In May of 2016 I wrote an article about The Bechdel Test and the pervasiveness of sexism in art. While doing research for that article I discovered a treasure trove of tropes and stereotypes regarding women that pop up time and time again in film, television and other artistic mediums. Listed below are some of the most intriguing and concerning tropes, stereotypes and stock characters that I was able to find. Read through and see if any of your favorite shows, movies, books etc. feature characters like these.
Coined by New York Times writer Katha Pollitt in 1999, films and TV shows that adhere to the Smurfette Principle feature one female character in an all-male ensemble. The use of this trope highlights the male domination of narratives and the underrepresentation of females. For examples, think Miss Piggy from The Muppets, Black Widow from The Avengers, Princess Leia from Star Wars, and Smurfette from The Smurfs.
A trend found in marketing, The Headless Women Project is a compilation of movie posters is which women’s bodies or a part of their part is featured on the poster, but not their face. Marcia Belsky, the project’s creator, discussed the negative effects of this type of advertising saying, “When you fragment a woman’s body into sexual parts, it not only takes away her individuality, it takes away from her humanness.” 3. Psycho Ex-Girlfriend
This is the female character that goes crazy after she is dumped, betrayed, rejected or otherwise scorned by a man. Instead of moving on in a healthy way after a heartbreak, this character becomes completely unhinged and focuses her entire life on either reconciliation or revenge. Because, as we all know, nothing in a woman’s life matters more than a man. Think Amy from Gone Girl, Ali in Obsessed, Alex in Fatal Attraction, and Jenny from My Super Ex-Girlfriend.
A trope as old as time, this female character is kidnapped or locked away and spends her days just waiting around for someone, usually her love interest, to rescue her. She doesn’t try to escape, she doesn’t have any agency. She just waits, knowing a guy will come and save her eventually. For examples think of Buttercup from The Princess Bride, Princess Peach from the Mario video game franchise, Lois Lane from the Superman comics, and basically every fairy tale ever. 5. Manic Pixie Dream Girl
Coined by film critic Nathan Rabin this term applies to female characters that exist in the narrative for the sole purpose of teaching, reinvigorating, completing or giving meaning to the life of her male love interest. A Manic Pixie Dream Girl is a concept, idealization, or muse. She is not a real person. She lacks her own goals, complexity, and inner life; she is just what the male character needs her to be. Think Sam from Garden State, Claire from Elizabethtown, Summer from 500 Days of Summer, and the female characters of John Green to an extent.
6. Ugly Girl in Glasses Gets a Makeover
Do you have a woman in your life that doesn’t meet the standards society sets for women? Does she not meet the criteria of what society says a woman should be? Is she masculine, plain, shy, unpopular, single or different from everyone else? Does she wear glasses? Well, have her take off her glasses and get a makeover! Characters who shed their spectacles seemingly improve their lives overnight. They become popular, noticeable, and finally worthy of love. Moral of the story: don’t wear glasses, even if you need them to see. Think Tula in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Mia in The Princess Diaries, Laney in She’s All That, and Gracie from Miss Congeniality.
7. Disposable Women/ Women in Refrigerators
A Disposable Women is somehow related to the hero (his wife, girlfriend, daughter, mother etc.) and is placed in the story just so she can be kidnapped, raped, murdered or otherwise brutalized. This act violence puts the plot in motion and gives the male hero a purpose, usually to seek revenge. A Disposable Woman is not meant to be an interesting, moving,or well-developed character; she is simply motivation or plot point. The use of Disposable Women in comic books became so widespread that a website, Women in Refrigerators, was created to highlight and analyze its use. Think Gwen Stacy from Spiderman, Old Joe’s Wife in Looper, and Jess from Supernatural.