Squad Goals with Hitler and Mussolini: The Positive Deviance of Regina George
The classic film “Mean Girls” has endured the test of time. Its iconic characters and brilliant plot design have permeated pop culture that transcends generations. Yet, Regina George has established a legacy that perplexed film critics and ordinary viewers among these iconographies. Regina, whose name literally means “queen” in Latin, is proclaimed to be the uncontested “Queen Bee” of North Shore High School and the ruthless leader of an elite clique called “The Plastics.” Her exceptional charisma distinguishes her from average high school students, earning Regina a virtually mythical reputation in the campus social hierarchy.
The exaltation of Regina George to a divine status by her peers is an intriguing phenomenon. Despite her tyrannical rule, everyone perceived Regina’s superiority to be legitimate until Cady Heron shattered the status quo. According to Goode (2015), positive deviance encompasses acts, attributes, or roles that exceed conventional expectations. Furthermore, these individuals are rewarded and recognized within their collectivities. Concerning this concept, Regina George is an exemplary case of positive deviance. Her unrivaled allure even parallels the notoriety of infamous dictators in human history such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Just like Regina, these charismatic leaders evoked loyalty from their followers despite their repressive regime.
Max Weber (1968) described charisma as an innate quality of an individual that is distinct from ordinary people. This exceptionality confers the individual with a supernatural or superhuman status that captures the unwavering commitment of their followers. In North Shore High, Regina George exuded charisma that beguiled her peers and cemented devoted followers called “The Plastics.” Due to Regina’s unparalleled beauty and cunning, she was able to secure the steadfast support of her peers, who perceived her as the “Queen Bee.” This label legitimized her rule just like the divine right of monarchs. However, the royal title endowed to Regina is not by birth but by the collective norms of her community. She was the queen, and everyone else was her loyal subjects.
The legitimacy of Regina George’s rule was further reinforced through informal and formal sanctions. These rituals and ceremonies were necessary to gain the popular support of the masses and perpetuate the myth of her divine status. Despite being manipulative and insecure, everyone approved of Regina’s repressive ways. Her peers always applauded her behavior, and even her parents consented to her whims. In simple words, Regina gets whatever she wants simply through her irrevocable charisma. Aside from these informal sanctions, the pinnacle of these symbolic rituals was the “Spring Fling Queen” coronation. Before Cady Heron, Regina consistently won the annual competition in her high school. The crown was symbolic and bestowed her with an elevated status that reinforces her unsurpassed beauty and charisma. This ceremony is similar to the elections conducted by authoritarian regimes that provide a sense of legitimacy to their constituents despite the absence of competing parties. These sanctions highlight the special treatment that Regina George enjoyed.
However, contrary to the notion that charismatic leaders possess an innate enigmatic quality, the divinity of Regina George can be easily deconstructed. According to Gershewski (2013), charismatic leaders like dictators maintain their authority through legitimation. This process involves the invocation of qualities purported to be extraordinary. For Regina, this was possible through her beauty that exceeded the conventional beauty standard of her peers. This over-conformity gave her the authority to terrorize anyone as she pleases. Aside from her physical qualities, Regina came from a wealthy family that allowed her to follow her generation’s materialist and consumerist culture religiously. Therefore, Regina’s glamour was not a mysterious force that emanated from nowhere, but dominant norms shaped it of which she easily surpassed. Thus, earning her the charisma that everyone adored in Regina.
Everyone who knows Regina George would loathe her but at the same time aspire to be her. This conflicting sentiment is proof of the complex psychology that charismatic leaders induce from their followers. Hence, the legacy of Regina George will continue to confound pop culture and serve as an inquiry to the mystique of charismatic individuals.
References:
Gerschewski J. (2013). The three pillars of stability: legitimation, repression, and co-optation in autocratic regimes, Democratization, 20:1, 13–38, DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2013.738860
Goode E. (ed.) (2015). The Handbook of Deviance. West Sussex, UK:Pearson Education, Inc.
Weber M. (1968). Charisma and its transformations. In Economy and Society. New York:Beminster Press.
This paper was written in partial fulfillment of Sociology 142 ( Sociology of Deviant Behavior) course at the University of the Philippines — Visayas.
