Every fall, when October hits, there’s a very special holiday. Before Halloween, on the same day as the suddenly popular “National Boyfriends’ Day,” there’s a niche celebration for an iconic piece of cinema, “National Mean Girls Day,” every Oct. 3. 

For those who have yet to be personally victimized by Regina George, “Mean Girls” is a 2004 comedy film, directed by Tina Fey. 

The film tells the story of Cady Heron, a homeschooled teen who attends a public high school for the first time. She quickly befriends Janis and Damian, who warn her about “The Plastics,” the school’s popular clique led by Queen Bee, Regina George. Despite their warning, Cady gets pulled into the group and begins to mimic Regina’s manipulative behavior to win over a boy, Aaron Samuels. As Cady plots to overthrow Regina, she loses sight of who she really is, damaging her relationships in the process. 

In the end, Cady learns that judging others won’t make her better than anyone else. 

13 years after Mean Girls took the movie screen, a musical adaptation hit the Broadway stage in 2017 and ran at the August Wilson Theater until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the show to close. In 2024, Fey directed a movie based on the musical. 

Whether it’s the stage adaptation, the musical remake, or the classic film, Mean Girls has cemented its place in cult movie history with its iconic quotes, such as, “On Wednesdays, we wear pink.” 

In fact, the reason Oct. 3 was chosen as “Mean Girls Day” is because that’s when Aaron asked Cady what day it was. 

This year was especially special, due to the original film celebrating twenty years of fetch. So, how did Rowan students celebrate the day? 

Many students didn’t realize the significance of the date but were inspired when they learned about it. 

“I didn’t realize that was a thing,” freshman Michael Carter said. “But I’m probably going to go watch the movie now.” 

While some used the day as an excuse to wear pink on a Thursday, unfortunately, nobody used the day to do something Karen Smith would find fun, like going to Taco Bell.

It wasn’t just the original that students were watching to honor the day, all versions were being viewed on campus, including the controversial musical remake starring Angourie Rice and Broadway star & music artist Reneé Rapp. 

“I have watched the 2024 Mean Girls, more than the original,” student Jakob Falkoff said. “Mainly for Reneé Rapp.” 

Rachel McAdams, (Regina) and Lindsey Lohan (Cady) played the respective lead roles in the film, but when asked who Rowan’s favorite character was, Karen, played by Amanda Seyfried, was the sweeping lead answer. 

“She is dumb and funny,” freshman, Mia Salcedo said. “Doesn’t try too hard like the others.” 

It seems like Regina George might have some competition because another popular answer was Janis. 

“I think because she is true to herself,” freshman, Ashley Salcedo said. “And knows when to put her foot down when someone’s being a bad person.” 

Cementing a place in popular culture comes with a heavy bearing. But “Mean Girls” especially, with its strong marketability, has stood the test of time. 

Go almost anywhere and there’s probably someone dawning a “Mean Girls” crewneck. And every Halloween, there’s bound to be a person wearing the iconic “Jingle Bell Rock” costume or referring to Karen’s “I’m a mouse. Duh!” 

“Mean Girls” was a cultural reset, that’s why people celebrate the day. So grab your cheese fries, and your friends and even though it’s a week late, you can still celebrate this piece of cinema, by turning on Paramount +. Just make sure you cheer on Glenn Coco!

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