The Mathletes
The Mathletes are a clique we don’t see much of in the film. We are introduced to them when Cady Heron is made to join the math team by Ms. Norbury, who is their advisor. We don’t get to know many of the members of The Mathletes aside from Kevin Gnapoor and Cady herself, but we do learn a lot about them as a whole and the ways in which they helped Cady come of age and how she in turn helped them. The Mathletes are an ethnically diverse group comprised of students from Indian, Asian and European descent, a rather stereotypical portrayal of the more intelligent students of NSHS. Cady’s existence in their clique causes them to be exposed to other areas of high school such as attending the spring fling dance and Kevin’s rendezvous with Janis. Furthermore, Cady is able to embrace her brains with The Mathletes and takes many steps towards growing up. These new experiences contribute to their coming of age.
Kevin Gnapoor
Kevin Gnapoor will always be remembered by his incredible
rap skills and smooth ways with the ladies. Who could forget the talent show
when he belts out the infamous lyrics, "All you sucka MC's ain't got
nothin' on me, from my grades to my rhymes, can't touch Kevin G" (Mean
Girls). He makes a name for himself by
putting himself out there without caring what people think of him. His
character is always supplying the laughs and thus we hardly ever get to see a
serious Kevin. However, we do know he is an important member of The Mathletes
and therefore it is safe to assume the kid is pretty smart. Also, we see him
become a good friend to Cady, especially towards the end of the film.
Kevin's coming of age story is not a focus of the film, thus it is hard to tell if he actually comes of age. He is however, on his way because in between the laughs, we see his caring nature. One example is when he gives advice to Cady, telling her, "Don't let the haters stop you from doing yo thang!" (Mean Girls). His lack of regard for what others may think of him is also a promising trait. Kevin doesn’t try to please others at his own expense, something that cannot be said about The Plastics. At the end of the film Kevin finds romance in an unlikely place, Janis Ian. This shows Kevin's increasing maturity and open mindedness which is a good sign of coming of age. It would have been nice to see more of Kevin's coming of age story in the film but it seems viewers can rest assured that Kevin is well on his way to coming of age and that lots of laughs are guaranteed along the way.
Kevin's coming of age story is not a focus of the film, thus it is hard to tell if he actually comes of age. He is however, on his way because in between the laughs, we see his caring nature. One example is when he gives advice to Cady, telling her, "Don't let the haters stop you from doing yo thang!" (Mean Girls). His lack of regard for what others may think of him is also a promising trait. Kevin doesn’t try to please others at his own expense, something that cannot be said about The Plastics. At the end of the film Kevin finds romance in an unlikely place, Janis Ian. This shows Kevin's increasing maturity and open mindedness which is a good sign of coming of age. It would have been nice to see more of Kevin's coming of age story in the film but it seems viewers can rest assured that Kevin is well on his way to coming of age and that lots of laughs are guaranteed along the way.
Cady Heron
In addition to Cady's roles in The Plastics and The Art Freaks, the social butterfly is also a member of The Mathletes. The clique gives Cady an environment where she can display her intelligence without fear of being judged or feeling like a threat to those around her. Kevin in particular is very supportive of Cady and acknowledges her brains and beauty. He even gave her the confidence to walk into the spring fling dance with her Mathletes letterman jacket on, something she would never do if she was strictly a Plastic. In those ways, he contributes to her coming of age. Her most significant coming of age moment occurs in the Math competition that happens during the spring fling dance. She has an epiphany. “Calling somebody else fat won't make you any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn't make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George's life definitely didn't make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you” (Mean Girls). This moment is the pinnacle of her coming of age journey. After this realization, Cady attends the spring fling and shares her new found mantra with her classmates. From this moment on, girl world changes forever. Without The Mathletes, Cady would not have had to face Caroline Kraft and in turn, face herself. All in all, we don't see much of Cady as a Mathlete in the film, however her existence in the clique has a great effect on her coming of age journey.
Still curious about The Mathletes? Watch Cady's defining moment with The Mathletes in this scene from the sudden death round of the math competition. Also, get a glimpse of a half-naked Kevin G. Not too bad, if you ask me.