Beyond donning pink attire to see the new “Mean Girls” movie, it takes a certain mindset to fully appreciate the 2000s-high-school-clique dynamic that the original movie channeled. To help moviegoers prepare to think like a “Plastic,” The Daily Texan compiled a list of cliquey 2000s movies similar to “Mean Girls.” 

“Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen”

Beyond starring Lindsay Lohan, “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” also focuses on a new high school student, Mary (preferably called Lola), who lies about her background in order to fit in and make an over-the-top impression on her new peers. Lola feuds with her new school’s queen bee, Carla, played by Megan Fox, until she learns she can still be successful without pretending to be anyone else.  

“Bratz: The Movie”

When four best friends — Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha and Jade — start their freshman year of high school, the girls are as close as ever. However, their friendship takes a rocky turn when they each fall into separate cliques that class president Meredith obsessively keeps divided. Similar to the junior class in “Mean Girls,” the four friends learn to prioritize friendship over social standing.

“Bring It On”

When senior cheer captain Torrance, played by Kirsten Dunst, takes over her school’s cheer squad, she learns her previous captain wasn’t as great of a leader as she had thought. As Torrance’s team struggles to rebuild themselves, they also face prejudices from their classmates and other cheer teams. Similar to characters in “Mean Girls,” the team makes a tireless effort to prove themselves worthy of their popularity to their peers.

“High School Musical” 

Aside from being a musical like the new “Mean Girls” movie, “High School Musical” similarly focuses on a group of students who struggle to live up to the cliques defining them due to their varying outside interests. As students stray into her beloved theater clique, Sharpay Evans, portrayed by Ashley Tisdale — who, like the ‘Plastics,’ also loves pink —  does her best to manipulate her peers back into their former cliques so they don’t dethrone her as the lead in the school musical. 

“The Clique”

“The Clique” follows Claire, played by Ellen Marlow, as her family moves in with some of their old richer friends that have a daughter Claire’s age named Massie, played by Elizabeth McLaughlin. Like Cady at the start of “Mean Girls,” Claire occupies outcast status at her new school due to her fashion sense and inability to mold into the school’s cliques of girls.  Harassment from Massie and her clique of friends, The Pretty Committee, make it increasingly difficult for Claire to fit in.