Mean Girls sticks closely to a traditional coming-of-age framework with foibles, flaws, and growth. Characters’ identities are not at the forefront, personality and personal arcs are front and center. There is no overt casting or storytelling based on identity politics, nor is there any character who is flawless or overly idealized based on modern representation standards.

The film lampoons high school girl culture, but it doesn't attack or subvert traditional values in any significant way. Family, morality, and friendship are explored with nuance, albeit a satirical edge. Male characters are classic comedic foils, not objects of ridicule or pathologized. There is minimal cultural revisionism.

While the movie has a satirical take on cliques, it doesn't villainize traditional perspectives or enforce one ideological worldview. There are a variety of voices, conflicts, and a surprising openness to pluralism for a high-school comedy. Dissent is treated as part of ordinary growing up, not something to be squashed.