IF there’s one thing this explosive week has taught us — it’s that despite its glittering facade, Hollywood can be just like the movie Mean Girls.
Whether or not you believe Taylor Swift has been exposed as one, or whether Kim Kardashian was being one herself when she posted the Snapchat video showing Swift may have told porky pies about Kanye West, it’s time to take a look at some of the who’s-who of Tinseltown’s mean girls.
TAYLOR SWIFT
Let’s start with the obvious. The public fight may have done some serious damage to Swift’s nice girl image, but the truth is there’s been a few not-so-nice stories about the Bad Blood singer before now.
A she-said, she-said has been raging between her and Katy Perry for years now, over some back-up dancers who may or may not have been poached from one pop star to another. After Swift started discussing the feud publicly, Perry posted on Twitter: “Watch out for the Regina George in sheep’s clothing ...â€
And of course, according to ex Calvin Harris (so take it with a grain of salt) she tears down people just for fun.
KATY PERRY
Katy Perry probably shouldn’t be so quick to throw stones; she’s been called a bully a few times herself.
Swift says of their feud: “She did something so horrible. I was like, ‘Oh, we’re just straight-up enemies.’ And it wasn’t even about a guy! It had to do with business.â€
Outside that drama, American songwriter Ryn Weaver publicly slammed the singer earlier this year, accusing her of very nasty behaviour.
After Perry tweeted support of US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Weaver hit back with an explosive (now-deleted) tweet labelling her a bully.
“No offense @KatyPerry, but considering how much of a bully you were to me, I hope you don’t mind my mindful disagreement with your $$ endorsement.â€
She explained she’d had a run-in with the Roar singer at a Drake concert, while they were out in the same group. She claims Perry purposely ignored her when she spoke — then told everyone Weaver was obsessed with her.
AZEALIA BANKS
When it comes to Mean Girls, Azealia Banks takes the Regina George crown.
She’s actually been suspended from Twitter, after a series of absolutely vile homophobic and racist attacks on Zayn Malik.
The rapper used abusive and foul-mouthed language in her onslaught, calling the former One Direction star a “token sand n***a†and a “f****t†— all because she thought he’d stolen some concepts from one of her videos to use in his clip for Like I Would.
Back in 2014, Iggy Azalea was also at the receiving end of a bizarre and racially-fuelled tirade from the controversial rapper — over an issue to do with an African American man dying at the hands of a US police officer.
She hit out at Azalaa for staying quiet on the issue, calling her “Igloo Australia†and accusing her of not standing up for other issues important to African-American people.
“If you’re down to ride with us b*tch, you gotta RIDE ALL THE WAY,†she tweeted.
ARIANA GRANDE
Ariana Grande has a powerful set of pipes, but she’s almost as well-known for her nasty reputation these days.
The former Disney star didn’t make many friends when she visited Australia in 2014, releasing an extra-large list of diva demands for her interviews and abruptly cancelling a photo shoot.
She also reportedly made a fan cry during a meet-and-greet. The girl says they waited for hours, then Grande rushed through the whole thing and walked away without saying goodbye.
The pint-sized pop star also apparently insisted the girl and her sister delete photos of her that they’d taken during the brief encounter.
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
Kelly Osbourne claims that Christina Aguilera body-shamed her for years, calling her fat. She even wrote about it in US magazine Glamour.
“(Christina Aguilera) called me fat for years. One night on Fashion Police I said, “F**k you. Now you’re fat too.†I didn’t say I wasn’t fat. I said, “Now you know how it feels.†And I’m sorry, but I stand by that. I make a point on the show never to say anything about anybody that I wouldn’t say directly to their face. I’m famous, and she’s famous; it doesn’t mean I can’t stand up for myself. I took it for 10 years and finally decided to be like, “You know what? I’m done.†And that’s the last thing I will ever say about it.â€
Body-shaming — that’s some mean girl behaviour right there.
Christina also sparked the ire of British boy band The Wanted when they appeared on The Voice (US).
After the show, they made headlines calling the judge a “total b*tch.â€
Later, they explained she wouldn’t even look at them.
“We just think manners cost nothing, you know?†explained lead singer Tom Parker.
“The rest of the judges were really nice, and she didn’t even walk over to us and talk to us.â€
MARIAH CAREY
One of the original divas, Mariah Carey’s sparked a few celebrity feuds over her years in the spotlight.
But perhaps the most famous and long-running fight is with Jennifer Lopez, who she has refused to acknowledge on a number of occasions.
It all kicked off in the early 00s, when Mariah was asked about other singers.
She described Beyonce as “a good writer†— and Jennifer Lopez?
“I don’t know her†— and she’s stuck with that line ever since.
Recently, Jennifer took a more subtle tact when asked by Wendy Williams what she thinks about Mariah saying she doesn’t know her.
“She does say that. She’s forgetful I guess.â€
A newer addition to Mariah’s shade roster is Ariana Grande, who as a giant diva herself appears to be a natural-born rival.
Fans have compared the singers for years, which Ariana has called “a compliment†— though clearly, Mariah doesn’t share her view, with rumours of her nasty comments often doing the rounds.
Fellow pop star Demi Lovato’s even weighed in, slamming Mariah for her attitude toward other singers.
“(Jennifer Lopez) keeps it classy, but I’m not afraid to say s**t. The woman is mean for no reason,†she claimed.
“Extremely talented? Yes. Superhuman? Possibly. Unnecessarily rude? Absolutely.â€