It's been nearly two decades since Mean Girls came out, and it's still as relevant as ever. While that's impressive, it also makes me feel very old, because there's no way it's been that long. Now, this fact that it's been 19 years since the movie was made is being emphasized even more as OG Mean Girls cast member Lacey Chabert posted about it, and in the words of Tina Fey's Ms. Norbury: I feel "personally victimized" by this fact.
You may remember Lacey Chabert playing Gretchen Weiners, a member of The Plastics and the daughter of the inventor of Toaster Strudel, with her big hair "full of secrets." The actress (and Tina Fey) also made the word "fetch" happen in this movie, which alone proves the impact Gretchen and Mean Girls has made on pop culture. The Hallmark Movie actress hasn’t forgotten her experiences filming the teen flick either as she posted on Instagram about the high school film with nostalgic photos and a heartwarming message about how proud she was to be part of this memorable flick.
Not only did Lacey Chabert share an official poster of Mean Girls, but she also posted an on-set photo of the Halloween party scene, the Jingle Bells talent show scene, and other promotional photos that bring you right back to the early 2000s. Many comments praised Chabert for sharing these fun photos. Her co-star Jonathan Bennett also gushed about how their friendship began in the movie. Through this post, and other quotes from the cast, you can tell that the ensemble of Mean Girls is a tight-knit bunch.
As it’s been almost two decades since we saw the students of Northshore High School, you can’t help but wonder what they’ve been up to. Lacey Chabert imagined where Gretchen is now too, saying she’s with the “skeezy” Jason, they have lots of kids, and they're running the Toaster Strudel empire. I could also picture Gretchen running her own gossip magazine considering she is a master at spreading rumors. Whatever Gretchen Weiners is up to, I’d like to think being the second fiddle to queen bee Regina George throughout high school and eventually running a clique of her own gave her the confidence she needed to be a leader. I also hope she has enough money to buy herself those really expensive white gold hoop earrings she gave up to be Regina’s friend.
Something else that would be “so fetch” right now would for the original actors to appear in Mean Girls the musical. Lacey Chabert said she would love to be part of another movie involving the Plastics, but it’s all up to Tina Fey in the end. On the bright side, we can still see Mean Girls come back to the big screen in its musical adaptation. What we know about it so far is that Moana's Auli’i Cravalho and Broadway star Reneé Rapp will star in the stage musical adaptation. Tina Fey also returned to the writer's room for the upcoming movie and it started filming in March.
We need actresses like Lacey Chabert to remind us to celebrate movies like Mean Girls that will live forever in our hearts. If I feel personally victimized by this 19-year anniversary fact now, imagine how I’ll feel next year when the teen comedy turns 20! However, no matter what, I'll always love the movie and be down to laugh, cry, and wear pink while watching Mean Girls with a Paramount+ subscription.
