Social+Theory

__**Structural-Functional Approach**__- A framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. __**Social-Conflict Approach**__- A framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change. **__Symbolic-Interaction Approach__**- A framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals.
 * The Plastics are a group that only work if the girls withing the group behave correctly under Regina's authority. If one of the girls decides to no longer take orders from Regina then the group falls apart and no longer functions correctly. Functionalists would see this group as a society that needs order in order to survive. When Cady comes in and creates trouble within the group then it no longer functions.
 * Also when Gretchen is starting to be "ostracized" by Regina, she completely falls apart too. She has a random outburst in class, and she calls Cady a few times throughout the movie crying about how Regina treats her. She depends on the group to survive, and when the leader of the group is upset with her, she completely falls apart. She defiantly needs order to survive. Or she will emotionally fall apart.
 * The social-conflict approach places an emphasis on race, class, and gender. Regina George comes from a rich family and is used to having everything. She has the best clothes, the cool mom, and the popular boyfriend. From the social-conflict approach it would suggest that due to Regina's wealth, conflict will form within the Plastics. When Cady comes to the group she is interested in Regina's boyfriend, but of course he is off limits because he is Reginas. When Cady gets Regina's boyfriend in the end, Regina is upset because she is not used to losing.
 * Also, because of Regina’s wealth, it is very difficult to become a Plastic if you are not wealthy. When you look at Gretchen and Karen, they are also both rich. When Cady moves here, she is considered middle class, and this potentially causes problems within the group. At first all of the girls are wearing nice clothes, and Cady is not, because she doesn’t own any nice clothes like those. It is well known that she is the different one in the group and this causes drama.
 * The symbolic-interaction approach suggests that as individuals we attach meanings to everyday symbols. In Mean Girls, Cady gets a compliment from Regina about how cool her bracelet is when they first meet. From this interaction, Cady gets the impression that Regina is actually nice. Later on Regina tells a girl how retro her skirt is, but as they walk away she talks about how she actually hates it. This makes Cady think back to her first interaction with Regina and realizes that she was wrong about her.
 * Towards the end of Mean Girls, Janice gets mad at Cady for treating her so badly. Then she throws a painting at her from her art show that states she won a prize. It is a painting of Janice, Damien, and Cady representing their friendship. This is a symbol that Janice and Damien are Cady's real friends and the girls she was trying to impress weren't. In the end, this painting makes her realize that Janice is right.