Tina Fey’s 2004 cult classic “Mean Girls” got a 2024 update this month with the theatrical release of its musical counterpart.

The adaptation harkened back to the original script with iconic lines such as “You Go, Glenn CoCo!” and the famous scene of Regina being bulldozed by a bus, but they added some modern twists with social media and more openly queer messaging.

However, one of the biggest updates was the fashion.

The original was the epitome of Millennial and early aughts style with Juicy Couture tracksuits, low rise denim and micro-mini skirts abounding.

The fashion rules established by the plastics became synonymous with everyday culture, particularly “On Wednesdays, we wear Pink!”

In the original film, costume designer Mary Jane Fort sourced fashion from various stores and had custom-built pieces.

In 2024, new designer Tom Broecker looked to social media and online shopping for inspiration.

“We were trying to think in the mind of a 16-year-old girl and how they shop, so we were doing a lot of online, Instagram and Tiktok shopping, because that’s how teenagers shop now,” said Broecker.

Unfortunately, many have criticized the fashion for looking too cheap and like fast fashion or for ignoring its Y2K predecessor too much.

Broecker had to toe the thin line between celebrating the Y2K fashion trends that have been circulating around in the past few years and not appearing to copy the 2004 film exactly.

Individual identity played a major role in updating the styles.

Rachel McAdams’ Regina George was ultra-feminine, but Renee Rapp’s has a more androgynous style to reflect her personal comfortability.

“This is not a Euphoria high school or a Gossip Girl high school—those shows are beautifully designed, but this is not that. Mean Girls is its own Gen Z thing, with a lot of gender fluidity, athleisure, and a lot of vintage and secondhand thrifting,” Broecker told Harper’s Bazaar.

The 2004 Mean Girls became a cultural beacon of Millennial style, but will the 2024 Mean Girls do the same for Gen Z?

Photo of the 2024 “Mean Girls” movie poster. (Contributed/IMDb)

Author