What I researched and why: I researched the mean girl phenomenon, what exactly was going on and the impact on young girls today. I was particularly interested in the comparison of mean girls acting in such a way to emulate male behavior. This did not seem correct and as I researched I came to find that there is supporting evidence that it is not in fact true. So why then are young girls attacking one another and in such a sneaky and indirect manner? The issue of power is of course a central concern regarding this topic; power not only for ones-self but over others. The term relational aggression is key in the understanding of the mean girl phenomenon.
What I found: I googled a number of different key words and phrases in my search for understanding of this new phenomenon. One of the most important labels being "relational aggression." www.relationalaggression.com/faq.html This website gave detailed description of such behavior. It stated that there are three main tasks of which an adolescent is expected to complete; development of personal identity, separation from family, fit into peer groups. The emotional and physical violence demonstrated by these "mean girls" in acts of relational aggression have devastating impacts on the lives of their victims including low self esteem, insecurity, inability to trust the external world, and the ability to develop trust and healthy relationships. What we may have been viewing as "funny" and fairly innocent "girl drama" has deep seeded effects on the innocent young victims. Through acts of social exclusion, ridicule, and gossip girls gain a sense of status over one another. The article "Girl Fighting: Betrayal and Rejection Among Girls," gives a more clear explanation as to the meaning behind such acts. The article explains how girls are not encouraged to express anger and frustration. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_5-6_52/ai_n15344794 Such social inequality leads to underground and indirect aggression to be taken out on other girls. In reality it is a struggle for power that many associate with males. Whereas it is considered the norm for boys to exert their power physically, many see the mean girl phenomenon to be girls "acting like boys." It is important to understand that power is a universal human desire, it is the implementation of such power that differs between men and women.
My Interpretation: Girls are constantly expected to be "good" and "well-mannered" but just like all human beings, are in need of an outlet for their own frustration. It is not socially acceptable for young woman to express their anger in physical violence which in turn leads to the demoralizing practice of controlling others psychologically. It is through this psychological manipulation that distinguishes between the "cool and powerful" and the "uncool and controlled" groups of young women. The desire for power is not a male trait, but in fact an all around human trait. In reality, the result of the actions of "mean girls" can be viewed as much worse than a male’s physical violence. Where did girls learn to be so socially competitive for power and popularity? Perhaps it is the patriarchal and societal sources of mixed messages that teaches young girls that repressed anger expressed underground is the only way to overcome the everyday powerless feeling of being a woman. So with this knowledge the question remains, how do we express to the generations of young women that such power is debilitating to their own personal self esteem, the esteem of others, and the way society views women as a whole?
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6 comments:
There is evidence that male attention is not the reason for the mean girl epidemic and I agree with this, but I think that it may be part of the process. Mean girls strive to gain power and one form of power is male attention. So therefore male attention is not the goal it is just a means to an end. I think this can go for other things as well such as materialistic views. Mean girls don't seem to dream to be materialistic they use their materialistic self to gain power. The girls with the best clothes and the hot, new, whatever are the ones that are looked up to and everyone wants what they have which in turn gives them power.
This was such an interesting post. I think the Relational Aggression website is especially interesting. The Do's and Don't for Parents seem very useful. Even looking back at my own high school experience, once you start getting involved and being passionate about various clubs and things outside of school, the need for male attention and even acceptance by the cool kids diminishes. I think a lot of the gossip and cattiness happens during idle hours in school, which could perhaps be combated with organized activities once students are out of elementary school.
There is another interesting article that questions the reasons behind all of this mean girl behavior by looking at the popularity of mean girls in current young adult fiction:
http://www.nytimes.com/
2006/03/12/books/review/
12wolf.html?_r=2&pagewanted
=2&oref=slogin
This article is interesting because it sets the world of mean girls and the world of adults as one and the same instead of viewing them as contrasting forces, with the adults as regulators and the mean girls as those who need to be regulated. It suggests that books such as the Gossip Girl series and other mean girl books do not subvert and challenge the "corrupt or banal adult world" as is traditional in children's literature, but rather try to fit into it. Status, money, and conformity are the major objects of desire in these books, which are all concerns of the adult world. Anyway, it is interesting to think about mean girl fiction in terms of traditional children's literature, and see how they ignore the traditional (and awesome) trope of subverting and questioning the adult world that usually found in children's fiction.
I can see how the interpretation of many is that girls are simply acting like boys, but it is on a whole other lever. The backstabbing, and secrecy is something boys just don't do. I have always wondered why this is and how come boys are able to solve their issues by using thier fists and then be done with it versus the girls who need to put lasting emotional damage on another girl or stab her in the back. It all seems to me to be extremely passive agressive and very unhealthy. Perhaps girls need to learn that the feelings they experience are totally normal, its just the way they express them that is not.
I found this post very interesting. In all of the gender classes I have had, we have studied gender stereotypes where males are expected to be strong and aggressive and females quiet and weak. While these are stereotypes, it is no secret that girls certainly aren't encouraged to physically act out, and from high school experience, girls are more harshly disciplined than boys are after physically acting out. Therefore, it makes sense that girls have devised a less obvious way to get revenge. When emotionally targetting another person, girls can do it without hardly being noticed, therefore, they remain the quiet girls they are supposed to be and avoid getting caught.
Britt said, "it is no secret that girls certainly aren't encouraged to physically act out, and from high school experience, girls are more harshly disciplined than boys are after physically acting out. Therefore, it makes sense that girls have devised a less obvious way to get revenge." I think that's an absolutely correct comment. What do you expect of girls who can't express themselves in any other way? Girls are supposed to be "sugar and spice and everything nice" and yet what happens when they're not? They become hated...therefore, they cover up the actions that question this classic idea of femininity.
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