It’s October 3rd, and you know what that means; it’s the day on the calendar when pop culture fans everywhere check out of the mundane routine of our everyday lives and check into everything pink and plastic. We’re not talking about tiptoeing into the Barbie realm, we’re talking about driving right into the world of Mean Girls.
The film, starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachael McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, and Jonathan Bennett, was a piece of movie history so phenomenal that it’s got a day of its very own and has lingo that has carried over into day-to-day life for fans of the film for nearly two decades. It’s next level, it’s iconic, it’s so fetch.
So, to celebrate Mean Girls Day, we’ve compiled 13 — because it’s Oct. 3rd, duh — quotes for you to recite as you become an honorary mean girl for the day!
Let’s kick this off with one of the most important quotes from Mean Girls and no, you won’t find the masses reciting this one when famous lines from the series come up in conversation, but it’s an important one to remember nonetheless because it was a crucial realization in Cady Heron’s journey.
“Calling somebody else fat won’t make you any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn’t make you any smarter, and ruining Regina George’s life definitely didn’t make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you.”
Sometimes, we can get caught up in feeling “less than” our peers, and that can result in some ugly traits coming out in us; we’re all guilty of it, but remembering that fighting fire with fire only leads to more of a burn is important — even when it’s hard. Bringing someone else down won’t suddenly put you any higher; it just makes you sink even further.
“I wish we could all get along like we used to in middle school… I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles, and everyone would eat and be happy…”
Have you ever felt like the crying girl in Mean Girls? I know I have; this quote sticks out to me because sometimes we all wish we could just be surrounded by light and love, happiness and joy, and even though “she doesn’t go here,” — she’s relatable. I love the cake and rainbows girl from Mean Girls, and I hope you do, too!
“Cady, this is your night. Don’t let the hataz stop you from doin’ ya thang!”
Everything that came out of Kevin G’s mouth was comedic gold, but there’s something special about him telling Cady not to let the “hataz” stop her from doing her thing.
“Four for you, Glen Coco! You go, Glen Coco!”
Glen Coco was the star of the show, and we barely knew him; I have a pink sparkly Christmas cup that has this iconic quote from Mean Girls on it, and I drink out of it daily when spooky season comes to an end. For some reason, this beats out many other quotes in the film for us; maybe it’s because we only ever caught a glimpse of Glen Coco, barely knowing the man with a whopping four candy cane grams — but we know he has to be excellent.
“She’s a life ruiner. She ruins people’s lives.”
If you’ve ever been so angry with someone that you’re unsure which way is up, we have a feeling you’ve related to this particular line of dialogue. “She’s a life ruined, she ruins people’s lives.” The way Janice says it makes it stand out; the term is self-explanatory, but giving it a definition immediately after certainly hits the point home.
“That’s why her hair is so big, it’s full of secrets.”
We’ve all heard that the higher the hair, the closer to God, and after Mean Girls, we learned a new phrase: the bigger the hair, the more full of secrets. Don’t lie; we know you’ve thought this when you walk past some fellow patrons at Target or TJ Maxx on the weekends, wondering what secrets their hair holds.
“I can’t go out. *cough, cough* I’m sick.”
Another line we’ve used many a time in our personal lives: if someone has hurt your feelings a little bit and you just don’t feel like going out, the ever-iconic “I can’t go out, I’m sick” with a couple of fake coughs thrown in will do the trick; or it might bring up this very scene in your friend or partner’s head; either way, everyone involved will have a good giggle about it.
“I mean, no offense, but why would she send you a candy cane? She doesn’t even like you that much.”
Ouch! Talk about one heck of a delivery; Gretchen might not have meant for this one to sting quite as hard as it did, but I felt it even through our screens as I sat cuddled under my favorite blanket. A candy cane gram was once a gift that brought a smile; now it just comes with anxiety — do your friends even like you, or is it a token of jealousy and hidden animosity?
“Do you wanna do something fun? Wanna go to Taco Bell?”
This one needs no explanation; going to Taco Bell is certainly a lot of fun!
“Irregardless! Ex-boyfriends are just off-limits to friends. I mean, that’s just like, the rules of feminism!”
Ex-boyfriends are off limits to friends; Gretchen says it best — it’s the rules of feminism, okay? Just in case anyone needs the reminder, Gretchen is here to give it to you!
“Get in, loser. We’re going shopping.”
Cady Heron’s first Barbie-girl moment came after Regina uttered those words to her after class on a Wednesday afternoon. Growing up without feeling like she really fit in was hard for Cady, but when she met the “plastics,” she had a place to belong, and this was an integral moment in their journey.
“That’s so fetch.”
Gretchen uses “that’s so fetch” several times throughout the film, but there’s something about the Christmas season that packed a punch for our favorite girl with hair full of secrets. Regina told Gretchen that fetch simply wasn’t going to happen, but she kept it up anyway — way to go, Gretch!
“On Wednesdays, we wear pink!”
One of the most iconic quotes from Mean Girls, and the reason we often ensure that we’re wearing pink on Wednesdays, comes from this very moment. Being part of plastics was like being part of a team, and they took their rules very seriously, like that time Karen wore a vest! Pink on Wednesdays is Mean Girl culture, and you’ve just got to love it.
Of course, we must add an honorable mention — one of the most iconic moments in the film’s history and why today’s calendar date is so crucial to Mean Girls fans everywhere — it’s more a moment than a quote, but noteworthy nonetheless.
“On October 3rd, he asked me what day it was. It’s October 3rd.”
We’re so grateful that Aaron Samuels asked Cady Heron what day it was that afternoon in math class; it was a pop culture moment we’ll never forget. Happy Mean Girls Day, and don’t forget to tell all your besties how grool they are today; you’d hate for one of them to push you in front of a bus.