Damien, "Too Gay to Function"

The movie ‘Mean Girls' focuses mostly on high school lifestyles. It brings out the social cliques that exist among students and can serve as an example of how gender is constructed. Damien is a key figure in the movie that reinstates gender ideologies. Although Damian’s physical structure is a male, his constructed gender is very feminine. First, we can see this in his dressing style; he loves light colors and love pinks specifically! When you watch the movie you will see that he will mostly wear light colours and faded outfits. In this way, color and context is used to create a feminine tone in Damian. Second, his tone of voice is particular; it mirrors one that is generally attributed to a female body. His hand gestures and overall demeanour are also quite feminine. For example, in one scene he grabs a piece of his friend’s hair (who is a girl) and says he has always wanted that hair colour for himself as well as asks for advice on whether or not he it will work for his complexion. In another scene, Damian says he will lend his best friend a pink shirt because he has so many. The ways in which Damian behaves are considered natural for a woman to behave. Another important point you may not have made note of while watching, is that in the friend dynamic between Janice and Damien, Damien is the submissive one that answers to Janice’s requests. Think about why this feels normal? Is it because Damian is presented like a woman so we are used to seeing a female persona as submissive?