Mean Girls: Sociology

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Labels are a powerful factor in creating a person’s character. Sociologists study how Role Theory, Socialization and Symbolic Interactionism affect individuals. An example of how these terms impact a teen’s life is the 2004 film Mean Girls. The main character, Cady, is transformed by new friends. Cady has been home schooled her entire life until she steps into the new world of public high school. The new environment and acquaintances drastically change her from a humble girl to a snobby girl. Her transition of character can be compared to the Stanford Prison Experiment. In both cases, the role of the participants change into the person they try to imitate. In the Stanford Prison Experiment, the volunteers who take the role of prison guards become coercive in their ruling and punishments over a group of other volunteers who play the prisoners. The Stanford Prison Experiment proves that labels hold power to change an individual. Through events and activities that Cady does with her new friends, she unconsciously becomes the type of girl her friends are, which isn’t so nice.