Why the new Mean Girls movie is causing a stir on social media
The new Mean Girls movie is sparking a backlash on social media, from complaints of too much e.l.f. cosmetics product placement, to shock that it’s a musical.
Is the latest Mean Girls remake a teenage blockbuster or a two hour ad for cosmetics?
That’s what TikTok users want to know. Disgruntled viewers are flooding the platform complaining about the abundance of e.l.f products throughout the movie
Some argued that Regina George would actually only use high-end brands, not e.l.f. Another claimed there was a "20-minute-long e.l.f. ad" before the movie even began – which some say was more entertaining than the film itself.
And that’s not the only surprise. The musical format of the film - which wasn’t made clear in the promotions, caught some viewers off guard - who didn’t realize the movie was an adaptation of the broadway musical.
TikTok users expressed their confusion about a marketing bait and switch , with comments like, "This is not the 'Mean Girls' I came to see."
Paramount defended the strategy – saying they wanted to appeal to a broader audience and avoid potential bias against musicals. Exit polls revealed that a quarter of the audience didn’t know it was a musical going into it, suggesting that the marketing strategy succeeded in attracting some audiences who were unaware about the genre.
It was still the number one movie over the holiday weekend - defying expectations and raking in more than 33 million dollars.
Did you see the movie? What did you think?
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