What exactly is “fetch?” The word is used in the legendary 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls. Used exclusively by popular girl Gretchen Weiners (Lacey Chabert), it’s a word with an air of mystery to it. All we know about fetch is that it’s allegedly slang from England—and as someone who lives in England, I can confirm it isn’t. But what we understand from the few times Gretchen says something is fetch is that it’s very much a good thing. Something that excites us is fetch. Something that brings us joy is fetch. The movie Mean Girls is the very definition of fetch, becoming a pop culture sensation when it was released, and remaining one to this day.
That was 20 years ago now, but its impact feels as fresh as it did when the film first premiered—thanks to all of the memes and classic lines people still share today. We’re looking back at the very best lines that have become so popular they’ve taken on separate lives as memes, all of which spawned from Mean Girls, ranking them from least to most fetch.
For this ranking, “fetch” means that something is so cool, it breaks out from the crowd and leaves a lasting impression. These one-liners have taken on lives of their own, even beyond Mean Girls itself. And, frankly, each one here is great—nothing fetch can be bad. Fetch is a state of mind. And those that know, know.
“Gretchen, stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen!”
Of course, if something being fetch is the most fetch, rejecting the very concept of fetch is undeniably the least fetch thing possible. Head-Plastic-in-Charge Regina George (Rachel McAdams) was usually pretty dead-on with her assessments—it’s a big part of why everyone worships/is terrified of her—but her belief that “fetch” wouldn’t happen was a swing and a miss. “Stop trying to make fetch happen” has been regularly employed online as a meme when, for example, brands introduce products nobody wants. When something is trending online that people are tired of, you better believe Regina George’s face will appear. You can also count on the meme making waves later this year, when everyone exhausts themselves over the presidential election. While fetch may have been snubbed by Regina, fetch did, in fact, happen. It’s lived fabulously outside of Mean Girls. And that’s pretty fetch to me.
Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, and Lacey Chabert.
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images“I just have a lot of feelings.”
Maybe the single funniest moment in Mean Girls is when a previously unseen schoolgirl gets vulnerable about her feelings in an all-girls assembly. She wants to bake a cake full of rainbows and smiles to make everyone else happy, but her hopes are dashed when it's revealed that she doesn’t even go to their school. It’s not her fault—she just has a lot of feelings, and this was a forum to share them! Who is this girl? How did she get here? We never find out, but I still think about her to this day. It’s become so popular that the worst possible thing has happened—brands use the meme for attention. The line isn’t even very fetch, but it is absolutely hysterical.
Rachel McAdams as Regina George.
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images“The limit does not exist!”
A line that’s taken on an entirely new meaning thanks to the internet, “The limit does not exist” has become a truly top-notch meme. While, in Mean Girls, it’s an answer to a complex math equation, the internet uses it as a response to pretty much anything. How many slices of pizza is too many? “The limit does not exist!” How many pairs of shoes should I buy in the Black Friday sale? “The limit does not exist!” Somehow, this response always manages to be funny. It’s also the one I use the most in my day-to-day life, largely to describe how hungry I am (it’s effective!).
“Four for you, Glen Coco! You go, Glen Coco!”
Mean Girls fanatics have had one question on their minds for two decades: Who the hell is Glen Coco? There have been investigations into this very subject, and one reporter even spoke to the real-life inspiration for the elusive character. Played by an uncredited background actor, Glen Coco receives a whopping four candy canes from admirers, which is cause for celebration. Out of context, this line easily makes the least sense of anything on this list, which makes its surprising and frankly bonkers internet popularity—“You go, Glen Coco” is widely used whenever someone gets good news nowadays—all the more fetch.
Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, and Rachel McAdams.
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images“On Wednesdays, we wear pink.”
The color pink has become synonymous with Mean Girls, thanks to this line. One of the ultimate rules of the Plastics clique is that pink simply must be worn every Wednesday. It’s become incredibly popular online, with plenty of famous meme formats incorporating the famous line. While it's a vital law of Plastics life, it doesn’t feel especially fetch to follow the crowd.
Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron.
CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images“It’s October 3rd.”
Since 2004, October 3rd has been anointed Mean Girls Day. And it’s all because, on October 3rd, Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett) asked Cady what day it was. “It’s October 3rd,” she rightly responded, changing the world forever. The seemingly innocuous line has become the perfect meme, and it’s never outstayed its welcome. References to the line flood the internet every year on October 3rd, then disappear for another 12 months.
“Get in, loser—we’re going shopping.”
In one of cinema’s most iconic moments, Regina commands Cady to “get in, loser.” Why? Because “we’re going shopping.” It’s a line that’s both silly and perfectly speaks to Regina’s dominant personality: When she tells you to jump, you say, “How high?” The quote has taken on a life of its own as a meme—everything from a photo of a dog sitting in the front seat of a car to a pic of Barack Obama in a go-kart has gotten the “get in, loser” treatment. It also became part of an inexplicable TikTok trend involving Barbie and Kesha that makes me feel ancient.
“That’s so fetch.”
Look, we’ve got to be objective here. What is more fetch than the very declaration that something is fetch? Gretchen Wieners changed the world forever when she called Cady’s bracelet, Regina’s phone call, and the Plastics’ talent show performance fetch. Ever since Gretchen uttered those immortal words, people in the real world have continued to call things they love “fetch.” It may not have taken off at North Shore High School, but it sure did everywhere else. And that is very fetch indeed.
