Growing up, my sisters and I watched two kinds of movies- Disney movies and musicals. I would always think, “Wow, I want to be just like these female characters when I grow up.” Well, I would say I am getting to the part of my life where I thought I would be “grown up” by now, and I have realized that I do not want to be like them. Why? Because they are all manic pixie dream girls.
The manic pixie dream girl is a character, usually depicted in movies, that has a main purpose of making their male counterpart character look greater. She is quirky and has “magical powers” that can make men better. In my experience, most manic pixie dream girls come across as the “strong female character,” but it is almost a way of the writers disguising her so she still appeals to women.
To me, the most obvious manic pixie dream girl is Belle from Beauty and the Beast. This has always killed me. Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite Disney movie because Belle is that “strong female character” (also the music is fantastic). While Belle is an independent, book-loving outsider in her town, her primary purpose in the movie is to fall in love with the Beast so he and his servants can be human again. She literally does nothing else. She does not help other girls in her town learn to read. She does not read literature with female characters that are not manic pixie dream girls. She does not speak out about the man that is constantly harassing her. There are so many opportunities in that movie to give Belle other purpose, but those opportunities were not taken. However, I will say that the new Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, did a better job of giving Belle other purpose, but it was not enough. It kills me because I love the film and Emma Watson so much, but Belle could have easily been a more progressive character.
While I have been bashing the manic pixie dream girl, I do agree with people who say it was a step forward for women characters. We at least have characters who are independent and speak about the importance of equality, but it is a baby step that had been taken a long time ago. It is time for the manic pixie dream girl to die, and I cannot wait for her funeral.