BTT: How Fashion “Made Fetch Happen”

This article is part of our weekly column ‘Behind the Trend.’ The views and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not necessarily Coulture Magazine.

With the recent influx of new social media platforms like Twitter, Vine and Instagram, the expansion of teenage colloquialisms and ideologies has spread further and wider than ever before.

For this reason, millennials have quickly created a language that focuses more on humor than understanding, thus ensuring that the most influential people in our society are those who understand social media and perpetuate wants and needs of the youthful constituency.

Consider Gretchen Wieners in Mean Girls — the girl who was always trying to “make fetch happen.” The movie’s widespread success made it happen, and on an incredibly profitable scale.

In an article in Entertainment Weekly, Lacey Chabert, who played Gretchen, said that she receives thousands of tweets from fans everyday about the line and is happy that the film has been so well received.

Although Mean Girls has a lot of popular lines, ranging from “You go, Glen Coco” to “On Wednesdays we wear pink,” Chabert’s line has seen the most extended coverage, even being quoted by the White House in a recent tweet:

Bo, stop trying to make fetch happen. pic.twitter.com/Ez6hWGFpFc

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 13, 2013

The line has also shot off profits of related apparel since the movie was released in 2004. However, sticking with one of the most popular lines from the film, the clothing companies retained the profits, and there was “none for Gretchen Wieners.”

Chabert’s net worth taps out at a mere $3 million while the Mean Girls movie grossed $129 million at its original opening alone. This original estimate does not include all the extra profits from apparel, spin offs like Mean Girls 2 or the upcoming Mean Girls Broadway musical.

Phrases with visibility are bound to make a splash as long as they aren’t too blatant or confrontational. This innocent phrase has helped elevate Mean Girls to its relevant position today, and ensures the profitability of future spinoffs and new apparel.

There are thousands of “so fetch” shirts on Etsy alone, and larger companies like Target and Walmart sell knockoff apparel as well. Stella & Bow, a jewelry store based in Los Angeles, even created a Mean Girls jewelry line to celebrate the movie’s 10th anniversary in April 2014.

Stella & Bow’s Burn Book Collection includes necklaces, bracelets and hair clips all featuring some of the movie’s most memorable lines and ranging from $23 to $110. The collection includes one necklace and two bracelets based off Gretchen’s famous catch phrase.

Celebrity endorsements of the film also help to expand the brand’s profitability, making quoting Mean Girls or wearing a “so fetch” shirt incredibly trendy. For example, Jennifer Lawrence mentioned the movie in her acceptance speech at the People’s Choice Awards in 2013.

Just as Lawrence said that she wished she could give all her fans a part of the award, all the actors in Mean Girls should share the limelight, profits and relevance that the film has achieved. Now that would be “so fetch.”

Cover Photo Sources