Let’s set the scene: bright pink walls, catty whispers in the hallway, and a self-appointed queen bee ruling the playground. 

Marrakech – Sounds like Mean Girls, right? But instead of Regina George in her Burn Book glory, imagine this dynamic transplanted into a Moroccan high school. 

The result? A colorful mix of sass, spice, and probably a few Darija-infused insults.

Now, before you roll your eyes and say, “That’s just a movie!” hear me out. 

The concept of “mean girls” isn’t confined to the halls of North Shore High School. 

It’s a universal archetype — there’s always a group, whether they’re clinking glass tea cups at the school canteen or judging your outfit choices in hushed tones. 

So the question is, do Moroccan schools have their version of the Plastics?

The queen bee dynamic

In Mean Girls, Regina George is the queen bee, the girl everyone secretly hates but also desperately wants to impress. 

Moroccan schools have their own queen bees, but they come with a twist. 

Think less “You can’t sit with us” and more “That’s Zara, not souq chic.” 

In a society that blends tradition and modernity, the power moves might shift, but the energy? Oh, it’s there.

Regina would probably trade her Louis Vuitton for a kaftan by Fadila El Gadi, but the essence remains: being effortlessly stylish, socially intimidating, and somehow always three steps ahead of everyone else.

The cliques: Universal but unique

Where the Plastics might have a Burn Book, Moroccan mean girls might settle for a series of snide Instagram captions. 

Social media here has turned the schoolyard drama into a live feed. 

You might catch a squad of trendsetters in Marrakech posting cryptic stories that everyone knows are about that one girl who wore last season’s djellaba, caftan or something (cause Fashion here is so unpredictable) to a wedding.

And let’s not forget the cliques:

The stylish set: Always on top of fashion trends, from Paris to Rabat, they’re the first to rock new Moroccan designers before the rest of us even hear about them.

The academic achievers: They’ll shame you for not scoring a perfect grade while casually dropping a quote from Moliere to flex their intellectual superiority.

The gossip squad: They don’t miss a beat. Every scandal, every whispered fight in the hallways — it all goes straight into their group chat.

Do they exist here?

The short answer? Yes, but with a Moroccan twist. The cultural nuances of respect, family reputation, and social norms make things a little less fetch and a little more nuanced. 

You can’t exactly cut someone off in the lunch line without the entire community knowing about it. 

But do those sharp-tongued, intimidating cliques exist? Absolutely.

The difference is in the delivery. A Moroccan “mean girl” might throw shade through a sly compliment at your foulard or side-eye your choice of fashion. 

They’re subtle, sophisticated, and dangerously charming — because they have to be. Overt bullying? That’s for amateurs.

The real question

But here’s the twist, my dear readers: Is it just about the “mean girls,” or is it about the environment that lets them thrive? 

Schools, social pressures, and the pursuit of being the “it girl” aren’t unique to Morocco. They’re human. We all want to belong, and sometimes, the easiest way to feel powerful is by making someone else feel small.

So maybe the real question isn’t do we have mean girls? — we do. It’s what kind of school culture are we building? Are we raising Reginas, or are we empowering Cady Herons to challenge the status quo?

In the end, whether you’re in Casablanca or Chicago, one thing’s for sure: You can’t sit with them — unless, of course, you’ve got the right style.