember going to see a movie in theaters the weekend this came out (I wouldn't have remembered the dates / overlap, but the author spoke about what else was released then), and I saw the slightly lackluster Ella Enchanted with my roommate that weekend, so I know I wasn't magically a die-hard fan from the get-go, but I do know I watched it a bunch later.
I loved the first 60% or so, and simply enjoyed the rest.
I did find it somewhat irksome that the author seems to think the preponderance of memes and the random teens who still enjoy watching the original carries so much weight that she can extrapolate that out to many more teen nation-wide (and into Canada?), but it could be that she's just in that extrapolation, considering the movie is now a musical and a 2nd movie that relates to the musical!
** also, to all who think it's so irksome that another iteration of the movie has been released and "why do you need a new one when the old one was so great?!", just remember: Lohan's Freaky Friday and Parent Trap were remakes, and despite the popularity of the originals, those were quite popular too. Same goes for So Many Movies / TV shows. If the producers don't release a new iteration every 20ish years, how will they capture a new generation and new revenue streams?! Or so their thinking goes...
I loved the first 60% or so, and simply enjoyed the rest.
I did find it somewhat irksome that the author seems to think the preponderance of memes and the random teens who still enjoy watching the original carries so much weight that she can extrapolate that out to many more teen nation-wide (and into Canada?), but it could be that she's just in that extrapolation, considering the movie is now a musical and a 2nd movie that relates to the musical!
** also, to all who think it's so irksome that another iteration of the movie has been released and "why do you need a new one when the old one was so great?!", just remember: Lohan's Freaky Friday and Parent Trap were remakes, and despite the popularity of the originals, those were quite popular too. Same goes for So Many Movies / TV shows. If the producers don't release a new iteration every 20ish years, how will they capture a new generation and new revenue streams?! Or so their thinking goes...
September 7, 2024
As a fan of Mean Girls who doesn't know much of what happened behind the scenes, I found this book to be really interesting and nostalgic!
I did listen to the audio, which I think helped keep me engaged with the amount of facts and background that can be a bit drone-y in the written format - so would definitely recommend going the audiobook route on this one for max enjoyment.
I did listen to the audio, which I think helped keep me engaged with the amount of facts and background that can be a bit drone-y in the written format - so would definitely recommend going the audiobook route on this one for max enjoyment.
September 27, 2024
A deep dive into the legacy and start of Mean Girls!! If you grew up watching this movie, this book is really fun and interesting. I loved hearing all about Tina Fey and Lindsey Lohan in particular. A light read with some insightful takes!
March 6, 2024
Nonfiction is new to me but I so so loved this book (and not just because of the gorgeous, eye-catching cover!!!) I learned so much about this iconic movie and am so inspired to not only rewatch the movie, but watch the musical, and talk about this movie with everyone I know. Through interviews and anecdotes, this book gives you totally new insight into Mean Girls. I was already a fan before this book and now would consider myself a super fan.
July 24, 2024
Starkare två ändå, men lite för många namn och en del partier som var lite onödigt långa. Men annars en intressant inblick i skapandet av filmen! Helt okej.
March 21, 2024
So fun to hear about how the movie was made and the casting and creative decisions that makes the movie such a classic. (Spent a lil too much time talking about Lindsay Lohan’s troubles in the early 2000s)
March 11, 2024
Calling all Mean Girls fans! This is certainly the book for you, especially during this, the 20th anniversary year of the original movie's release. It is very well researched and a delightful read. The book covers concept development, writing of the screenplay, making the film, its success, growth of fan obsession, adaptation as a Broadway musical, and transformation of the play into a film version which just premiered in January. Included are several pages of beautiful color photos, an extensive section of notes, and an appreciated index. Read it now. You will not be disappointed. Perhaps you will even start wearing pink on Wednesdays as I have.
XOXOXOs to the author, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, for writing such an excellent non-fiction account of the Mean Girls sensation:)
Note: This review is based on a copy received through goodreads.com.
XOXOXOs to the author, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, for writing such an excellent non-fiction account of the Mean Girls sensation:)
Note: This review is based on a copy received through goodreads.com.
April 24, 2024
DNF at 30%
Your time (my time) would be better spent rewatching the original movie, the movie musical and/or the broadway musical than reading this regurgitation of other materials.
The author doesn’t bring any new insight to anything, she simply restates articles and books that have been around for years. The writing style is best described as “boring academic”. Unless you are reading this for a class, don’t waste your time.
Your time (my time) would be better spent rewatching the original movie, the movie musical and/or the broadway musical than reading this regurgitation of other materials.
The author doesn’t bring any new insight to anything, she simply restates articles and books that have been around for years. The writing style is best described as “boring academic”. Unless you are reading this for a class, don’t waste your time.
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October 25, 2023Get in, loser. We're going book reviewing.
I was a late-comer to the wonder that is Mean Girls, and I remember watching it almost immediately after binging Parks and Recreation. The rage of Amy Pohler gave me slight emotional whiplash, and I'm not mad about it.
I will read any and every book on pop culture and love every moment of it. I love learning more about the creation of pop culture icons, how they came to be, and why they have such staying power. And this one raises an excellent question: Why ARE you so obsessed with me?
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hunt down a copy of Mean Girls for another rewatch.
Thanks, NetGalley!
I was a late-comer to the wonder that is Mean Girls, and I remember watching it almost immediately after binging Parks and Recreation. The rage of Amy Pohler gave me slight emotional whiplash, and I'm not mad about it.
I will read any and every book on pop culture and love every moment of it. I love learning more about the creation of pop culture icons, how they came to be, and why they have such staying power. And this one raises an excellent question: Why ARE you so obsessed with me?
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to hunt down a copy of Mean Girls for another rewatch.
Thanks, NetGalley!
September 14, 2024
If you, like me, pull up the IMDB “trivia” section of a movie before the credits even stop rolling then this book is for you. The deep dive into the production and ensuing cultural influence of Mean Girls made me want to schedule a rewatch party asap.
Perhaps the section that caught me most by surprise detailed how the rise of gif usage in the early 2010s heavily contributed to the prominence of Mean Girls in our culture that continues even now, 20 years after the premiere. Who would’ve imagined that a movie about the inner workings of girl world would have such staying power? One of the cast members interviewed by Armstrong said it well when she made a comment along the lines of “who knew that something I did for three weeks in 2003 would be what I’m best known for two decades later?”
In the final chapters, Armstrong catalogs countless examples of how Mean Girls has infiltrated American society including instances of presidential candidates and celebrities tweeting Mean Girls reaction gifs, and reality shows using well-known lines in promotional materials to hook curious viewers. Would this be happening in 2024 without the gif? We’ll never know, but it’s clear that Mean Girls won’t be disappearing from the cultural zeitgeist, or Giphy database, anytime soon.
Perhaps the section that caught me most by surprise detailed how the rise of gif usage in the early 2010s heavily contributed to the prominence of Mean Girls in our culture that continues even now, 20 years after the premiere. Who would’ve imagined that a movie about the inner workings of girl world would have such staying power? One of the cast members interviewed by Armstrong said it well when she made a comment along the lines of “who knew that something I did for three weeks in 2003 would be what I’m best known for two decades later?”
In the final chapters, Armstrong catalogs countless examples of how Mean Girls has infiltrated American society including instances of presidential candidates and celebrities tweeting Mean Girls reaction gifs, and reality shows using well-known lines in promotional materials to hook curious viewers. Would this be happening in 2024 without the gif? We’ll never know, but it’s clear that Mean Girls won’t be disappearing from the cultural zeitgeist, or Giphy database, anytime soon.
August 10, 2025
so fetch, literally……
Mean Girls isn’t just a movie—it’s an era, a language, a whole personality trait. So Fetch pulls back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes magic (and chaos) that made it iconic, but it also does something even juicier: it shows how one teen comedy managed to infiltrate pop culture so deeply that, 15+ years later, girls everywhere still speak “Plastics” fluently.
Reading this felt like hanging out with your smartest bestie, gossiping about how a single film could shape meme culture, influence how we talk about female friendships, and even become a subtle queer touchstone. Armstrong doesn’t just tell you what happened—she tells you why it matters, from the casting near-misses (imagine Amanda Seyfried as Regina?!) to the way “You can’t sit with us” became a global social currency.
If you’ve ever said “the limit does not exist” without a hint of irony, this book is your cultural history, your comfort read, and your group chat material all in one. 💗
Mean Girls isn’t just a movie—it’s an era, a language, a whole personality trait. So Fetch pulls back the curtain on the behind-the-scenes magic (and chaos) that made it iconic, but it also does something even juicier: it shows how one teen comedy managed to infiltrate pop culture so deeply that, 15+ years later, girls everywhere still speak “Plastics” fluently.
Reading this felt like hanging out with your smartest bestie, gossiping about how a single film could shape meme culture, influence how we talk about female friendships, and even become a subtle queer touchstone. Armstrong doesn’t just tell you what happened—she tells you why it matters, from the casting near-misses (imagine Amanda Seyfried as Regina?!) to the way “You can’t sit with us” became a global social currency.
If you’ve ever said “the limit does not exist” without a hint of irony, this book is your cultural history, your comfort read, and your group chat material all in one. 💗
February 11, 2024
This was a really fun retrospective, and obviously nice to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the original movie and the premiere of the musical adaptation. I don't think I love the movie like most people do, but I definitely think there's something unique about it (like how the actors for Damian, Aaron Samuels and Kevin G were all closeted at the time this was filmed and have all since come out as gay). In some ways I wish a little more drama was discussed, but it's rightly being celebrated as one of the most iconic 2000s movies.
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March 10, 2024I’m not a regular mom, I’m a cool mom (me, 2024). What a flash back to 2004. I enjoyed reminiscing on Mean Girls and everything that made the movie so iconic. It was interesting to read about the inspiration for the movie and what was happening behind the scenes. There was a lot about casting and production and I would have enjoyed a little more on the pop culture of it all, but I really enjoyed the trip down memory lane.
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