5 Concepts From Mean Girls That Hold True As You Get Older

1. “She’s the queen bee – the star, those other two are just her little workers.”

As women get older, we see that the Queen bee syndrome still exists in work environments, peer groups, and social cliques. Whether she’s a CEO or the head of the community book club, the queen bee always holds the greatest amount of influence as well as intimidation over the other women. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re the ones that speak their minds, make the plans, and set the trends. And let’s be honest — while Regina George may have been a total bitch, she’d probably be running a Fortune 500 today.


2. “You let it out honey–You put it in the book.”

Oooooohhhh we LOVE this!! You may think scandalmongering fizzles out after the teenage years, but the need to initiate or spread gossip will never cease to exist regardless of maturity or morality. Not only is it a great way to deflect blame and negative attention, but it helps us bond with our female cohorts–What could possibly go wrong?! Of course we all know that slander is a dishonorable trait, but anyone who claims to have never taken part in it is downright lying.

3. “You can’t like Aaron Samuels–That’s just like the rules of feminism!”

This one I still encounter in my 30’s, and it’s just as absurd now as it was in my teens. Who can understand this whole “Girl Code” thing? It’s an ever-changing game, and the rules are completely asinine! So you dated this guy 5 years ago for an entire week— I’m never allowed to date him now, even with your blessing?? Is there some dating patent I’m unaware of ? Yes, we can be supportive friends and still go out for the same job. I’m sooo sorry I bought the same J.crew sweater as you– I swear I’m not trying to disrespect you or be your clone!

Howzabout we act like adults and stop coming up with these juvenile “rules,” which are actually just self-serving schemes.

4. “Oh my God, I love your skirt! Where did you get it?”

It’s a female rule of thumb: The more smack you talk about another girl, the nicer you are to her face. How many times have you and your caddy gal been trash-talking the new intern’s fugly clothes and haircut–Then as quickly as you can say “two-faced,” she appears and the compliments pour. Oh, what a cute outfit! You look sooo great today–where do you get your hair done? If there’s anything more ugly than a woman talking smack, it’s this sort disingenuous display. If she happens to be overly complimentary, there’s a pretty good chance that she’s slamming you on the sly

5. “If only you knew how mean she really is…”

Ah, the Frenemy. I thought this one would taper off after the sorority years, but even at 32, I still admit to keeping my friends close and my enemies closer. Why do we keep people around who claim to be our friend yet cut us down more than they build us up? First of all, it’s an instinctual form of defense, especially if this “friend” holds a good deal of social clout. Also, as we get older, our social circles can start to dwindle, and we’re often terrified at the prospect of being alone. So we pretend to be friendly to women whom we detest…And chances are they’re probably doing the exact same thing.