I have a soft spot for Mean Girls. Not just the 2004 Lindsay Lohan flick, the character archetype. There’s just something about characters who have a grudge against everything, or at least the main character, that fascinates me. Who hurt them? How did they become this kind of person? Why doesn’t every book I read feature them? 

But I digress. Let’s look more closely at what puts the mean in these girls. 

Each mean girl seems to be made up of a combination of 7 common traits. I’m going to loosely define them here:

Mean: Unkind, unfair, unnice. Just plain rude. It’s in the title.  

Popular: Beloved by the common folk (usually other school kids). Comes with a coupon for a free clique.

Perfect: They can do no wrong.

Preppy: High class and fashion forward. 

Rich: They have all the money, or their parents do. Makes sure to flaunt it. 

Snooty: Stuck up and disapproving. You’ll never be them, so don’t even try. Trying is so last week.   

Conceited: Vain and proud. Full of themselves. 

Occasionally, some characters will display bonus traits worth noting. Sometimes them not displaying the trait is worth noting.

So who are these characters you ask? Let’s look at some examples and the traits they embody:

Warning: Spoilers for various series ahead.

MacKenzie Hollister, Dork Diaries

The primary antagonist of Dork Diaries. Almost cartoonishly evil. My personal favorite of the list.

• (Very) Mean: Constantly berates the main character, Nikki, every chance she gets. Tried to get her expelled so her friend could have the locker next to her. Steal’s Nikki’s romantic interest Brandon’s phone to text her lies so they’d break up. Locked Nikki in a room to force her to miss her skating event. The list goes on.
• Popular: Leads the CCPs (Cute, Cool, and Popular girls). Not everyone likes her, but everyone knows her.
• (Not) Perfect: Her plans are constantly foiled. One ended up with her digging in a dumpster. 
• Preppy: Her clothes are always designer, with many appearing to be custom made to integrate her initials. Has more lip gloss than a Coco Chanel factory.
• Rich: Her father’s multi-billion dollar business empire leaves MacKenzie with anything she wants, whenever she wants. 
• Snooty: Stuck up and disapproving. You’ll never be them, so don’t even try. Trying is so last week.   
• Conceited: Doesn’t think Nikki and friends are deviant enough to toilet paper her house and thinks Brandon did it to get her attention.
• (Bonus) Crafty: Will stoop to any low. Becomes the chairman of the school dance, then quits, forcing Nikki and her friends to manage the entire event. Becomes the dance coordinator for Nikki’s television show solely to monopolize all her time. And so on.

Felicia Furrypaws, Babymouse, Babymouse: Tales From the Locker

The queen of Babymouses’ school. A textbook mean girl. The books even say so!

• Mean: Will insult and shove Babymouse around just for a laugh, completely unprompted. Usually does it at lunch or in class, in front of many other students.
• Popular: Students follow her around. Whether it’s for her parties or just a chance to be cool, you’re lucky to sit at her lunch table. In middle school, she has 10k followers on SoFamous.
• (Not) Perfect: Loses the class presidency. Injures her tail on the ski slopes. Gets detention for skipping out on a class field trip. Far from perfect. 
• Preppy: Her clothes are nice and her tastes nicer. A school student with a carefully curated life.
• Rich: Wears nice clothes and always has straight whiskers. Advertises all over the school and on city buses and thru a radio campaign and via online ads to sell her cupcakes for a school competition. 
• (Not) Snooty: This could be argued, but she really only directs her discontent towards Babymouse. Regards most other students and faculty as equals. 

Serena Piffle (and The Populars), Pizazz

The leader of the popular kids at Pizazz’s school. Serena’s the one in the center.

• Mean: Insults Pizazz a lot. It doesn’t matter if she’s a hero, she’s still a zero to Serena.
• Popular: So popular she just declares a “Super-Off” between Pizazz and hero classmate Jett. Everyone goes along with it, including them. She even determines the different contests.
• Snooty:  Thinks she’s better than her classmates, even the ones with powers.
• Conceited: Decides to help stop her father from polluting the world solely because the other kids would think she’s uncool. Also so she could keep her perfect hair.

Dakota Reed, Phoebe and Her Unicorn

The former queen of the goblins, Dakota keeps it real.

• (Kind of) Mean: More rude than mean. Speaks her mind.
• Popular: Most fellow students know her. Runs a popular Youtube channel.
• (Not) Preppy: Wears pretty normal clothes. Fairly normal kid.
• (Not) Rich: From what we see of her room, pretty low key.
• Snooty: Thinks Phoebe is lame for the first few books. Still thinks Phoebe is weird after becoming her friend.

Gabby Gaburb and Carol Rattinger, Daisy Dreamer  

The two troublemakers in Daisy’s class.

• Mean: This is the only main trait they display, but it’s in full force. They rip Daisy’s diary and draw mean pictures of her. Anytime they’re on screen, they’re mean. Their names even have “mean” things in them.
• (Not) Popular: Nobody in Daisy’s class likes them.
• (Bonus) Manipulative: It is heavily implied in one book that Carol pressures Gabby into their antics.

Bernice Blue and Ivy, Ivy+Bean

Two friends who never meant to like each other. As amazing as their ideas are, those same ideas can get Ivy and Bean into trouble.

• Mean: Bean steals from her sister, blackmails them, and makes them fall into mud. Ivy convinces the whole school the bathroom is haunted. They both (temporarily) steal a child, take money for a newspaper they didn’t intend to make, then make tabloid stories about their neighborhood when forced to make it.
• (Not) Popular: Their classmates know Bean can be rough around the edges and that Ivy is a weird girl. Their sometimes-friend Leo calls them wackos a lot.
• (Not) Perfect: They don’t always get their way. Sometimes they’re doomed to dance or don’t solve cases.
• (Not) Rich: They live in the definition of a middle-class cul-de-sac. We regularly see their neighbors, who are mostly worried about their cars or flower gardens. The kids often play together, using everyday objects with their imaginations.
• (Kind of) Conceited: A lot of what they do, they do for personal gain, whether it be a quick buck or the wax around those little cheeses.

Lucille Van Pelt, Peanuts

Football puller and self-made psychiatrist. Makes herself known, even when nobody asked.

• Mean: This one gets bullet points:
  • Operates a psychiatric booth for money in exchange for questionable advice.
  • Pulls footballs every time Charlie Brown is about to kick them.
  • Makes excuses for being bad at baseball.
  • Mistreats her little brother.
  • A quote from Mister Schultz himself: “There is nothing funny about a little boy being mean to a little girl. That is simply not funny! But there is something funny about a little girl being able to be mean to a little boy. You have to give (Lucy) credit though; she has a way of cutting right down to the truth. This is one of her good points. She can cut through a lot of the sham and she can really feel what’s wrong with Charlie Brown which he can’t see himself.”
• Conceited: Constantly pines after Schroeder, even though he doesn’t like her.

Good To Be Bad

Even girls portrayed as good can display mean girl traits. Does that make them a mean girl? You be the judge. 

Hyacinth, Mouse Scouts

One of Violet’s Mouse Scout friends. Just because she’s a scout doesn’t mean she has to like it.

• Preppy: Thinks camping is dirty and doesn’t like the mud. “If we could have soft beds with satin sheets it might be okay.” Thinks her scout badges look pretty on her sash. Her uniform is always crisp and clean.
• Rich: She lives in a dollhouse in the (human) mayor’s attic. Her mother has elegant dinner parties in their beautiful dining room.

Eloise, Eloise

The six-year-old scamp has her run of The Plaza Hotel. Emphasis on run.

• (Kind of) Mean: Likes messing around with hotel guests. Pours water down the mail chute.
• (Not) Popular: Her constant antics aren’t smiled upon. Unless it’s Christmas, then maybe.
• Rich: So rich she doesn’t have to go to school. Orders room service all the time. Lives on the top floor of a ritzy NY hotel.
• (Kind of) Snooty: She acts like she knows what she’s talking about, even when she probably doesn’t.
• Conceited: As much as a six-year-old can be. What she likes, what she can do, everything’s about herself.

Judith Moody, Judy Moody 

Judy’s moods sometimes get the better of her. Not in a good way, in a bad way.

• (Kind of) Mean: “Moody” tends to mean mean here, but Judy always comes around and turns her frown upside-down. Calls her classmates names a lot. Interrupts class a lot.
• (Not) Rich: Lives a pretty normal middle-class American life.
• (Sometimes) Conceited: Tries to become famous for a whole book. She hides in a tree (and her room) when things don’t go her way. She tries to get coffee from her dad so she can be “loyal to her country.”

Mirabelle Starspell, Mirabelle, Isadora Moon

This mischievous witch doesn’t know what she likes more: making potions or using them. Cousin of Isadora Moon.

• (NOT) Perfect: Her plans usually backfire or go out of control. Summoning too many dragons, letting animals out at the zoo, or making a potion that floods the whole class.
• Conceited: The book series calls her “mischievous”, but this is what they really mean. Her witchy side always gets the better of her, even if she doesn’t mean to cause any problems. She constantly disregards her parents, teacher, and cousin Isadora, just to have a little fun.

So what?

Not all mean is created equal. Different combinations of traits can lead to very different characters. Don’t take my word for it though, check them out in action on the page!

I know, I know, I left some major mean girls out. Junie B Jones (I’m on book 10.), Ramona Quimby (It’s on my shelf.), Ruby Flashyfur (Thea Stilton and Mouseford Academy…there’s a lot.). The mean doesn’t stop for this blog. Maybe I’ll make a part 2 sometime!