It’s fetch and we all know it.

In a time where there isn’t a lot we can agree on, Mean Girls unites us with one undeniable truth: high school was a stressful labyrinth of emotion. It doesn’t matter if you were one of the Plastics and lived your high school existence at the top of the hierarchy, or if you marched to the beat of your own drum like the Damians and Janises of the school. Chances are, either way, some of the most intense and terrifying moments of your life happened during your high school experience. Mean Girls brings that experience to life – albeit with funnier quips and more attractive people –  but the fundamental core of the film exposes some of the most realistic high school experiences out there.

1)      To Cafeteria or Not to Cafeteria

The dreaded cafeteria experience is, might possibly, the epitome of high school panic manifested in one checkered-floor room. Who knew that one room could result in some serious sweating and questioning everything about yourself? All you want to do is eat your pudding cup in peace. So, we’ve all either eaten our lunch in a bathroom stall, or wished –  by god – that we could have.

2)      It’s a Jungle Out There

The mall “watering hole” scene is a perfect representation of any high school social event. You always needed a pack of friends to protect you or you’d risk becoming the wounded gazelle limping along – vulnerable and alone – eating stale cookies solo at the dance.

3)      You Go, Glen Coco

Who remembers those holiday grams? You both loved and hated them. They were the chance for every high school fantasy to finally come true. It could be the day when your crush (who you’ve never spoken to or even stared directly at for more than 5 seconds) would send you a heartfelt message declaring his or her feelings for you. Instead though, all it did was bum you out because you a) didn’t get that heartfelt declaration or b) you didn’t get any holiday grams at all. And we all know what happens when you don’t get a candy gram. Brutus knows too…

4)      Trick-or-Treat

High school is the moment that you realized that Halloween wasn’t really that fun anymore. Gone were the days of pillow cases filled with candy and dressing up with your friends; high school made it all about parties and getting an invite to those parties. Plus, like Cady learned, in “girl world”, Halloween wasn’t exatly about dressing scary anymore and it was more about showing off a mediocre mouse outfit... 

5)      Fashion Wild Fire

Highschool was a weird isolated ecosystem in which things (gossip, fashion, you name it) could spread like wild fire. It didn’t always make sense but if you saw enough people wearing something or doing something, you could either REALLY want it or REALLY not want it. Either way, your dress code and interests were influenced by a small group of people. How else would Regina’s trend have become so fetch?

Whatever moments you related to most in Mean Girls, chances are there was something that made you laugh, twinge, or just roll your eyes. Mean Girls is relatable without making you relive the horror of high school, because it still manages to be more inspirational than high school actually ever was. Delightful and insightful advice like Kevin G’s: “Don't let the haters stop you from doing your thang" teach valuable life lessons. So, thank you, Mean Girls. You remind us that we were all a little awkward in high school and it can be the one thing that we all agree on. Mean Girls, you’re still grool with us.