"As a millennial, thinking back on the mean girls, quite a few were named Jessica."
"Ashley, on the other hand, was always the name of the popular mean girls in movies and TV, but not necessarily in real life (in my experience)."
"For real, though, I think it's just because these were popular names in their times (boomer era Karens, millennial era Jessicas), so when you have a lot of people with the same name, you're more likely to encounter more unpleasant people with those names by default."
"Like for Gen-Z, the mean girl name in my head is Madison, but the reality is that Madison is just an extremely popular Gen-Z name."
Millennial-era 'mean girl' name is often Jessica. Ashley frequently appears as the popular mean girl in movies and TV but not necessarily in real life. Name popularity differs across generations, with Karen common for boomers, Jessica for millennials, and Madison for Gen-Z. High prevalence of a name raises the likelihood of encountering more unpleasant people with that name, which creates or reinforces negative associations. Media portrayals can amplify those associations by repeatedly assigning certain names to specific character types. Perceived 'mean girl' names reflect name popularity patterns rather than inherent traits.
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