Top 10 Mean Girls in Movies

We’ve seen this trope before – many times – but it’s stills just as maddening: the cheerleader picking on the geek. In this case, Lana’s the popular one, and Mia Thermopolis is the frizzy-haired, bespectacled unpopular one. But, what Lana and everyone else at school don’t know is that Mia is actually a princess, and when the public finds out, the Genovian royal becomes a media darling. But does this mean girl back down? No! Lana only wants to humiliate her more by setting a trap for her with the paparazzi. And, while the half-naked tabloid pictures of Mia are so embarrassing she considers giving up her title, Mia musters up enough courage to give Lana her just desserts – literally.

In the interest of increasing her own popularity profile, this queen bee leaves her boyfriend Zack for a sleazy reality star. Her actions lead the heartbroken Zack to bet his friends that he can transform the nerdy Laney Boggs into the prom queen. Well, that makes Taylor jealous with a capital-J – especially when Laney ends up winning Zack’s heart and competing against her for the crown. But, while all her scheming does briefly tear Laney and Zack apart and wins her the title she so desired, ultimately this mean girl is exposed for who she really is. She may’ve gotten the crown, but Laney got the king.

She starts off as a bully, mean girl and clique leader, and Lucy never grows out of her mean streak. In 1987, she pranks the sweet and naïve Jenna Rink at her birthday party. This sets off a chain of magical events that lead Jenna into the future as a successful magazine editor. Somewhat shockingly, the girls are best friends and co-workers, and Jenna’s become as mean as Tom-Tom just by association. But turns out, Lucy’s still up to her old tricks, willing to betray her friend just to climb the corporate ladder. Lucy is proof that you may encounter mean girls anywhere – even at the office.

Every school has its overachievers, but how far will they go to get what they want? Reese Witherspoon plays the smart but arrogant Tracy, who’ll stop at nothing to become student body president. Her teacher Jim wants her to lose, partly because he’s upset that her affair with his best friend cost him his job and family and partly because he just finds her annoying. Tracy’s not your typical movie mean girl because she’s not the leader of a specific group of friends; but there’s no doubt that her actions are self-serving and mean to all involved. And unfortunately, despite Jim’s best efforts, Tracy Flick is also proof that mean girls can finish first.

Queen bee Courtney is the most popular girl at Reagan High School, as well as the leader of the “Flawless Four” – and she wants to keep it that way. So, when a prank she plays on her friend Liz goes south and ends in Liz’s death, Courtney goes to great lengths to cover it up. And if that means sullying the innocent and kid-hearted Liz’s reputation, so be it – actually, even better. So what if she has to call her dead friend a promiscuous alcoholic, corrupt others to keep them quiet and blackmail her friends? Remorse is for ugly girls. This is high school, after all, and nothing’s more important than your reputation.

This teen’s not just a mean girl; she’s a real witch. Nancy comes from a broken home, which clearly affects her relationships and views on life. However, as head of a coven, she proves to be more than a little volatile and power-hungry, casting spells with little regard for human life. Once she convinces her friends to partake in a ritual called the Invocation of the Spirit, the full extent of her wickedness is revealed. Lives are ruined, bodies pile up and the consequences become increasingly negative, and Nancy's at the center of it all. Using physical and emotional torment to defeat those who go against her, this is one mean girl that can only be stopped by magic.

An infamous movie mean girl, Chris teases the shy but powerful Carrie when she gets her first period – talk about rough. But at least she doesn’t get off scot-free: the compassionate gym teacher ends up punishing Chris and the rest of the class for what they did to Carrie, eventually suspending the mean girl from school and preventing her from going to prom. Well, as we’ve learned, mean girlssure do like them some retribution, so Chris enlists her boyfriend to help her exact revenge on Carrie in one of the most classic horror film scenes ever. And, while Chris isn’t there to see the results of her cruel prank, she’s still in the thoughts of her former target.

This croquet-loving clique leader is as hated as she is popular – and she’s VERY popular. And, although she only appears in a few scenes, she definitely makes her mark. Abusive both verbally and mentally, Heather Chandler rules her group with an iron fist. So, when Veronica decides she wants out of the Heathers, it’s not as easy as saying, “see ya!” In fact, Queen Heather is the kind of person who’d try to ruin your reputation for just such a thing. So, as you can imagine, that inspires such hatred that Veronica decides to bring her down by any means necessary – even if it means killing her. But dead or alive, this mean girl will haunt your dreams.

This evil socialite proves that money can’t buy you class – or a conscience. Kathryn is addicted to coke and has an intense flirtation going on with her stepbrother Sebastian – and that’s putting it mildly. In an effort to put her manipulation skills to good use, she bets Sebastian that he can’t seduce the innocent Annette, who is a virgin. If she wins, she gets his Jaguar. If he wins, he gets to sleep with Kathryn. But, although Ms. Merteuil thinks she’s pulling the strings in this scenario, genuine emotions get in the way, and ultimately, her actions backfire and everyone gets to see Kathryn for who she really is. Oh, and she does NOT get the Jag.

Before we get to our #1 movie mean girl, here are some dishonorable mentions:
- Marianne Bryant
“Easy A” (2010)

- Gibby, Kirsten & Kristen
“Never Been Kissed” (1999)

- Tania Degano
“Muriel’s Wedding” (1994)

- Crystal Allen
“The Women” (1939)

- Darla Marks
“Dazed and Confused” (1993)

- Amber Von Tussle
“Hairspray” (1988)

Her name literally means “queen”: could the crown for movie mean girl go to anyone else? The popular Regina George is both envied and feared by her classmates. She isn’t above mistreating new girl Cady Heron, her best friends, and even her own mom – as long as benefits her rep. But before long, Cady’s queen bee, and when the former leader of the Plastics falls prey to mean girl tactics herself, she unleashes chaos on the entire school by flooding it with the secrets that the plastics spent years collecting. A brush with death finally changes her wicked ways, but even so, Regina George is not only synonymous with the term “mean girl,” she’s also a queen bee icon.

Do you agree with our list? Who’s your queen of mean? For nicer Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.