For those who have their doubts about the Mean Girls musical soon to hit the big screen, fear not, for Reneé Rapp — who plays Regina George — has confirmed that the iconic villain will feel heaps gay, as God intended. We love to see it.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t been particularly keen for the new Mean Girls movie. I’m still reeling from the trailer’s claim that “this isn’t your mother’s Mean Girls“. Even though the original film came out in 2004, when I was six years old.
“Your mother” my ass! But, I digress.
There’s also the fact that it’s incredibly hard to remake camp films when part of the reason they are so beloved is because they’re so out of pocket and unintentionally iconic.
BUT, maybe there is hope yet.
For one, the cast looks incredible (Busy Phillips as Regina George’s mother is actually a genius choice). But, more importantly, Reneé Rapp has assured fans that her version of Regina George will absolutely lean into the gay vibes we all know she was exhibiting, canonically or not, in the original 2004 film.
Speaking to Teen Vogue, the “Snow Angel” singer — who is queer herself — discussed the complexities of Regina George and her layered nature.
“I think especially for a character like Regina, you need all those nuances so that you don’t hate that character because she is a bitch and you have to make her likable so that’s like a task in and of itself,” she said.
As part of this challenge, one thing Rapp will be doing a little differently is making sure Regina George is “also very gay”.
Does she mean canonically? No, sadly we will be stuck with subtext yet again, but I’m here for it.
Why do people think Regina George was gay in Mean Girls?
In case you aren’t across the theory that Regina George was actually a closeted lesbian in Mean Girls, let me educate you.
Queer panic is not only a driving plot point in the film, but the genesis of it — if Regina George hadn’t spread the rumour that Janis was a lesbian intent on perving on her classmates, Janis wouldn’t have tried to get back at her, and therefore Cady wouldn’t have found herself stuck in the middle.
But what if Regina George’s initial sin was one of projection, and not just a mean-spirited takedown?
The evidence that Regina George is a lesbian is pretty extensive, and you can read the link above for a full breakdown, but here are the key points:
- Regina George is the one who constantly brings up lesbianism
- She is intrigued by Cady in a way that no one really understands
- She shows pretty much zero interest in the men she dates aside from what they can do for her status, and when she gets back with Aaron Carter, she is more interested in Cady’s reaction to the relationship than the actual relationship.
Hear me out: maybe Regina George didn’t care that Aaron liked Cady, but was jealous because Cady liked Aaron.
Also, explain why a teenage girl known for her apathy keeps a book of all the women in her life who she feels have upset or wronged her, hmm?
There’s also the fact that the film ends with Regina George under a pile of women, when this is what she claims earlier is Janis’ lesbian fantasy.
All I’m saying is the gay vibes are definitely there — and according to Rapp, we’ll see them in full force in the musical remake, too.
