WHat is a manic pixie dream girl?
“A type of female character depicted as vivacious and appealingly quirky, whose main purpose within the narrative is to inspire a greater appreciation for life in a male protagonist” – Dictionary
A manic pixie dream girl is the type of girl that is built from a man’s perspective. The girl is “fun,” “cool,” and “interesting.” She is able to remain a cool, chill girl who is meant to show the cynical male protagonist how much fun life can be. Her entire purpose in a storyline is to make the dull male protagonist have a storyline with interest, and has very little depth of personality or personal storyline outside of this. She’s a shiny object for him to enjoy before either she leaves or he learns how to live the life he desires. She is the male’s fantasy: she allows the man to live his dream while she sits on the sidelines and is bubbly and supportive of him in every way.
The trope as seen in movies
The most common manic pixie dream girl that has been brought up would be Ramona Flowers from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Scott Pilgrim is a famous movie from 2010 about Scott Pilgrim (played by Michael Cera), a 22-year-old who is dating a high schooler, and upon seeing a girl (Ramona Flowers, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead) once, he becomes extremely infatuated with her and dedicates all of his attention to her. Ramona Flowers is a quirky girl who works for Amazon and uses rollerblades as her main form of transportation. She is a fun and interesting character that Scott Pilgrim is willing to do anything for, including fighting her seven evil exes. This shows the trope so clearly because Ramona does not have a large personal plotline outside of Scott. She is based on Scott’s perception of her and what he desires. There are other movies that show this trope, but Ramona Flowers is one of the most common examples of a manic pixie dream girl that is brought up in media.
why someone may try to project this onto you
Some men want a manic pixie dream girl because they believe that the girl is fun, different, and interesting. They believe that she will provide a deep change in his life and fill a hole that is missing without requiring reciprocated effort. Some want to fill the void in their life and will project this desire onto their partner rather than try to solve issues themselves to better their own life. If a man believes you are a manic pixie dream girl, they are projecting a fantasy onto you rather than seeing you for who you are. They are desiring this made-up version of you that you never claimed to be. This is not a fair perception of your character, nor do you deserve a false narrative of the kind of person you are projected onto you. Overall, being called this is not a compliment, as your person and character are more than a movie trope. You are a human being with great depth and complexity just as much as anybody else.