Top 10 TV Mean Girls

Being the queen bee of 90210 isn’t an easy task, but someone’s gotta do it. Materialistic, selfish, and unafraid to speak her mind, Naomi is the girl with the nasty one-liners that will leave you reeling. She constantly puts others down for their appearance, and is quick to judge people before getting to know them. Naomi isn’t one to cross and firmly believes in the act of revenge; in season one after feeling betrayed by Annie’s relationship with Ethan, she kisses Annie’s ex at her Sweet 16 - ouch. She makes the original Beverly Hills 90210 mean girl, Valerie Malone, look like a saint.

Paris breaks the mold for TV mean girls—instead of being a fashion obsessed girl who wants popularity, Paris is all about academics and her endless quest to be number one. Hyper competitive, aggressive, and paranoid, Paris is initially the main foil to Rory. Instead of bonding with her over their love of knowledge and learning, Paris pretty much goes out of her way to make Rory’s life at Chilton as difficult as possible, often using underhanded tactics, like threats and intimidation, to wipe out her competition. Paris isn’t always intentionally mean, and yes, the rivals eventually become friends, but there’s no denying that she gives her brutally honest opinion even when no one asks for it.

A true Southern belle, Lemon is the perfect example of the girl who’s nice to your face, but will talk trash as soon as you turn your back. As the former head cheerleader in high school and the winner of the Miss Cinnamon Cider pageant, Lemon is a big fish in a small pond that is used to getting her way. Lemon tries her best to put on a nice and friendly façade, but her words often have a double meaning behind them. Her insults may sound cute and funny on the surface, but there’s undeniable bite to her bark, especially when it comes to her rivalry with Zoe Hart. When life gives you this Lemon, run the other way.

She may have been a former fat girl, but Rachel sure didn’t act like it. As the new girl at Tree Hill in season three, she goes out of her way to make her presence known as a bad girl. Always trying to prove herself, Rachel often uses her sexuality to get what she wants, even if it means having the other girls resent her - especially Brooke with whom she competed for Lucas. Rachel is also the cause of one of most devastating tragedies at the school, as her release of the time capsule full of students’ embarrassing secrets leads to a school shooting. Pretty despicable.

Ali’s the girl everyone wants to be friends with because no one wants her to use their secrets against them. Even when Ali was presumed dead, the girls were afraid of her. Skilled at using the other girls’ weaknesses against them, Ali is the queen of making others feel like losers and outsiders, which gives her quite the reputation. But it’s not just the other girls; Ali has a way of manipulating adults to get what she wants. And let’s not forget about Ali’s involvement with The Jenna Thing.

Never one to mince her words, Cordelia is unrivaled when it comes to figuring out a person’s insecurities and using these against them. She often offers her unwanted opinion to shoot mean jabs at Buffy and the rest of the Scooby Gang. Self-assured, pretty, and popular, Cordy makes sure that everyone knows she is at the top of the food chain. As the seasons went on, she eventually warms up to Buffy’s group and proved that the mean cheerleader is a person too. But she never lost her ability to tell it like it is, with her brusque attitude making her a fan favorite.

To know her is to hate her. A true villain in every sense, Katherine enjoys nothing more than getting what she wants, no matter whom she has to hurt in the process. Loyal to no one, Katherine often causes drama to wreak havoc just for the sake of it. Her favorite activity seems to be coming between Damon and Stefan, who are both in love with her. She uses her doppelgänger status to pretend to be Elena in opportune moments that work for her machinations. Then there’s what she does to Jeremy, which is something we’re still upset about.

Don’t let her pretty face and soft voice fool you; Quinn isn’t someone to mess with. Santana Lopez may be the most aggressive mean girl, but Quinn’s quiet power over others has a more menacing reach. Quinn uses her presumed innocence, status as head cheerleader, and pure Christian girl image as a license to be secretly devious. She not only cheats on Finn with Puck, but she also fools him into believing the baby is his. Quinn never quite learns from her mistake and later cheats on Sam with Finn. She bullies Rachel for being different and for Finn’s attraction to her, even telling Rachel to back off from Finn. Class act, she is.

Ryan Murphy has a knack for creating mean girls, but he really broke the mold with Chanel, the president of the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority. She may have had everything handed to her in life, but that doesn’t mean she won’t fight to hang onto what’s hers. With her acid-laced tongue and the minions she named after herself by her side, Chanel backs down to no one, whether it be prison inmates or the mainstream media. To be in Kappa Kappa Tau, the recruits have to pledge absolute allegiance to Chanel or risk being pushed down the stairs, like Hester. She’s definitely someone you want on your team rather than on the other side.

Before we unveil our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Sadie Saxton
“Awkward” (2011-16)

Katherine ‘Kate’ Sanders
“Lizzie McGuire” (2001-04)

Katie Fitch
“Skins” (2007-13)

Kim Kelly
“Freaks and Geeks” (1999-2000)

Libby Chessler
“Sabrina the Teenage Witch” (1996-2003)

She rules the Upper East Side, so why wouldn’t she be number one on our list? Over the years, Blair has proven that she’s the best and baddest HBIC in the game: her put-downs are legendary, her style is flawless, and you’ll never see her sweat. Her right to the throne hasn’t been unchallenged though, with worthy opponents like Georgina Sparks trying to take over, but Blair has never met anyone she couldn’t cut down to size. Whether it’s excluding her closest friends from social gatherings or trying to strong-arm teachers for As, Blair’s schemes are always a step ahead of the rest. She’s the ultimate mean girl queen bee, and we choose her as our number one.


Do you agree with our list? Which mean girl is your fave? For more catty Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.