Top 30 Iconic Mean Girls in Movies

“Bring It On” (2000)
She’s pretty, she’s cool, she dominates this school! Perched high on top of the social pyramid, crimson villain Big Red is not to be trifled with. When her reign of popularity comes to an end after graduating, she passes on her title as cheerlead captain to senior Torrance Shipman. However, she leaves her successor with a major mess to clean up when it’s revealed she stole choreography from another team! Plagiarism is definitely a big no-no and a totally ill-spirited move. Definitely won’t be accepting any trust falls from her!

“High School Musical” Franchise (2006-08)
Sometimes this triple threat is, well, a threat! The ultimate theater kid, Sharpay Evans will stop at nothing to make her dreams come true. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious and wanting the very best for yourself, but not when it means trying to steal an opportunity from someone else. We’re looking at you, Tess Tyler. Like the resident “Camp Rock” mean girl, Sharpay’s talent is undeniable. We just wish she spent a little less time instilling fear into the student body of East High School and more time just being a star in the making.

“Easy A” (2010)
Despite her super squeaky clean image Marianne Bryant proves that appearances can be very deceiving. The antithesis of Olive Penderghast, the highly religious Marianne leads the school’s church group, preaching abstinence and condemning anyone who disagrees. This girl is anything but righteous. She puts up a pretense of wanting to “save” Olive but, really, all she does is speak badly about her – to her and behind her back, not to mention spreading the rumor about her throughout the whole school. While they do become friends briefly, and we get to see Marianne in a different light, it doesn’t take away from her prior cattiness. A certified holy terror, indeed!

“Wild Child” (2008)
When Poppy Moore, an overindulged American teen, is sent off to attend a boarding school in Britain by her dad, she is ill-equipped for the transition. Things become even more challenging when the pampered Poppy meets her match in the form of classmate Harriet Bentley. She fits the classic mean gal bill: she’s popular, cruel, and oh-so-powerful. As the head girl, Harriet is dead set on remaining at the top of the social food chain. In fact, she even goes as far as to reignite a fire in order to stake her claim!

“Carrie” (1976)
Chris Hargensen might be the biggest mean girl at her high school, but Sue Snell isn’t any better. Even though Sue feels remorse for her actions against outcast Carrie White, that doesn’t write her off as innocent. For instance, Sue is one of the many students who torments Carrie during a traumatic moment in the locker room showers. She then attempts to make it up to her by asking her boyfriend Tommy to take her to the prom…and well, we all know how that goes. Even though Sue tries to do better, it’s only because she feels guilty, not because she wants to be a friend to Carrie.

“A Cinderella Story” (2004)
Within all the modern day Cinderella adaptations, we can never shake our love for this one. Sam Montgomery, a high school student and waitress’s difficult life is made even more challenging all thanks to the girl who has it out for her, Shelby Cummings. As if the stepmom and stepsisters weren’t enough! Shelby and her cronies make life hell for Sam, going as far as to embarrass her in front of the whole student body during a pep rally. Fitting the classic mean girl model, Shelby is cruel and demeaning. But in the end, she gets her just deserts. Looks like there is no happily ever after for her!

“Thirteen” (2003)
Evie Zamora is straight-up bad news. Despite a rocky start, she eventually befriends Tracy Freeland, and introduces her to some dark and dangerous activities. Anyone could tell you this isn’t real friendship, but this is no clearer than when she’s seen provoking Tracy and turning on her when she doesn’t get her way. The latter isn’t totally innocent and should be responsible for her own behavior, but Evie preys on Tracy’s naiveness, molding her to match her definition of “cool”. This leads them both down a destructive path. Thankfully, in the end, they aren’t lost causes. Though still troubled, Evie’s ending offers a bit of hope that a fresh start will save her from her troubled past.

“Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” (2004)
Carla Santini brings the theatrics whether it’s onstage or behind the scenes! The enemy of Lola Cep, she is hellbent on fighting for her place in the spotlight. Both girls are vying for the lead role of Eliza Doolittle in their school’s musical adaptation of “Pygmalion” aka “Eliza Rocks”. With her razor sharp tongue and cutting words, it’s clear she feels threatened by and jealous of Lola’s talent. The latter, being the bigger person, eventually extends an olive branch, but their bitter rivalry really lives up to the title of this movie!

“Hairspray” (2007)
She might be the daughter of Miss Baltimore Crabs, but this musical mean girl definitely needs to be humbled! Amber Von Tussle is not only set on tearing down Tracy Turnblad, but she’s also super problematic. First of all, she’s complacent in her mother Velma’s fatphobic and racist behavior. Living under her thumb, she is well on her way to becoming a carbon copy of mommy dearest. In addition, she is not above cheating and scheming her way to victory. Perhaps, she’s let too much of that Ultra Clutch hairspray get to her head!

“Teen Spirit” (2011)
In perhaps the most humbling moment in mean girl history, Amber Pollock gets zapped with a major dose of reality. After winning prom queen, she is fatally electrocuted. In the afterlife, an angel tasks her with helping an unpopular girl, Lisa, become the next prom queen. If she succeeds, she’ll go to heaven and if not, then it’s H-E-double-hockey- sticks for her. Yep, you heard that right! Death is a pretty extreme wakeup call even for the meanest of mean girls, so her situation is truly exceptional. It’s one way to encourage acts of good, that’s for sure.

“The DUFF” (2015)
A more modern take on the mean girl trope, Madison doesn’t have a shred of kindness or decency in her heart. This wannabe reality tv star is a firm believer that your reputation in high school means everything. As such, she does whatever it takes to remain popular, and is not above manipulating and humiliating others to do so. The worst part of all is that she really seems to take pleasure in doing it. She is especially cruel towards protagonist Bianca, who soon starts to develop a connection with Madison’s on and off boyfriend, Wesley. Simply put: she is as shallow as it gets.

“The Baby-Sitters Club” (1995)
Straight out of the classic teen antagonist trope, Cokie torments everyone around her because she’s insecure. She’s hardly the nicest friend to the people she supposedly likes and seems to really despise the Baby-Sitters’ Club. Her pranks are cruel, especially when she tries to get between Mary Anne and Logan. She’s just plain mean and very conceited, so we’re happy to see her get her comeuppance when Jackie Rodowsky hits a home run, which sends the ball hurtling toward Cokie as she sits in a tree.

“Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist” (2008)
Tris is the chalk to Nick’s cheese. She’s mean, heartless, and dumps the genuinely sweet Nick on his birthday… and throws out the mix CDs he’s made her. She unintentionally pushes Norah and Nick together when she taunts Norah about being single, but the moment she sees their connection, jealousy takes over and she decides she wants him back. Her most scheming moment is when she waits for Nick by his car and tries to seduce him with a sexy dance. However, Nick drives off, wiping whatever feelings he had for Tris away.

“The Clique” (2008)
Any group arrogantly self-titled, “The Pretty Committee” is hardly going to be anything but egotistical - and anyone who leads them is bound to be the worst of the bunch. Massie was hardly the nicest person to begin with, but her ambition to be the Queen B drives her to jealousy when Claire unsettles the status quo. Massie goes out of her way to make Claire miserable, only to end up having the tables turned on her. She’s left friendless and learns that it’s better to have no friends over many friends that hate you.

“Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” (1997)
She’s the high school ‘it’ girl who still hasn’t grown out of her mean streak. In a series of flashbacks, we see the horrible ways Christie used to torment Romy and Michele in high school and when they meet again at the reunion, it seems she’s still stuck in the past as she continues to taunt and humiliate them even ten years on. But, this time Romy and Michele walk away with their heads held high after finally confronting her and exposing her for the high school has-been she’s become.

“Grease” (1978)
Rizzo starts off as the quick-witted Pink Ladies leader and Sandy’s gentle nature just gets on her nerves. She revels in the drama when reuniting Sandy and Danny and doesn’t hesitate to make fun of Sandy during their girly sleepover. She appears uninterested in Sandy’s summer love story and interjects with snarky comments before kicking Patty off the bench. While Rizzo comes across as cold and uncaring, this bad girl wins major sympathy points when she confesses that she’s really just trying to cover up her insecurities.

“Saved!” (2004)
Her holier-than-thou attitude might have you fooled, but as soon as anyone challenges her faith, Hilary Faye sheds her sheep’s clothing and exposes herself for the mean girl she truly is. Self-righteous, judgemental, intolerant, and hypocritical, she’s an awful friend and an even worse sister with no patience for her disabled brother, who she cares for reluctantly. When prom doesn’t pan out as she hoped, she crashes her car into a Jesus effigy in a fit of rage, causing his head and her world views to come tumbling down.

“Legally Blonde” (2001)
They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but it’s Elle’s shiny, pink exterior that rubs Vivian up the wrong way when they first meet. Well, that and probably that she’s Warner’s ex. For most of the film, she’s pretty nasty to Elle, excluding her from their study group, trying to humiliate her at a party, and accusing her of sleeping her way to the top. However, by the end of the film, even Vivian can’t resist Elle’s charm and the two become best friends, leaving Warner a distant memory.

“Jennifer’s Body” (2009)
Jennifer isn’t just your average selfish, narcissistic, popular cheerleader. Yeah, she may not have been the nicest before being offered up as a sacrifice to Satan, but once she becomes possessed by a demon, she is so much worse. Superhuman strength, speed and the power of levitation might sound ideal, but since she must feed on human flesh to survive, no one is safe. The film takes the idea of the sexual predator to a new level since Jennifer seduces guys before feeding on them to keep herself strong.

“Heathers” (1988)
Just when the students of Westerburg thought the tyranny was over, Heather Duke’s reign of terror begins. She’s verbally and mentally abusive and her cruelty knows no bounds. After Heather Chandler’s death, she becomes the new alpha, ruling with an iron fist - and no one, not even Heather McNamara, is off limits as a victim of her ruthlessness. As quickly as her hold on the school begins, it also ends however, as Veronica decides to free the school from the hands of the mean girl once and for all.

“She’s All That” (1999)
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 have ve gotten the crown, but Laney got the king.

“The Princess Diaries” (2001)
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.

“Election” (1999)
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.

“13 Going on 30” (2004)
She starts off as a tormentor, 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.

“The Craft” (1996)
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 is 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.

“Jawbreaker” (1999)
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.

“Carrie” (1976)
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 girls sure 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.

“Mean Girls” (2004)
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.

“Cruel Intentions” (1999)
This evil socialite proves that money can’t buy you class – or a conscience. Kathryn has substance use disorder, and an intense flirtation going 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.

“Heathers” (1988)
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 reason. 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.