From ‘Mean Girls’ to middle school mom
It’s a Wednesday when Zeina Davis and her daughter Layla watch Mean Girls for the first time, and the detail does not escape Layla: “Should we wear pink?” she asked her mom.
“No,” Davis replied. “Let’s just be comfortable.” Black leggings and cozy sweaters it was.
Layla had been curious about Mean Girls ever since the new reboot of the 2004 comedy classic hit theaters earlier this month. Movie-themed merchandise littered stores and, importantly, some of her classmates had already seen it. Through the grapevine, Layla was already aware Wednesdays were the day to wear pink.
Davis, 38, was on the fence about it, but middle school was looming for Layla, and her mom knew how difficult and disorienting those years could be.
After all, it was Davis’ own experiences being bullied at a private Rockville, Md., K-8 school that led her to open up to a youth advocate by the name of Rosalind Wiseman, who took Davis’ stories — and those of thousands of other girls — and compiled them into Queen Bees and Wannabes, the bestselling 2002 book that inspired Mean Girls.
“I definitely felt like, if I’m going to share this with her, it needs to be something that is a learning moment for both of us, not just, like, a fun movie,” Davis said of her decision to watch both versions with her daughter.
When the original Mean Girls was released, it was something of a tonic. The raunchy and male-centric American Pie had already completed its third installment, and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen presented a somewhat silly and whimsical vision of teen girlhood.
Mean Girls was witty and, ostensibly, based on the realities of female friendships — following the trials and missteps of Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) as she navigates the relationship minefields of high school. Tina Fey, who wrote and acted in the film, plucked inspiration from Wiseman’s book, which was written as a self-help guide for unaware or overwhelmed parents of teenage girls.
The movie, which came out when Davis was 18, was undoubtedly funny, Davis said, but it left her wanting.
When Davis pulled up the original movie on her home TV this week, she felt excited. Here was an opportunity to share this part of her childhood with her daughter — and, hopefully, turn it into a “learning moment” for the two of them.
Here it finally was, Davis realized, that “full circle” moment. She couldn’t wait to see what was next.