ANALYSIS OF PERCEPTION OF THE WOMEN BEAUTY STANDARD IN THE

SOCIETY ON THE MEAN GIRLS MOVIE

AN UNDERGRADUATED THESIS

Presented to English Language Education Study Program

as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement

for the Degree of Sarjana Pendidikan (S.Pd)

Azmul Fauziyah

321418024

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

FACULTY OF LETTERS AND CULTURE

UNIVERSITAS NEGRI GORONTALO

2023

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 CAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Background

This study discusses the existence of beauty standards in social life. With
these standards, it can cause several impacts such as bullying, and low self-esteem
that comes from the people in the environment and this also affects women in
assessing their body image. Body image here is about shape, size, and physical
appearance which also includes skin color, hair color, etc., which can make the
insecurities. The assessment of beauty is not determined by theory, that means there
are no certain criteria in beauty itself, because beauty is relevant (Sircello, 2015 cited
in Kant 1, 1952). Most of the beauty or physical appearance of a woman is often
associated with her identity, which in fact identity is not always the same as physical
appearance and cannot be judged from it, Handayani (2018). In some cases, women
who have tan skin or uneven skin are often labeled as lower middle class people,
backward, considered unable to do anything, while white people when they invade
are seen as someone who has position, is superior, a race that becomes symbols of
power, validity, sanctity and others.

Standard of beauty are different in each country. In contemporary Western

culture, the thin female body is associated with health, wealth, success, and beauty
(Mekay, A. Moore, S & Kubik, W, 2018 cited in Rice, 2010). Women will always try
to follow these beauty standards with extreme diets, plastic surgery, liposuction, etc.,
to be recognized as beautiful so that they have power in their environment. Likewise
in this film it is shown that beautiful women at school are very popular. A group of
women with the name "Plastic", consisting of Regina, Gretchen and Karen. They are
highly respected in school, no matter how they behave, because they are beautiful.

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Beauty standards force them to stay slim and sexy, even Regina who already has a
slim body still wants to lose weight, but when she gains weight and she looks a little
chubby, all her friends make fun of her. Then Regina also looks fat, her two friends
also start to stay away from her and take her place as group leader. Many cases
women just follow the existing beauty trends or standards, they forget about their
health, love themselves, and self-improvement is much more important. they just
want to be recognized by others as Handayani said that "The standard for women to
be beautiful is not actually for women themselves, this is from men who expect all
women to be what they want women to be, so they can be called beautiful"
Handayani (2018). Based on these problems, I want to research about the existence of
beauty standards in it.

This study analyze Mean Girls film (2004) because the story shown that there
is a standard of beauty. For example in one of the scene in this film,

CADY (V.O.)

If all I could think about Aaron, all I could talk about Regina.

CADY

She’s not even that good looking if you really look at her.

Especially now that she’s getting fat.

JANIS

I don’t know. Her tits are getting bigger. ( p. 57).

Physical appearance, which is still a pressure in society, is a demand for

someone in the hope that he will be respected by others, will further strength the
standard of beauty in society. This phenomenon can give rise to various problems

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such as bullying etc. The influence of beauty standards is reflected in the group
woman character named “ Plastics” in this film.

There has been another researcher who also research about Mean Girls movie.
In a analysis" Bullying Portrayed in Mean Girls Movie: A Psychoanalysis” by Nun
Ayu Waya Sirly and Nine Febrie Novitasari (2017). They used Psychoanalysis as a
method. In their research, the focus is on the phenomenon of bullying and the impact
of bullying, therefore I am interested in discussing the causes of bullying to the
characters in Mean Girls movie, one of which is due to beauty standards.

Research Question:

With the public perception that shapes beauty standards, the main character is not
appreciated because her physique does not meet her friends beauty standards.
Because of that the question arises to discuss the phenomenon of beauty standards
that are still inherent in society.

How the society's perception in the movie Mean Girls toward woman beauty
standard is?

Research Objective:

To analyze how is the society's perception in the movie Mean Girls toward
woman beauty standard

Significance of the study

For the readers:

The researcher hope that this study can provide insight that the actual beauty
standards do not exist, but instead make every woman's identity disappears or change
according to the beauty standards that exist in this social life.

For the next researcher:

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It this hope that this research will become a reference or input that will help further
researcher to simplify the research process.

The Limitation of the study

This research is less accurate, because to review the standard of beauty in America, in
the film is only shows the perceptions of people in the senior high school while in a
broad social sphere, it does not presented in the film.

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 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

Theoretical Framework

This study aims to analyze how the perception of social beauty and its impact
on women, as the character in the movie. In this study, the writer present several
theories that can support this research, that are two theory used, the first is Naomi
Wolf: The Beauty Myth and the second is Carla Rice: Between Body and Culture:
Beauty, Ability, Growing up female. "Feminist theory explains the way women are
viewed as object and how the women character react to the social oppression around
them" (Fortuna, 2016).

Naomi Wolf Theory About Beauty

The increasing of the pressure towards women on the social standards of

physical beauty becomes Naomi Wolf's main reason in 1990 writing a book The
Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women It mainly discusses
about how women are oppressed by their social environment which leads to behavior
disorders. As shown in the film, that Regina is treated differently by her friends when
she getting fat , also two friends in her group than shun her. Women will consider
physical beauty as an important thing and they must follow the standards to be
accepted in the society. This also happened to Regina who tried to keep her thin body
and want more, because she is already an object beauty within her environment. Wolf
also mentions about five things in which women are oppressed, they are work,
religion, sex, violence, and hunger, (Wolf,1990, pp. 17-18)

One basic idea in Wolf's theory is about female liberation and female beauty.
She wants to differentiate between female liberation and female beauty, because it

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has no relation with each other. A woman should be liberated without being burdened
by physical beauty matter. In fact, many women are ashamed with their physical
appearance (bodies, faces, hair, and clothes) because of the social standards of
beauty. Beside the low self confidence, the images of female beauty that are used
repeatedly in the society will also give some bad effects (self-hatred, physical
obsession, and terror of aging), (Wolf, 1990), pp. 232). The character Regina, that
becoming a bully because she was afraid that her popularity would be eclipsed by
another people, she even breaks her friendship with her two best friend Gretchen and
Karen.

The idea of 'beauty myth' by Wolf believes that women are forced to follow
the beauty standards so they can be accepted in the society. However this kind of
society will spread the belief that physical beauty can be used as a measurement of
women, and that woman must follow the beauty standards, so that men want them
because of an assumption that men must want such women, (Wolf, 1990, pp. 152)

Carla Rice Theory About Beauty

In addition to using Naomi’s theory, Carla Rice’s theory is also used to

complement feminist theory. In Naomi’s theory, it gives the meaning of beautiful
woman itself, while in Carla Rice’s theory there are specific of American beauty
standard, such as the physical characteristics of a beautiful woman. Then from two
theories will get a beautiful understanding inside and outside.

Body image is a woman's experience of her body, which include the mental
picture she has of her body as well as her associated, feeling, judgements, and
sensations. The development of body image is a social and psychological process a
women internalizes a range of social views to create a mental image, understanding
and assessment of her body. In other words, body image is the product of the message
she receives from other people ( family, friend, strangers), from her networks (peers

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groups), system (the school or medical system), communities, and also from her
culture, (Rice, 2010, pp. 148).

The "rice white girl" stereotype does not fit with the realities of the many
women who are dealing with eating and weight concern. Moreover, weight issues are
not the only body issues the girls experience, nor are they necessarily the most silent
ones Gils are faced with the reality of having a female body, which can be experience
with as a pleasure able or problematic depending on the message received from
others. Weight in only one the criteria by which girl assessed. A girls hair texture and
style, her breast and hip size her eye and skin color, and her body shape and facial
features can become focused of concern, (Rice, 2010, pp. 149-150). In the film, the
group with the name Plastic shown that the beautiful person is that person have a
skinny body, big breast, blonde hair and high like a Barbie doll.

Girls satisfaction with their bodies to related to their feeling to belonging and
of their accepted by others (Paxton, 1996). The message they receive about they
developing bodies from their family, peers, communities, and the larger culture
during this crucial period strongly affect how good they feel about their bodies.
Western conceptions of beauty are creating a hierarchy in which women are ranked
strictly according to their closeness to the ideal. This hierarchy ranks and devided
women within and across racial groups, (Rice, 2010, pp. 156-157).

Naomi wolf theory in her book The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are
Used Against Women, Wolf (2002, pp.1-2) begins this book by pointing out that all
this time, black, brown, and white women in America have faced beauty myths for
their own sake. to be a perfect woman is to have a tall body, slim, white, and blonde
hair. Their facial skin should not have the slightest flaw and their waist circumference
should be as small as possible. Every morning, women wake up feeling
uncomfortable about their bodies. The phenomenon of eating disorders or breast

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augmentation surgery is just one of their attempts to fulfill the beauty myth. Wolf
considers that there is an effort from the beauty industry (cosmetic and fashion)
which is the landlady of the patriarchal system to control women's freedom. Instead
of oppressing them directly, the patriarchy in the beauty industry attacks women with
beauty myths. Beauty myths are a means of feminizing women that make them
imprisoned in dissatisfaction with their bodies, a sense of not being able to satisfy
men, and even hating themselves (Wolf, 2002, pp.10). Wolf mentions that beauty
myths are born from idealizations that serve a particular purpose or interest.

Like to get instant beauty of a woman required to follow existing standards,

from requests to make a woman sometimes feels pressured or even with a race it
made him even more obsessed with the icon of beauty at that time. Likewise with the
provisions - provisions of beauty or attractiveness has been determined by a company
- a company. With the provisions it's the same as there are things that are limited. as
in the quote "we like to feel we" look feminine even though we are doing a man –
sized job …. So we truck flowers and ribbons in our hair and try to keep our faces
looking pretty as you please”. (Wolf, 2002, pp.63). That basically women can be
what they are they want, choose a profession as anything, but within the scope there
are still boundaries between women and men, Limitations it is an identity that must
be obeyed and shown the feminine side a woman, still a woman with her nature must
be seen beautiful and gentle.

Carla Rice theory in her book Between Body and Culture: Beauty, Ability,
Growing up female, discusses the struggles women experience with their body image.
then relate these problems to the pressures among women, explaining how women
become trapped in various body struggles as a function of their physical abilities,
race, skin color, ethnic identity, body size, and gender identity. It is done with various
strict diets that are popular among young women, they also force vomiting to lose
weight to give rise to eating disorders. The emergence of the “rice white girl”
stereotype is not in line with the reality that many women are dealing with eating and

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weight problems. Not only that, such as skin color, hair type, breast and hip size,
eyes, body shape and facial features are also beauty standards that are judged in their
environment. So that their appearance and body become more important to support
their self-confidence than the ideal beauty of a healthy body, and in the end women
want to be recognized if they are beautiful and attractive women.

Movie and Literary Text

According to Prince that “though cinema is an audiovisual medium, it begins

with the written word, the initial step in the production of the film is the completion
of the script. The script furnishes the basic structure of story and dramatic action that
filmmarkers will transform into picture and sound” ( Prince, 2004, pp.214). With this
idea, if associated with media used, current writing once no longer rely on print for
finding readers. The digital age and internet can change all data be a soft copy that
can be presented in visual media, be it writing, films as well as other forms. Marcell
Conis Pope’s statement that :

Historically, textual study meant writing and reading verbal texts in

the medium of print. The final decades of the twentieth century
witnessed an explosion of new media forms, expanding the concept of
“text” far beyond the printed word. “Text” now include web
publications, advertising film, television, video and digitalized sound,
graphic media text, and even installations” ( Wahyudi, 2017 cited in
Pope, 2014).

This understanding can then be used to say that text as the literature can be
conveyed through film media , in this case the ideas conveyed. As stated above, in the
last decades of the twentieth century the text already has a new definition. Text is
understood as wed publications, advertisements, films, television, video, digital
sound, etc. hopefully this can be prelude to understanding that films can be used as
objects of literary material.

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 Based on Diwyacitta, ( 2015 ) cited in Diyanni (2007) literary work has many
form, it can be prose, poetry, drama and so on. In this study, a movie is use a material
of discussion, which movie itself belongs to literary works. It because the script of the
movie has the same form as drama in literary works. In literature drama refers to
literary works which is written for performance by actors. It present the dialogue
from beginning to the end. It is the same with movie in case of the script. The script is
also consist of dialogue through the act and the scene of the actors and it is written to
be performance too. So movie can be categories to drama in genre of literatue.
Therefore movie and literary works are connected to each other. Both movie and
literature are narrative form. They have the same goal to told the story. In the
narrative both form written works or movie consist of two elements that are intrinsic
and extrinsic. The intrinsic elements are plot, character, point of view, setting and so
on. The extrinsic element are from outside that give influences, for example life
account of the author. Those elements fulfil each other and create the whole story.

According to cited Diwyacitta, ( 2015 ) cited in Villarejo, (2007), there are

some elements in doing movie analysis such as cinematography, mise-en-scene,
editing , sound, and narrative. Mise-en-scene meant the theatrical process of staging,
there are six component of it : setting (set and props), lighting, costume, hair, make-
up, and figure behavior. Setting and props or properties is constructed depends on the
location. Lighting establishes mood and directs attention to detail. Costume, hair and
make-up show the world of the movie and its character. Figure behavior also
describes figure the movement, expression or actions of the actors or other figures
(animal, monster, animated things, droids).

Cinematography itself has the important point to create the good movie. And
support all components in mise-enscene. Cinematography itself is anything to do
with the camera. It covers angle, focus, movement and compositing. Here, camera
shoots the picture of the performance of the characters. That use to show the

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expression , mimic or gestures of the character so the audience know and feel what
happened to the character, Diwyacitta, ( 2015 ) cited in Villarejo,(2007).

In this study, it will focus on two elements of movie studies to support

analysis of the study, mise-enscene and cinematography. In mise-enscene only use
one component that is figure behavior. It can be analyze and seen though the action
and reaction from the character to other character. It can be form of his expression
that show and what he does during the movie in facing the problems.

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 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

Method of Research

This study uses a qualitative method, through the Mean Girls film as the data
of this research. Descriptive explanation of this study is about the concept of beauty
in society that presented in Mean Girls and the impact toward woman itself as the
characters. Qualitative research is a type of research that aims to investigate a
question without attempting to quantifiably measure variables or look to potential
relationship between variables. As this study uses a qualitative method, the data are
analyzed through the information inside the Mean Girls story.

Approach of Research

This study uses feminist literary criticism as the approach and Reading as a woman
for the method., Feminist criticism is concern with the ways in which literature ( and
other cultural productions) reinforce or determine the economic, political, social, and
psychological oppression of women. “Reading as a woman” is the method chosen in
this research to explain the conflict of the film, about the women beauty perception.
“Reading as a woman” applied based feminist theory by Naomi Wolf. There are
some theories about the concept of “Reading as a Woman”. Nevertheless, the
researchers cannot deny analyzing story elements such as characters, plot and themes
because this analysis uses text as the research object.

Reading as a woman according to Suwardi Endaswara ( Azhar, 2019 cited

Endaswara, 2008) is understanding literary works must use a special awareness, that
is the awareness that gender has a lot do with beliefs, ideologies, and life insights.
Besides that, in “Reading as a woman” Jonathan Culler describes three direction in
feminist literary criticism: the first, arguing that women's life experiences also include
reading literature. This mean that their experience as a woman that the source of

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authority to the “reader response” of feminine reading, this attitude means the women
read differently from man. Second, holds the women are conditioned to read as man.
This view holds that masculine reading should be opposed by the establishment of a
feminine reading. In this sense reading as a women means not reading as a man, this
obviously maintains the binary opposition between man and women and only tries to
shift the balance. Third, the post-structural approach which argues that the concept,
categories and distinction employed in literary criticism are masculine, the attempt
here is to deconstruct the distinction between masculine and feminine reading. In this
sense, examine the meaning of a literary work from various sides, it can be started
from any aspect, even from the smallest problem that many people did not expect at
first, which was originally meaningless to become meaningful ( Culler, 1982 ). “
according to Culler, based on the concept of “ female readers”, this approach focuses
more on the continuity between women’s experiences of family/ social structures and
their experiences as readers” ( Purkonudin, 2011 ). Feminist literary criticism that
adheres to this postulate is more interested in the situation and psychology of female
characters.

From some of the opinions above, this research will use “Reading as a Woman” in
several direction, namely: special awareness, life insight, and woman experiences.

In addition to the approach through reading as a woman, the approach to

movies also needs to be done because in addition to reading text (script), it is also
accompanied by watching the film. Therefore, the move approach is also used to
complete the research.

1. The researcher watch the film carefully with a critical thinking

2. Paying close attention to details and make observations that might start
leading question in this research, that is on all scenes and dialogues, especially
that shows there is a phenomenon of beauty standard in the film.

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 3. Watching every scene a many time. For this viewing, the researcher will want
to focus specifically on those element of observations film, than researcher
classify the data .
4. Observe/ watch the film with the text. (Writing center, n.d)

Data Sources

In this research, use Mean Girls film that production at 2004 by Broadway
Video, director by Abby Kohn, and produced by Nicolas Chartier, as the data sources.
The scene in the film Mean Girls, shows some of the data needed for research, then
the author try to collect data and research it to get research results. Another sources
are books, online journals, articles and other that are related to this topic.

Technique of Collecting Data

1. Watching and understanding Mean Girls film and read the film script in several
times.

2. Saving and collects the data from Mean Girls film, to get the data to answer the
problem of the research

3. Looking for some journals, e-books and others, as a supported information data to
find out the theory, data, and knowledge required.

This study analyze the characters in the film. In the characters, it will be seen how
social or supporting characters judge the main characters, and how the main character
responds through conversation. It will be described by taking data in the scripts, as
well as in the films to see more detailed expressions and behavior. Characters that
change as the story line progress also show conflict such as the existence of beauty
standards that make characters depressed and even bullied.

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Data Analysis

1. First step is analyzing data using feminist woman beauty theory by watching Mean
Gilrs film, and identifying the woman beauty standard that shows in the film Mean
Girls

2. Selecting the phenomenon of woman beauty standard used by the characters story
that relating to the research question.

3. Make the conclusion from data collection. In this step, the writer will conclude the
results that have been obtained from this research.

From this process the writer can fine the concept of beauty presented on this film and
how the people's perception in defining the beauty, so that it has an impact to women
as the victim.

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 CHAPTER 4

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

In this section, the researcher describes findings about the beauty standard
phenomenon depicted in the film Mean Girls, through several characters and
characterizations in the film. Then, the results found in this section will be explained
and interpreted in the discussion section.

Findings

Beauty is a vital and central element of the human experience, especially

women, because women want to look beautiful in order to fit in society, ( Fortuna,
2016). Likewise in the environment of teenagers in this film, where girls have to be
pretty to be popular at school, like having a hot body. Women do many things just to
be beautiful, as if beauty is a pleasure and satisfaction that must be achieved. Beauty
standards also influence how women judge their body image, and how outer beauty is
more important than inner beauty, namely a good heart so that the attitude will also
be good. This film represents the Beauty Standard through its female characters, such
as the main character Cady Heron and other characters Regina George as the Queen
Bee in the Plastics group, and other characters.

In this section the author will provide character data for several characters,
which are closely related to beauty standards, where their physical appearance is also
an image of the ideal of beauty itself, coupled with the dialogue and body language of
the characters in the film, which describe their thoughts on how the ideal of beauty in
woman .

In the film, it is shown that one of the groups that is popular and becomes the
center of the school, the name of this group is Plastics, they consist of three girls
named Regina as the leader, Gretchen and Karen. They are visualized as beautiful
girls and come from wealthy families. But contrary to their beautiful appearance,

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their nature actually shows evil and cruel. At the beginning of the story they get
acquainted with a new student named Cady as the main role in this film, for the first
time they invite other people into their group. Until the middle of the story there was
a conflict between Regina and Cady which finally Cady succeeded in shifting
Regina's position as leader until Regina was indirectly expelled from the group.

Apart from being physically beautiful and wealthy, their compactness also
turns power into an influential group at school. Solidarity is shown through clothing,
where they have clothing rules every day, then support each other, such as in terms of
their love relationship, however, behind all that, what actually happens in the group is
competition between members, there is physical jealousy between women. , like
Regina who said Gretchen wasn't pretty, and also Cady who pranked Regina to make
her fat so that she was considered ugly. This competition shows that the physical is
the main thing in the social world of women.

Beauty standard that presented by Regina George

This beauty standard is said by Naomy Wolf (2002, pp.4) in her book The Beauty
Myth, that the criteria for beauty standards are blonde, white skin, skinny, and tall
body, as a western beauty standard that applied to all racist. As well as the criteria
conveyed by Carla Rice (2010, pp.160) that the myth of universal beauty standards
causes issues since it narrows the wide range of aesthetic preferences and promotes a
single ideal globally. Fair skin, long hair, and European facial characteristics have
grown increasingly prevalent as the benchmark for beauty over the world. Standard
beauty as above, shown by the character Regina in the film, where Regina has a
perfect physique like the standard of beauty in America, as conveyed by Naomy and
Carla. Visual Regina is described by the author in the script, as follows:

A girl intervenes. This is REGINA GEORGE, 15. Perfect looking, fast on her
feet, intimidating. The queen of The Plastics. She is flanked by Karen and

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 Gretchen (who is pissed, Jason is "hers"). (scene.19,p.16). ( describe in the
script)

In the film, Regina is described as Western body ideals with physiques such as:
blonde, blue eyes, white skin, skinny, tall body, and glamorous. She is arrogant and
manipulative but popular with her beautiful face and body. Regina's popularity can be
seen in several scenes in the film, where Regina was shown being carried by the boys
like a queen to the school field, wearing a tight sports suit so that she displayed a sexy
body, she looked radiant and became the center of attention of her friends.

Beside that, besides Regina's beauty is recognized by her friends, Regina also
accepted that standard with she tries to maintaining her popularity by keep her body
thin, which is seen in several movie scenes how she really wants to lose weight, and
always counts food calories. The other characters respond in surprise because Regina
already looks thin but she still wants to lose weight. Regina's obsession with her diet
is shown in the following dialog:

REGINA

I wanna lose three pounds.

The girls realize too late what they're supposed to say.

GRETCHEN/KAREN/CADY

Oh my God? What are you talking about? You're so skinny -- Etc.

(scene.53,p.49)

This situation is called eating disorder disease as stated by Naomy Wolf (2002, pp.13)
that eating disorder habits are widespread among young women, that basic and simple
social pressure to be a thin female figure is a major factor in the development of this
disease. Where this disease arises, among others, due to societal pressure, success and
one's value are often misinterpreted with a slim body, this view can trigger the desire

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to try hard to have a slim body. This was also conveyed by Carla Rice (2010, pp.149)
that the current, pervasive obsession with thinness, has roots in the tension between
biology and beauty ideals, which many young women take as a sign of their own
inadequancy. And what is very contrasting is, she is not interested in things related to
intelligence, such as her response that math is social suicide, when she heard Cady
likes Math class. Based on the explanation above, it can be concluded that the
standard of beauty according to Regina is to have a thin or ideal body, in addition to
her naturally beautiful physique.

Moreover, Regina has also shown that she places more importance on her appearance
than other aspects such as her attitude. Regina's character is shown in the following
dialog:

REGINA

Oh my God, I love your skirt. Where did‘you get it?

LEA EDWARDS

It was my mom's in the 80's.

REGINA

Vintage! It's so cute.

LEA EDWARDS

Thanks.

Kilt Girl smiles and leaves.

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 REGINA

That is the ugliest f---ing skirt I've ever seen. (scene.59,p.53-54)

In the dialogue above, you can see how Regina is a manipulative person who looks
sweet in front of her friends, but behind them, Regina insults them with harsh words

Beauty standard that presented by Cady Heron

Aside from being physically perfect, the importance of having an attractive

appearance is also highlighted in the film as shown by Cady's character, who was
originally a woman without makeup in simple clothes, then changed to wearing
clothes that were all tight and sexy, as well as striking makeup. This beauty standard
is influenced by advertisements in the mass media that present various kinds of
fashion and beauty products. As Naomi Wolf (2002, pp.7), said that these concepts
actually come from somewhere and that they have a specific purpose. The aim is
especially to benefit from income, those who invest millions of dollars to drive the
media which, in turn, creates the concept of the ideal.

Cady's physique is described by the author in the script as follows:

CADY HERON, 15, lies in bed asleep. She is naturally pretty. Her long hair
has never been dyed. Her eyebrows have never been plucked. She has a
fantastic tan. (scene.1, p.1)

Cady's changes in appearance are described by the author in the script as

follows:

Janis has taken the photograph of the audience booing her at the talent show
and is turning it into a large painting. Cady is checking herself out in a wall
mirror. She has started wearing more make-up. ( scene.76, p.65)

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In addition to this beauty standard are from the media mass, this standard also from
boys, where Cady changes her appearance to get her ideal man, namely Aaron
Samuels, according to Carla Rice (2010, pp.155) that observing that a girl's
awareness of her appearance is increased by the critical looks she encounters, her
respondent, a young Indo-Canadian woman, says, "If you were a tomboy in
elementary school, it just meant that you played with the boys more than you played
with the girls." However, in high school, it indicated that if you are not attractive, you
will attract less attention from men. You have to dress in a way that would make a
popular group want to hang out with you. Girls focus more on managing, controlling,
and regulating their bodies during puberty in order to conform to an internalized
ideal. The same is true with Naomi's (2002, pp.29) statement that women must want
to have beauty, and men must want to have beautiful women. The pressure that arises
from this feeling of wanting to belong is felt by women, not men. Thus the standard
of beauty is inseparable from the role of men, so naturally, women want to meet the
standards set by men by looking attractive.

Beauty standards based on men are shown in the following dialog:

CADY (V.O.)

This time, when Aaron saw me, I wouldn't be in some ridiculous Halloween
costume.

Cady comes down the stairs. She has on too much make-up. Too sexy clothes.
Her hair is huge. It does look like a ridiculous costume. (scene.105, p.85)

AARON

You look, um-- are those new clothes?

CADY

Thank you. (scene. 108, p.89)

22
Moreover, by having an attractive appearance Cady feels that she is popular and gets
attention from her friends. Since Cady became a new member in the plastic group,
she changed her appearance like Plastics, with make-up, sexy clothes, and glamour.
As depicted in the film, Cady wears a pink tight dress and miniskirt, a face that has
been polished with make-up, and hair that is neatly loose, is really very similar to
Plastics' appearance and different from her before. Shown in the following dialog:

CADY (V.O.)

When you were with the Plastics, it was like being famous. People looked at
you all the time. And Everybody just knew stuff about you. (scene.57, p.51)

Besides her changed appearance, Cady's personality also changed, Cady is a girl who
is innocent, kind hearted, and also very smart and honest, became a mean, self-
centered and egoistical girl. In this case it shows that girls are more concerned with
their physical appearance than anything else, like Cady who was previously a girl
who had a good attitude, then changed, because she was more focused on her
appearance. Cady's character is shown in the following dialog:

They walk her out of the building, across the football field, Damian lights a
cigarette.

CADY

That's really bad for you.

DAMIAN

It keeps me thin. (scene.13, p.10)

The dialogue above shows that Cady has a pure heart, seen how Cady cares for her
friend Damian who smokes, Cady warns that it is bad for him.

Cady's changing nature is described in the following dialog:

23
 CADY

She's not even that good looking if you really look at her. Especially now that
she's getting fat. (scene.76,p.65)

The dialogue above shows that Cady started gossiping about her friend Regina, by
talking about Regina’s physique who was considered ugly because she was fat. Her
crime was also seen when she tried to sabotage Regina's slim body to become fat, and
after she succeeded in becoming the head of Plastics she began to stay away from her
friends Janis and Damian.

Carla Rice statement (2010, pp.149) that young women who struggle with major
body image issues are almost always spoilt and driven by vanity or attention. As seen
in the Cady environment, that friends who didn't look at her at first, after she
changed, her friends started looking at her like with an expression as if entranced by
Cady's pretty face. Moreover, Cady began to ignore her favorite class, namely
Calculus class, she didn't even pass her math class.

The charm of the female character above, very much represents a 'Barbie Doll' with
clothes that are identical to the color pink, feminine, tall and slim body posture. And
with the name Plastics, it seems to symbolize that they are extremely beautiful like
plastic dolls on the outside, but lack inner beauty and personality.

Bullying

This depiction of beauty standards begins to appear at the beginning of the story,
when the character Regina is introduced by the narrator. The film starts by presenting
Regina as the embodiment of conventional beauty ideals, with her perfect physique
and the special treatment she receives from her friends. Regina's introduction scene,
where she's shown wearing a tight sports shirt that accentuates her curves, is a
powerful depiction of the way her attractiveness is emphasized. The imagery of her

24
being lifted up and treated like a queen by her friends reinforces her status as a
popular and admired figure in the school.

However, even with her already attractive body, the film illustrates the psychological
toll of societal pressure to maintain a specific appearance. Despite her enviable looks,
Regina becomes consumed by body image concerns. This resonates with the
unrealistic beauty standards imposed on women, leading them to feel insecure and
prompting behaviors like extreme dieting, as done by the character Regina.

Besides her insecurities, Regina is also oppressed by bullying. Previously Regina was
praised by her friends for having a hot body, but after she became fat, her friends like
Plastic members started to stay away from her and her other schoolmates also bullied
her like one of her female friends did who called her a "Fatass" and other friends also
laughed at her. The bullying that happens in the movie “Mean Girls” is called verbal
bullying. As there are many types of verbal bullying, their action can be categorized
as rude and impolite words. The Verbal Bullying is shown in the following dialog:

As Regina walks away, she collides with the heavyset Egg McMuffin Girl.
Food spills all over the both of them.

GRETCHEN

You can't sit with us.

REGINA

(quietly) These sweatpants are all that fits me right now

Egg McMuffin Girl

Watch where you're going, fatass.

Regina is stunned speechless. Everyone around her laughs. (scene.98,p.80-81)

25
The dialogue above highlights the detrimental impact of societal beauty standards,
particularly on young girls, and how this pressure to conform to these standards
shapes social dynamics. The film portrays the evident social pressures that young
girls face to maintain a certain level of beauty in order to gain popularity.

In students' behavior towards Regina, both before and after her weight gain,
underscores how beauty dictates social acceptance. Initially, Regina is admired for
her beauty and popularity, receiving positive attention and support from her peers.
However, when she gains weight and deviates from the conventional beauty ideal, the
same students who once supported her begin to mock and ostracize her. This
transformation in their attitude demonstrates the fickle nature of popularity and the
harsh judgment based on physical appearance.

Conversely, the contrasting attitudes towards students who fit the beauty standards
and those who are perceived as less attractive further emphasize this issue. Dialogue
and nonverbal cues, such as body language, reveal the societal bias towards
conventional beauty. Students exhibit supportive behavior towards the conventionally
beautiful, reinforcing their social status, while those who do not conform to these
standards are often disregarded or ridiculed.

In this way, the film highlights how the pressure to be beautiful perpetuates a cycle of
shallow judgments and reinforces unhealthy societal norms. It underscores the need
for a more inclusive and empathetic approach to evaluating individuals, challenging
the harmful effects of appearance-based judgments on self-esteem and social
relationships, particularly among young girls.

In addition, beauty standards in the film intricately linked to the environment and
social circumstances of the characters. The settings in which is character interact and
the social context in which they live can be powerful tools for illustrating how these
beauty standards emerge. Because of that, the setting is very important to discuss, to

26
make it easier for researchers to reveal how the concept of beauty standards occurs in
films.

Setting

Setting is the time and place (or when and where) of the story. It’s a literary element
of literature used in novels, short stories, plays, films, etc., and usually introduced
during the exposition (beginning) of the story, along with the characters. The setting
may also include the environment of the story, which can be made up of the physical
location, climate, weather, or social and cultural surroundings, ( Literary Terms,
2015). The setting is the environment of the place events that occur in literary works.
The setting consists of three elements including elements of place, time and social,
(Nofriani,2018 cited in Anjelina, 2013).

Setting of Time

Setting of time is related to the problem of when the event happens in a story. The
problem is usually connected with factual time that has connection with historical
events, (Adni, 2017). The time of story can be affect beauty standards. Each era has
different trends of body types, hairstyles, and fashion trends, which can be reflected
in how characters perceive beauty. The concept of beauty differs through the era.
Komahi, (2021) cited in Melliana (2006) said that in the 19th century in 1950 to be
precise, people around Europe made the artist Marilyn Monroe, who at that time was
famous, as a standard of beauty. With a body weight of 67 kg and a height of 163 cm,
they assumed that women who had a slightly fatter body considered beautiful.

In this study, the beauty standards that will be shown are standards based on the era
of the 2000s, such as the look of clothing and make-up trends that were in that era.
The standard of beauty found in that era was having a proportional body and wearing
the feminine clothes with all pink nuances almost like Barbie dolls.

27
In addition, age plays an important role in how individuals perceive and define beauty
standards. Beauty standards can vary widely across different age groups and life
stages. In many societies, there is a strong emphasis on youthful beauty. Teenagers
often prioritize characteristics like smooth skin, a slim figure, and a youthful
appearance. Studies have showed that young girls may obsess over their appearance
making other aspects of development less important, such as education or
independence. Girls may adopt unhealthy eating habits such as skipping meals at
school and at home so as to strive for the Western standard of beauty that values
slenderness, (Kaziga et al, 2021 cited in Tiggemann, 2005). Because of that, beauty
standards can change with age because individuals' priorities and life experiences
evolve. For example, teenagers may prioritize trends and peer acceptance, while
adults may focus more on careers, family, and personal growth.

Furthermore, Social media portrays women who are slim as being more beautiful and
successful compared to overweight women (Toriola, Dolan, Evans, & Adetimole,

1996). Media, advertising, and social media play a significant role in shaping beauty
ideals for all age groups. As a result, younger individuals more influenced by current
beauty trends, while older individuals may have a more established sense of self.

In this research, the object is a film with a high school background, with most of the
characters in it starting from 15 years old. Their ages are shown in the following
descriptions:

A girl intervenes. This is REGINA GEORGE, 15. Perfect looking, fast on her
feet, intimidating. The queen of The Plastics. She is flanked by Karen and
Gretchen (who is pissed, Jason is "hers"). (scene.19, p.16)

Their homeroom teacher, MS. SHARON NORBURY, enters. She is

hiplooking. Bright but maybe not the most organized teacher. (scene.12, p.7)
(description in the script)

28
The description above shows that the characters in the film are teenagers in high
school, where the characters in the film are mostly 16-year-old students and their
teachers. According to Carla Rice (2010, pp.154) Many women experience a period
of foment in relation to their bodies, spanning from early adolescence into young
adulthood. Though the development of a girl's gender identity begins at birth, it is
through adolescence that becoming feminine is 'taught and enforced by com- plex
social forces including adults, peers, and society at large through books, magazines,
the media and even the responses of strangers in public'. It is during this teenage
period, when girls begin to compete about their appearance, that those who are
growing up are easily influenced by the beauty standards created by their
environment.

Setting of Place

Setting of place directs to the location where the event happen in a story. Each place
must have their characteristic, which differentiate with the others, (Adni, 2017).
Where this film was made is in the city of Evanston, which has a different culture,
environment and social habits. Therefore, the setting of place is a significant factor
when discussing beauty standards. Beauty standards can vary widely from one culture
or geographical location to another due to a combination of environmental, historical,
cultural, and social factors. The conclusion above, the influence setting of place on
beauty standard includes culture and economics.

A number of papers examining the influence of culture on evaluations of physical

attractiveness generally focus on identifying cross-cultural differences in what
constitutes beauty. While being beautiful is coveted highly the world over, what is
considered ‘beautiful’ varies by culture (Madan et al 2018 cited in Cunningham et al
1995). Anthropologists and ethnographers have long contended that beauty is
culturally driven and subjective (Madan et al 2018 cited in Englis, Solomon, and
Ashmore, 1994). That are statement confirms that different cultures have distinct

29
beauty ideals that are shaped by their history, traditions, and values. What is
considered beautiful in one culture may be quite different from what is valued in
another. For example, certain cultures may prize fair skin, while others may favor
darker complexions.

In additionally, economic development can influence beauty standards as well. In

more economically advanced regions, there may be a greater emphasis on cosmetics,
fashion, and personal grooming, which can shape the local beauty ideals. Moreover,
appearance is a crucial source of differentiation for the upper class. The upper class is
able to consume products of culture; they have the disposable income to spend on
trivial items, like beauty products ( Kozee, 2016 cited in Bourdieu 1984).
Furthermore, Bourdieu (1984) demonstrated that upper class and professional women
were more likely to adhere to the societal beauty standard. The lower class women’s
non-participation is not viewed as unwillingness to adhere to the ideal, (Kozee, 2016)

The place where the film was taken is in the city of Evanston, Illinois, United States
of America. The scene in this film mostly takes place in the school environment
namely Evanston Township High School. The description of Evanston Township
High School, with its magnificent buildings and good facilities, suggests that it may
have access to substantial resources and funding, which can be indicative of a
favorable economic environment.

By making Evanston High School as setting of place can serve as a reflection of the
economic environment and lifestyles of the characters in the film who are students
there. The school's facilities, resources, and reputation can indicate a level of
influence within the community. This is also shown by the lifestyle of the characters
in the film through their clothing style, that students are portrayed wearing
fashionable or expensive clothing, it can suggest a certain level of affluence among
the families. Several scenes that take place in the Evanston high school environment
are shown in the following dialogue:

30
 (EXT. STREETS OF EVANSTON )

Cady’s parents drive her to school in their mud-covered Africa jeep.

They pull up across the street from Evanston High School. (scene.11,p.5)

The description above shows the beginning of the story, when Cady goes to school
for the first day, after being a homeschooler.

INT. CAFETERIA - A FEW MINUTES LATER

Cady is sitting with Regina and her best friends Karen Smith and Gretchen
Wieners. These are The Plastics. (scene.20,p.18)

The description above shows a scene that takes place in the school cafeteria, where
the Cafeteria is where problems begins. For the first time Cady meets and joins the
Plastics gang and where Regina shows her obsession with dieting, until Regina was
bullied also taken in the Cafeteria.

Setting of Society

Social setting refers to things told in a work of fiction that relate to the social
behavior of people in a place. The social procedures of society cover various
problems on a scale that can be said to be quite complex. It can be related to lifestyle,
habits, traditions, beliefs, attitudes, way of thinking, behavior and others related to
spiritual background as previously stated. Apart from that, social background also
refers to a person's social status, such as low, middle or high. Indeed, social
background can convincingly describe the regional atmosphere and characteristic of
an area through the social life of a community, ( Nofriani, 2016).

Based on the discussion above, regarding socioeconomics and culture, this greatly
influences women's beauty standards. Characters from affluent backgrounds can have
access to expensive beauty treatments and fashion, because the appearance is a

31
crucial source of differentiation for the upper class (Kozee, 2016 cited in Bourdieu
1984), whereas those in lower-income settings who may prioritize different aspects of
appearance due to limited resources.

Furthermore, while being beautiful is coveted highly the world over, what is
considered ‘beautiful’ varies by culture, rowing from common experiences, societal
norms define who (or what) is considered beautiful (Madan et al, 2018 cited in
Banner 1983). For example, in many Western cultures, the ideal of beauty is often
based on a slim figure, clear skin, and youthful appearance. This ideal is often
perpetuated by the media and the fashion industry, which can lead to unrealistic
beauty standards and body image issues. As norms of beauty are defined by the
society, anyone who wishes to be perceived as beautiful needs to and strives to adhere
to these norms (Madan et al, 2018 cited in Davis et al 2010). Socio-economic
conditions in the film also can be seen from the following descriptions in the script:

Cady’s parents drive her to school in their mud-covered Africa jeep.

(scene.11,p.5)

The description above shown that they own a Jeep could suggest that they have the
means to afford a vehicle, as Jeeps are generally considered mid-range to high-end
vehicles.

JANIS (O.C.)

And see that little one next to her? That's Gretchen Wieners. She's rich as shit
cause her Dad invented Toaster Strudel. (scene.15, p. 12)

From the dialogue above provides that direct information about Gretchen Wieners'
economic situation. In this case, it suggests that Gretchen Wieners comes from a
wealthy family because her father is described as having invented Toaster Strudel,
which implies that they have a successful and lucrative business.

32
 INT. OLD ORCHARD MALL

The mall in all its American Splendor.

Cady and Damian approach the mall's central fountain where tons of kids are
hanging out. Groups of girls are flirting with groups of boys. Other boys are
goofing around, threatening to throw each other in the fountain. Girls drinking
giant frappacinos. Reapplying makeup. (scene.33, p.34)

From the description above we can draw the following conclusions that first, the mall
is described as an "American Splendor," which implies that it's a large, well-
maintained shopping center, potentially they are in an affluent area. Second, The
scene depicts various activities in the mall, such as kids hanging out, people drinking
large frappuccinos and reapplying makeup. These activities suggest a typical
suburban or mall culture, where socializing, shopping, and leisure activities are
common. Third, Mentioning "giant frappuccinos" suggest that the characters and
people in the scene have the disposable income to afford such indulgent drinks, as
these beverages can be relatively expensive. And the last is mention of people
reapplying makeup can suggest an interest in cosmetics and fashion, which can be
associated with good socioeconomic groups that have the means to invest in personal
grooming and beauty products.

EXT. REGINA'S GORGEOUS LAKEFRONT VICTORIAN HOUSE

CADY

Regina, your house is really nice. (scene.31 p.28)

From the description and dialogue above we can draw the following conclusions that
Regina's house is described as "gorgeous" and "lakefront," which indicates that she
lives in an affluent and desirable neighborhood. Lakefront properties are often
associated with higher social and economic status due to their premium location and

33
value. Furthermore, a Victorian house typically represents a more upscale
architectural style, which can be associated with a higher socio-economic class. It
suggests that Regina's family has the means to live in a larger, more ornate home.

Cady and the Plastics (in jeans) walk up to Regina's lime green PT Cruiser.
(scene.28, p.26)

The description above show that Regina's use of the PT Cruiser car illustrates how
stable their lifestyle is, coupled with their habit of hanging out at the mall after
school.

Some of the data above can indicate the circumstances of the characters. In the film
shows that most of the characters use using luxury goods, such as the cars like the one
Regina used, namely PT Cruiser car, also with Cady's family who used American
jeeps. Moreover, Gretchen is described as the daughter of a rich family, the daughter
of the inventor of Toaster Strudel. This is also depicted in the film that the mall is a
place for teenagers to gather. Some of the description above that have been shown
the circumstance of the characters is middle-upper class. It can be concluded by their
lifestyle and their belongings. The lifestyle of most people in the film is classified as
luxurious, which eventually forms a standard where trendy or glamorous women's
clothing makes them look attractive.

One other cost of discrimination on the basis of appearance is the exacerbation of

economic and racial inequality. Appearance both reflects and reinforces class
privilege. Prevailing beauty standards disadvantage individuals who lack the time and
money to invest in attractiveness ( Deborah, 2016 cited in Mohamed & Quareshi,
1986). Likewise, what was said by Naomi Wolf (2002, pp.7) that women are willing
to suffer by going on a diet and spending a lot of time and material to take care of
their bodies so that they are slim and beautiful as the media demands. From this
statement, to achieve a beauty standard, women need a good finances, where people

34
with the economy below, it will be difficult to achieve it, this means that competition
between girls regarding their physique only occurs in the middle upper class.

35
Discussion

Beauty standard

Every individual have a different physical appearance from the other it is called
uniqueness of the body ( Fortuna, 2016). The most incredible thing is that each
person is differents, people have different skin color, and other physical features. This
diversity makes no culture or concept could ever define beauty, which resulted into
various concepts of ideal beauty among the society. Basically, the Mean Girls film is
about a women's attitude where, evil is repaid with evil, bullying and gossiping.
Besides that, this film also shows how to become popular at school, that are by
having a hot body and beauty face, it can be seen that girls are more concerned with
their physique than attitude and intelligence.

Beauty standard itself is described by several characters of their appearance, as

Naomi Wolf, (2002, pp.4) said in her book, that the criteria for beauty standards are
blonde, white skin, skinny, and tall body, as a western beauty standard that applied to
all racist. As the Carla Rice (2010, pp.160) said that the myth of universal beauty
standards causes issues since it narrows the wide range of aesthetic preferences and
promotes a single ideal globally. Fair skin, long hair, and European facial
characteristics have grown increasingly prevalent as the benchmark for beauty over
the world. In this film, beauty standards are depicted by the character Regina, who
has the ideal physical characteristics found in the West as conveyed by Naomi and
Carla.

Beside from the physical, beauty standards are also described through the character's
appearance, such as wearing make-up, sexy and glamorous clothes. This beauty
standard is demonstrated by Cady Heron's character, where she feels like she is the
center of attention after she changes her appearance. Attractive appearance as a
standard of beauty is also said by Naomi Wolf (2002, pp.7), that these concepts

36
actually come from somewhere and that they have a specific purpose. The aim is
especially to benefit from income, those who invest millions of dollars to drive the
media which, in turn, creates the concept of the ideal. From Naomi it can be
concluded that the marketing of beauty products, fashionable clothes, creates its own
standards, which require girls to dress up in such a way as to be beautiful by referring
to models in media advertisements.
In the film, Cady Heron not only changes her appearance and behavior to be accepted
by the Plastics but also to try to attract Aaron Samuels, a boy she has a crush on.
Cady's transformation throughout the film reflects the lengths to which teenagers
might go to fit in or gain the approval of others, even if it means compromising their
true selves. This was conveyed by Carla Rice (2010, pp.155) that in high school, it
indicated that if you are not attractive, you will attract less attention from men. You
have to dress in a way that would make a popular group want to hang out with you.
Girls focus more on managing, controlling, and regulating their bodies during puberty
in order to conform to an internalized ideal.

In addition, the beauty standards themselves are supported by other characters who
agree with the concept, which then generates praise and interest in emergence of the
words "Fabulous" and "hot body".
As seen in the plot of film, the standard of beauty that is highlighted in the film is to
have a slim body, with fashionable or glamorous clothes, where body weight
becomes a problem that leads to bullying. Regina’s physique is described by the
author in the script as follows:

A girl intervenes. This is REGINA GEORGE, 15. Perfect looking, fast on her
feet, intimidating. The queen of The Plastics. She is flanked by Karen and
Gretchen (who is pissed, Jason is "hers"). (scene.19,p.16)

37
In the film, Regina is depicted as a girl with a fashionable, sexy style and almost
always shades of pink, with a perfect physique such as smooth white, slim, tall,
blonde hair and blue eyes, which means that Regina is the image of western beauty
standards.

According to Mackenzie 2020 , that beauty standards particularly relate to feminism

as they imply that the women are mere objects, appreciated solely for their physical
appearance. This can be seen in Regina's character, where even though she has a bad
attitude, her friends still treat her well because she is beautiful, as can be seen from
her friend's confession in the following dialogue:

DAMIAN

She is fabulous, but she is evil. ( scene.21,p.19-20)

In these dialogues above, you can see how Damian admires Regina even though he
knows Regina's bad character. The word fabulous here of course refers to Regina's
physique, because Regina's character doesn't seem to have any achievements at
school, nor does she show any other talents, apart from her physique and background
as a wealthy person. The environment plays an important role in this matter, where
with praise or privilege in some cases just because they are beautiful, women will
maintain their beauty, or compete for more.

Thus Maslow's statement in Schultz, 1981, suggests that once a person feels loved
and has feelings, then they will develop a need for appreciation. With this, it seems
that women do not have their own rights over themselves, because beauty is
presented according to certain standards. As seen in the film, Regina has the
advantage of being a popular student at school, where she is free to be kind or unkind
to her friends, and she can choose to be friends or not be friends with whom. This can
be seen when Regina has her own circle, namely the Plastics gang which consists of
Gretchen and Karen who are also beautiful and rich students. Then they also choose

38
to be friends with Cady who also has beautiful criteria even though with an
unfashionable or tacky style. Beauty also affects him with his social relationships.

Slim Body as a beauty standard

As in the previous statement that the environment can push women physically
towards the word beautiful, according to Mackenzie 2020, that the socially
constructed notion that physical attractiveness is one of women should strive to
achieve and maintain. This can be seen in the film where the character Regina is very
obsessed with her diets. This shows that popularity and beauty are related, like
Regina trying to maintain or want more of her body, to maintain her popularity. As
the Carla Rice (2010, pp.156) statement that some of young women develop more
serious body and weight struggles than others. Girls' satisfaction with their bodies is
related to their feelings of belonging and of being accepted by others. The messages
they receive about their developing bodies from their family, peers, communities, and
the larger culture, strongly affect how good they feel about their bodies. Regina's
obsession with her diet is shown in the following dialog:

REGINA

I wanna lose three pounds.

The girls realize too late what they're supposed to say.

GRETCHEN/KAREN/CADY

Oh my God? What are you talking about? You're so skinny -- Etc.

(scene.53,p.49)

JANIS

Regina's gonna figure this out. She probably weighs herself every five
minutes. (scene. 54, p.49)

39
The dialogue above shows that beautiful according to Regina is having a slim or thin
body. Where having an ideal body will make it her as a popular student. Women
often place a greater importance on weight loss than on maintaining a healthy average
weight’ they commonly make great financial and physical sacrifices to reach these
goals. Yet failing to embody these ideals makes women targets of criticism and social
scrutiny (Wolf, 2002, pp.7). The criteria for being beautiful with a thin body were
also conveyed by several other figures in the following dialogue:

CADY

She's not even that good looking if you really look at her. Especially now that
she's getting fat.

JANIS

I don't know. Her tits are getting bigger. (scene.76,p.65)

The dialogue above also proves how the environment greatly influences the standard
of beauty, as seen in the dialogue that the standard of beauty according to the
characters in the film is to have a slim body or proportional. Not only forming beauty
standards, but the environment also pressures women to follow the criteria as they
have been formed. Like when Regina became fat, she became bullied by her friends,
who previously adored her when Regina was still within their beauty criteria. As
Carla (2010, pp.157) said that the greater the acceptance and affirmation of a young
woman's physicality and sexuality as she moves through adolescence, the more likely
she is to develop a positive sense of body. Conversely, the more actively a girl's body
is monitored and regulated by adults and peers, the greater the chance she will
develop serious body image problems. The bullying treatment of school students
towards Regina is illustrated in the following dialogue scene:

As Regina walks away, she collides with the heavyset Egg McMuffin Girl.
Food spills all over the both of them.

40
 GRETCHEN

You can't sit with us.

REGINA

(quietly) These sweatpants are all that fits me right now

Egg McMuffin Girl

Watch where you're going, fatass.

Regina is stunned speechless. Everyone around her laughs. (scene.98,p.80-81)

The dialogue above occurs in a scene in the school cafeteria, where Regina can't join
her lunchroom table group because she wearing a sweatpants on a Monday, she broke
the dress code in the group. Even though they are the only thing that fit her, she didn't
realize that her body was gaining weight. This is also proof of Carla Rice (2010,
pp.150) statement that the culture assesses a young woman’s beauty and abilities, and
this is how she is assigned a value in the world, her physical attributes influence
whether she is accepted, or rejected or harassed or even physically attacked, where
Regina with her fat body was not accepted in her environment such as in the Plastics
group and other school friends, besides that Regina also received bad treatment from
friends who bullied her as “fatass”, and all the students in the canteen laughed at her.
The nickname “fatass” indirectly states that having a fat body means being ugly. In
other words, weight gain, the wrong outfit, or a bad hair they are shown as having the
potential to ruin a girl’s social status in the film. Regina's ugly physique is described
by the author in the following script:

41
 Cady watches Regina eat two baked potatoes, some bacon, and a Kalteen bar.
Regina looks fat, zitty, and bad. Karen and Gretchen approach with their
trays. ( scene.98, p.80)

Cady and Regina are on the phone from their respective homes. Regina's skin
is looking pretty bad. ( scene. 96, p.77)

In the film scene, Regina is depicted wearing a sweatpants with jacket, with a slightly
broken face and no makeup, and her hair is casually pinned up. Her appearance is
very different from her previous appearance, where she no longer wears skimpy or
sexy clothes, she is loose in make- up and hair style.

Beauty Privilege

As in the previous explanation that Regina wanted to keep her body slim in order to
stay in her popularity, she has achieved this. This can be seen when she was chosen to
be queen in the Spring Fling Queen event which is held by the school every year.
Naomi Wolf (2002, pp.32) argue that women, both young and old, are very afraid of
aging, thin and fat women must struggle to get the ideal body weight. Beside that,
According to Diller, 2011 that “most women agree, reporting the good looks continue
to be associated with respect, legitimacy and power in their relationships”. It can also
be seen in Regina's memory how she was carried by the students at school, when she
was chosen to be queen in the annual event.

Two big athletic guys (Shane Oman and another dude) sweep in and pick
Regina up onto their shoulders. Regina waves at people as they carry her
toward a make-shift stage in the corner of the cafeteria. (scene,19 p.17)

The description above shows the treatment of Regina's male friends towards her, that
they treat Regina like a queen at school, this shows indirectly that they worship
Regina for her beauty, not because of her achievements or anything else. As Carla
rice (2010, pp.150) statement that the culture assesses a young woman’s beauty and

42
abilities, and this is how she is assigned a value in the world, her physical attributes
influence whether she is accepted, or rejected or harassed or even physically attacked.
This statement happened to Regina who was accepted and treated well by her
environment because she has a beautiful physique even though her attitude is bad.

Additionally, Regina was the winner of the annual Spring Fling Queen Contest.
Where the winner of the Spring Fling Queen contest itself will become the head of
the Student Activity Committee, who should be nominated are the students who
excel, but here the ones who are nominated are the beautiful and famous ones.
Moreover, Regina believes that, to be chosen as queen, one of the criteria is beauty,
that's why she was chosen. These criteria are stated by several characters in the
following dialog:

REGINA

Cady, she's not pretty. I mean, that sounds bad, but, whatever, the Spring
Fling Queen is always pretty. The crazy thing is, it should be Karen, but
people forget about her cause she's such a slut. I gotta go. I'm going to bed.
(scene.96, p.77)

The dialogue above show that Regina places a strong emphasis on physical
appearance when defining beauty. She implies that the Spring Fling Queen, who is
considered the epitome of beauty, must be "pretty" in her eyes.

CADY (V.O.)

To get nominated for Spring Fling King and Queen you either had to be very
good-looking, very popular, or have enemies in high places. Like the Student
Activities Committee. (Scene. 78, p. 66)

From the dialogue above Cady mentions that to get nominated for Spring Fling King
and Queen, one had to be "very good-looking." This suggests that physical

43
attractiveness is an important criterion for being considered beautiful or popular in
her school's social hierarchy. Moreover, Cady also indicates that being "very popular"
is a key factor in getting nominated. This suggests that popularity, likely based on
social status and how well-known a person is among their peers, is closely tied to the
perception of beauty.

As a result, Regina George consistently winning the contest indicates a strong bias
toward beauty standards within the student body, with Regina epitomizing those
standards. This preference for Regina as the annual winner reinforces and
perpetuates the idea that beauty is a privilege, especially in a high school environment
where social hierarchies can be influenced by looks and popularity. In other words,
women do recognize the relationship between beauty and privilege. Women, in
various studies, describe how adherence to the beauty standard affords them more
status or power (Kozee, 2016 cited in Lee 2009). The fact that the nominations turned
random in the following year and included students who had never been nominated
before suggests a departure from the previous emphasis on physical appearance. This
change could be seen as a reaction to the recognition of the shallowness of beauty-
based popularity contests. Where students who may not conform to conventional
beauty standards also have a chance to be recognized and celebrated. Seen in the
following dialog:

Damian, Janis, and Cady are anxiously listening to morning announcements.

JOAN THE SECRETARY (V.O.)

--and finally the nominees for Spring Fling King and Queen are as follows.
Regina George— (scene.79, p.67)

People in her homeroom applaud. Regina acts like she doesn't care.

44
In the film, it shows Regina as the first nominee for the Spring fling Queen contest,
and her friends give applause to her, and Regina makes an expression like “she knew
she would be nominated”.

JOAN THE SECRETARY (V.O.)

Gretchen Wieners—

Regina is startled. She quickly regains her composure. (scene. 80, p.67)

JOAN THE SECRETARY (V.O.)

Janis Ian--

REGINA

What?

Regina is confused and annoyed. (scene. 83, p.68).

From the dialogue above we can see when other names were announced as
nominations, such as Gretchen, her friends' expressions were normal, unhappy and
did not give applause, even Regina's expression changed to that of shock and
annoyance. It also happened to Janis, because Janis' physique is not included in the
beautiful category, this is described by the author in the script as follows:

JANIS IAN, a fleshy girl with punk hair and clothes, and her friend
DAMIAN. Damian is possibly fat and definitely gay. (scene.12, p.7)

Janis takes this in "Fat" Regina is still much smaller than Janis. (scene.76,
p.75)

In the film scene, Janis dresses like punkstyle, a little tomboyish, and a little fat body.
Then Gretchen Weaners, one of the Plastics group, but has darker skin than her two

45
friends, Karen and Regina, who has similar looks. Some of her friends said that
Gretchen wasn't very pretty, like the following dialogue:

Next we see Gretchen, a puny little brunette. She is not "hot" but has
expensive clothes. (scene.15, p.12). (description in the script)

The description above mentions that Gretchen is not considered "hot." This implies
that she not conform to the conventional or popular standards of physical
attractiveness in her environment. Moreover, the description highlights that Gretchen
wears expensive clothes. This suggests that while she may not be considered
conventionally attractive, she compensates for it by dressing in stylish and high-end
fashion. It implies that she use fashion and clothing as a way to enhance her image or
social status.

CADY

Gretchen thinks you're mad at her because she's running for Spring Fling
Queen.

REGINA

Cady, she's not pretty. I mean, that sounds bad, but, whatever, the Spring
Fling Queen is always pretty. The crazy thing is, it should be Karen, but
people forget about her cause she's such a slut. I gotta go. I'm going to bed.
(scene.96, p.77)

The dialogue above shows that Regina thinks about Gretchen is not included in the
beautiful category, as can be seen from her classmates who did not respond or support
her when she became a Spring Fling Queen nominee, even her friends put on
disgusted faces.

Apart from coming from his friends, this opinion also came from herself who said
that she was included in the average physical category. This also proves the lack of

46
confidence in Gretchen even though she is part of the popular Plastic at school. It is
the same as said by Carla Rice (2010, pp.150) that a girl’s evolving thoughts about
her body and self can be significantly influenced by the social meanings associated
with her physical characteristics, meanings that are gained via interactions with
others. Like the following dialogue:

GRETCHEN

The way I think about it, there's ugly, there's pretty, and there's average. You
and me are average. (scene.31, p.30.)

From Gretchen said that she is in the “average” category is a form of lack of self-
confidence, that there is a role model who she thinks can be said to be beautiful, and
that is not her. Gretchen's lack of self-confidence is also acknowledged by other
characters in the following dialogue:

MS. NORBURY

And Gretchen Wieners. You are so desperate for someone to tell you you’re
pretty. Tell yourself. Say one positive thing about the way you look. Right
now. (scene.130, p.109)

The dialogue above shows that Gretchen does need recognition from others to feel
beautiful. In other words, being recognized as beautiful by society means meeting
beauty standards, so needing to be recognized makes Gretchen try to meet beauty
standards, as evidenced by her desperation in labeling her physique as average.
Naomi Wolf (2002, pp.8) says how important it is to like their own body and how
pointless it is if they try to look like Britney Spears just to make them feel happy.

Another proof that Regina's beauty ideal is recognized by her friends is in the
following dialog:

JANIS

47
 Regina George is an evil dictator. How do you overthrow a dictator? You cut
off her resources. Regina George would be nothing without her technically
"hot body," older boyfriend, provocative clothing and ignorant band of loyal
followers.

In the dialogue above, it is clear from Janis' statement that she refers to Regina as a
"dictator", like someone with complete power and has complete control over the
surroundings. Regina's physical beauty is what makes her a dictator, and one of the
ways they ousted Regina from her popularity is to sabotage her proportional body.

Appearance as a priority

“Regina George would be nothing without her technically "hot body,".

Janis' statement above suggests that Regina George is primarily valued and
recognized for her physical appearance, specifically her attractive or "hot" body. This
statement implies that Regina's physical beauty is a key factor in her popularity and
social status in the film. Therefore, some women are more concerned with physical
things than other things, such as intelligence, skills, even their attitude. This can also
be seen when Regina disagrees if Cady joining math class and says that Math is social
suicide, in the following dialog:

CADY

Good. I’m joining the Mathletes.

RAGINA

No, no, no. You cannot do that. That is social suicide. Damn, you are so lucky
you have us to guide you. (scene.29,p.26)

The dialogue above also explains that girls are always concerned with appearance.
They may place a high priority on their clothing, their make-up, and even their

48
weight. Likewise, they may zero in on these things in others, pointing out everything
from acne and weight gain to clothing choices and hairstyles. This was also seen
when the members of Plastics started to dress Cady up in their style which they called
the appearance of a popular girl. Cady appeared in a sexy top and short skirt in all
pink shades, with full make-up and loose curly hair. Since then she has paid a lot of
attention to her appearance, always dressed up and looked in the mirror, but when she
changed herself, she was no longer focused on her studies, she who initially really
liked math class became less interested, even at the end of the semester she did not
pass Math class. According to Cady, being part of Plastics made him popular and
seen by many people, seen in the following dialog:

CADY (V.O.)

When you were with the Plastics, it was like being famous. People looked at
you all the time. And everybody just knew stuff about you. (scene.57,p.51)

The dialogue above it is clear that popularity is highly important according to Cady.
Cady is emphasizing that being part of the Plastics, a popular and exclusive clique in
her high school, brings a sense of fame and constant attention

Out of beauty standards

Referring to Naomi Wolf's work, The Beauty Myth, beauty is just a myth. According
to Wolf, 2002 that beauty is not fixed and not universal, meaning that beauty has
various forms in each region, it can be different, it can change (evolve) and is
subjective (each individual has different tastes in beauty). However, so far beauty
standards have become a myth in society.

Based on theory and discussion, it can be concluded that inner beauty is more
important than outer beauty. Outer beauty has an understanding like something that

49
can be directly seen by people's views of other people. Meanwhile, inner beauty is a
personality that is made from that person's personality. In today’s society, physical
beauty is often seen as the most important thing for women, but it is important to
remember that inner beauty is just as valuable. Women should be celebrated for their
inner beauty as well as their physical beauty. It is something that should be
appreciated and valued. Inner beauty can be seen in a woman’s attitude, actions, and
thoughts ( Aleans, 2023). Here the meaning of the word "beautiful" also points to the
heart, that is perfection in appearance is still lacking if the attitude and thoughts are
not addressed. Appearing perfect to be beautiful also requires controlling ego,
attitude, and integrity.

The change in Regina and Cady's appearance at the end of the story shows that they
are able to accept themselves, without relying on standards of beauty that do not
actually exist, and do not have to change them. As seen in the following description:

Regina is in her dress. Mrs. George (dressed up to chaperone) is decorating

Regina's spinal halo with flowers. ( scene.145, p.120)

Cady's prom dress hangs untouched in the corner. She is putting on khakis and
a green izod shirt. The back says MATHLETES in big letters. ( scene.147,
p.120)

The description above shows that Regina and Cady's characters have changed in their
appearance. In the film, Regina wears a dress with a spinal halo because of an
accident she had, she tries to dress up and be confident with her injured body, while
Cady wears plain clothes with brown trousers and a jacket typical of the math group.
In that scene, Cady and Regina seemed able to accept themselves, a beautiful concept
that they believed would make them popular, but even outside of that concept, they
still looked extraordinary. In the film, the Spring Fling Queen contest was won by

50
Cady, where Cady's character has returned to herself, by becoming an outstanding
student in her math class.

Moreover, after Cady won the Spring Fling Queen contest and got the crown as a sign
of a queen, Cady then broke the crown into several pieces and shared them among her
friends, praising her friends' appearances that night. Cady makes it clear that the
assumption that only the beautiful can win the contest is wrong, everyone is beautiful
and charming with their characteristics, as seen in the scene, Cady throws her crown
to Jessica Lopez (wheelchair girl) in a sexy dress, The Egg McMuffin girl with her fat
body, Janis with her tomboyish appearance, Grecthen with her tanned skin and
Regina with a spinal halo.

The Role of Media

In addition, it should also be noted that the standards set by society as above are
inseparable from the media which constructed a beauty standard for women. Because
The media is a powerful platform that allows voices to be heard, and arises the
opportunity of changing societal standards, stereotypes and expectations that prevent
each and every one of us from letting our true individuality shine through (Madeleine,
2020). The media displays advertisements with talents with perfect physique to
market their products, As Carla Rice (2010, pp.153) said that the popular media
reinforce socializing messages and practices concerning weight and beauty. Children
watch an average of four hours of television every day. They have seen 350,000
advertisements, over half of which stress the importance of being thin and beautiful.
Television images affect a child's developing sense of self: only fifteen minutes of
exposure to beauty advertisements is enough to persuade girls that beauty is even
more important to their popularity with boys.

The media often market beauty and fashion products, where the market is mostly
women, by presenting talents who has a proportional body, as Carla said, also

51
supported by a beautiful face. In the book The Beauty Myth, by Naomi Wolf (2002,
pp.7), it is stated that these concepts actually come from somewhere and that they
have a specific purpose. The aim is especially to benefit from income, those who
invest millions of dollars to drive the media which, in turn, creates the concept of the
ideal. While the ideal concept is too difficult to imitate. Indirectly, the mass media,
advertising, consumerism, industrialization also determine the ideal beauty standards
that are formed in society. This can be seen in Cady's character, who was originally a
woman without makeup in simple clothes, then changed to wearing clothes that were
all tight and sexy, as well as striking makeup. As in the author's description in the
script as follows:

REGINA

When you come out I'm gonna pluck your eyebrows, okay? And Gretchen
wants to give you bangs.

GRETCHEN

It's gonna look so "fetch."

REGINA

And Karen brought some make-up for you.

CADY

Okay. ( scene.56, p.50)

Janis has taken the photograph of the audience booing her at the talent show
and is turning it into a large painting. Cady is checking herself out in a wall
mirror. She has started wearing more make-up. ( scene.76, p.65)

52
The description above shows that not only having a proportional body, but an
attractive appearance such as wearing flashy clothes and make-up is also a woman's
effort to be "beautiful" so that she can be recognized in her social environment. The
mass media and advertisements have contributed to a lot of ideology regarding
"beauty myths" for women, so that consciously or not, women will continue to use
products provided by the industrial market to ensure that they are included in the
criteria for ideal women as set out in societal standards. Moreover, other studies show
that women experience reduced self-esteem, but increased self-awareness, physical
anxiety, and body dissatisfaction after being exposed to photographs of models that
exemplify key beauty standards ( Iin & Nurliana,2019 cited in Thornton & Maurice,
1997, 1999 ). As well as what was explained by Madeleine, 2020 that the butterfly
affect that the media has established manipulates us to believe otherwise.
Many women are utterly convinced that they aren’t beautiful, and likewise, they also
believe that they aren't strong, worthy or powerful, as we are falsely conditioned that
our worth is determined by our attractiveness.

The Role of Men

Cady’s character changed her appearance to follow the Plastic group, she dressed up
like Ragina, to get the attention of Aron Samuels, her ideal man in math class. Cady's
efforts to get Aaron's attention can be seen in the author's description as follows:

(INT. CADY'S HOUSE)

CADY (V.O.)

This time, when Aaron saw me, I wouldn't be in some ridiculous Halloween
costume.

Cady comes down the stairs. She has on too much make-up. Too sexy clothes.
Her hair is huge. It does look like a ridiculous costume. (scene.105, p.85)

53
 AARON

You look, um-- are those new clothes?

CADY

Thank you. (scene. 108, p.89)

The description above shows that women's efforts to look attractive are inseparable
from the role of men. Discourse on beauty and femininity cannot be separated from
the construction of patriarchal culture which gives power to men, on the one hand, to
give recognition of women's femininity, and on the other hand, women to always
seek recognition of their femininity from men (Komahi, 2021 cited in Prabasmoro ,
2003)

54
Negative Effects of Beauty Standard

Negativity Body Image

Body image is the way people perceive their own bodies. It can be influenced by a
number of factors, including family and friends, the media and personal experiences.
People with a positive body image are generally happy and confident with their
appearance. They don’t compare themselves to others, and they’re not preoccupied
with their weight or other physical features (Foy, 2022).

In contrast, people with a negative body image are unhappy with the way they look.
They may feel they don’t measure up when they look at other people. They may also
be concerned about their weight or other physical features. Negative body image can
lead to a number of mental health problems, such as eating disorders, depression and
anxiety. It can also lead to social isolation and low self-esteem. Positive body image,
on the other hand, has been linked with better mental health, higher self-esteem and
healthier relationships. Negative body image is shown in the following dialog:

GRETCHEN

I hate my calves.

KAREN

God, my hips are so huge.

REGINA

At least you can wear skirts. I'm so long-waisted.

CADY (V.O.)

Before I met the Plastics, I thought there was just fat and skinny. Apparently
there's an infinite number of things on your body that can go wrong.

55
 GRETCHEN

My hairline's weird.

REGINA

My pores are huge.

KAREN

My nail beds suck. (scene.31, p.30)

. The dialogue above is depicted in the film, they look at themselves in the mirror
then start judging their own bodies. This shows how girls will never be satisfied with
their bodies, even though they are already in the "beautiful" category. According to
Carla (2010, pp.157) that when girls' bodies become the object of societal control,
their attitudes and behaviors about their bodies change. A young woman is far more
likely to experience major body issues if there are few reliable sources to
counterpunch damaging messages and harsh norms. They as Plastics are very popular
at school, they look stunning and confident, but behind that they are very hard on
themselves, like Regina who goes on a strict diet even though she looks thin, then
always feels less than herself, the more they are adored and become popular, then
they will want more of themselves. These beauty standard is not unrealistic, it shown
how the relationship between beauty standards and mental health, the girls plunges
into a cycle of self-harted, self punishment and depression.

Eating Disorder

The negative impact of beauty standards is currently predominant and demonstrates

itself in numerous ways. First, the number of eating disorders has been increasing
since the 1970s due to women’s obsession with diets intended to reach the popular
skinny image (Study Corgi, 2022 cited on Laham, 2020). The eating disorders,
especially anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, have been classically described to

56
occur in young females. The overvaluation of slimness, which is commonly seen in
Western females, is considered to be an important contributory factor in the
pathogenesis of eating disorders. These disorders were found to be more common in
“Western nations” and have been hypothesized to be slowly spreading to “non-
Western nations” as a result of the cultural transformation (Sharan, 2015).

Eating Disorder problem is shown in the following dialog:

REGINA

I wanna lose three pounds.

The girls realize too late what they're supposed to say.

GRETCHEN/KAREN/CADY

Oh my God? What are you talking about? You're so skinny -- Etc.

(scene.53,p.49)

INT. CAFETERIA

Regina is eating a Kalteen bar while everyone else eats normal food. She has
a zit.

REGINA

I've been eating them for months and I still weigh 112. (scene. 74, p.64)

The dialogue above, shows Regina who is obsessed with Diet, even though her body
is thin, but Regina seems to be afraid of her weight. This shows that Regina has an
eating disorder as previously explained. Besides that, anorexia sufferers have
characteristics of always having a fear of gaining weight even though they are already
thin. The term anorexia nervosa was introduced by William Gull in 1874 to describe
four cases of adolescent girls with deliberate weight loss. Weight phobia, which is

57
considered central to the concept of eating disorders was described as a feature of
eating disorders, only in the 1930s (Sharan, 2015).

Bullying

Besides her insecurities, Regina is also oppressed by bullying. Previously Regina was
praised by her friends for having a hot body, but after she became fat, her friends like
Plastic members started to stay away from her and her other schoolmates also bullied
her like one of her female friends did who called her a "Fatass" and other friends also
laughed at her. The bullying that happens in the movie Mean Girls is called verbal
bullying. As there are many types of verbal bullying, their action can be categorized
as Rude and impolite words. The Verbal Bullying is shown in the following dialog:

As Regina walks away, she collides with the heavyset Egg McMuffin Girl.
Food spills all over the both of them.

GRETCHEN

You can't sit with us.

REGINA

(quietly) These sweatpants are all that fits me right now

Egg McMuffin Girl

Watch where you're going, fatass.

Regina is stunned speechless. Everyone around her laughs. (scene.98,p.80-81)

The dialogue above shows that Regina experienced verbal bullying by her friends,
because of her fat body. This shows that Regina is required to always be a perfect girl
with a physique that meets beauty standards. This is why Regina is so obsessed with
her diet that she doesn't realize that she already has a thin body but still feels

58
inadequate or insecure. This shows why girls pay so much attention to their
appearance, because it is the pressure from the environment that makes these girls
mentally disturbed because of their imperfect physique.

59
 CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION

From the analysis, the writer can conclude that in the film Mean Girls, there are standards of
beauty created by society that result in pressure for teenage girls to follow these standards of
beauty. The beauty standards imposed on teenage girls can have significant negative
impacts on their mental health. These impacts include Low self-esteem, Body
dissatisfaction and Eating disorder. The beauty standards often promote unrealistic
and unattainable ideals of beauty, which can lead to a range of psychological and
emotional challenges.

From this analysis, it shows that the application of the concept of ideal beauty to
teenagers causes a loss in their level of self-confidence which is said to be low self-
esteem. Constant exposure to narrow beauty ideals can lead to feelings of inadequacy
and low self-worth among teenage girls. They may believe they don't meet the
standards and consequently experience a decrease in self-esteem. As depicted in the
film, the bullying case that happened to Regina made her shunned by her friends and
the Plastics gang, just because her body had become fat. Regina's changes were not
considered beautiful by her friends, so Regina lost her popularity. This bullying case
shows that a beautiful physique is very important in teenage social relations, so that if
girls are not included in the ideal category, then they will lose their self-confidence,
be afraid to socialize, afraid to stand out, that's why teenage girls compete to be in the
beautiful category according to its environment.

Adjusting to these standards of beauty makes teenage girls constantly criticize

themselves, this is called Body Dissatisfaction. The problem of Body Dissatisfaction
is seen in the film, when teenage girls feel dissatisfied with themselves, such as
Regina who always tries to be thin, Cady who always dresses up to look fashionable,
then in one of the scenes, where Plastics members Regina, Gretchen and Karen have
a habit of seeing their shortcomings in front of the mirror, then say it to each other. It

60
shows that girls are busy paying attention to their shortcomings and other people's
criticism, they forget about accepting themselves, love themselves more, so that their
self-confidence will become stronger and will show their own beauty. Teenage girls
who have a negative body image, leading to dissatisfaction with their physical
appearance. This dissatisfaction can contribute to eating disorders like anorexia
nervosa, bulimia, or binge-eating disorder.

As mentioned above, dissatisfaction with young women can cause several effects, one
of which is Eating disorders. The pursuit of an ideal body can push some girls toward
unhealthy eating habits, including extreme dieting, overexercising, or binge eating.
These behaviors can result in conditions like anorexia, bulimia, or orthorexia. Eating
problems such as excessive dieting are shown in the film through the character
Regina. This case of eating problems is called Anorexia, where someone who always
has a fear of gaining weight even though they are already thin. In several scenes,
Regina is too worried about her weight, counting every calorie in food, then telling
her friend that she wants to lose weight, even though her body is already in the ideal
category. This proves that these beauty standards make teenage girls do various
things to achieve ideal beauty, even in ways that are unhealthy and detrimental to
themselves, just as Regina always feels dissatisfied with herself even though she is
labeled "Hot Body" by her friends.

Apart from beauty standards having an impact on teenagers' mental health, these
standards can also have an impact on their education. Focusing on appearance and
beauty can divert attention away from academics and career goals. This is also shown
in the film, when Cady's character is depicted as an intelligent person, he takes math
classes and joins the math group at his school. However, after starting to pay attention
to his appearance and focusing on beauty, he began to neglect his education, and he
even failed his math class. They indicate that Girls prioritize their physical
appearance over education and personal development.

61
Most importantly, the meaning of the word "beautiful" also points to the heart, that is
perfection in appearance is still lacking if the attitude and thoughts are not addressed.
Appearing perfect to be beautiful also requires controlling ego, attitude, and integrity.
It is proven at the end of the story in the film, where the plastic members no longer
only pursue good physique, but they finally found their own skills. Regina joined the
lacrosse team, Karen joined a marching band club as a drummer, and Gretchen found
herself a new clique and a new queenbee to serve. Then Cady remained a member of
the math class representing the inter-school math competition. In addition, they are no
longer formed in a Plastic group, but mingle with other students at school so that their
behavior and character also improve.

Beauty standards can damage the body image of young women. The influence of
social media, gender roles in beauty standards ultimately requires women to meet
increasingly higher beauty expectations. The desire to achieve a perfect body shape,
which is certainly created by society, has many negative impacts on teenagers' mental
health, such as eating disorders, body dissatisfaction and many others. Adolescents in
their growth period should be supported by various positive things, even though the
mentality of adolescents in their growth period or search for identity is very easily
damaged by the negative things around them. To overcome these negative impacts, it
is important to increase awareness about body diversity and the importance of loving
yourself. In addition, education about healthy body image and the positive role of
social media is also important to help individuals deal with stress in a positive way.

62