History Main / Chickification

* This is one of the major complaints levied at ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. Previous entries in the franchise had portrayed Samus as an unflappable one-woman army. All that goes out the window once she meets up with her former commander and father-figure, Adam Malkovich, on the Bottle Ship. All of a sudden, she's meek, obedient, and prone to emotional breakdowns and panic attacks. While she does get to kick some ass during gameplay, none of it really matters in the grand scheme of things; the plot hands all the significant actions to other characters. Taking down the traitor in the squad? Nope, that was [[spoiler:MB, the BigBad]], and you don't even get to find out which team member it was. How about getting rid of [[spoiler:Ridley]]? Sorry, he just flees after the boss fight and gets killed offscreen by what's strongly implied to be [[spoiler:the Queen Metroid]]. Destroying [[spoiler:Sector Zero and the theoretically-unfreezable Metroids it contains]]? Too bad, Adam steals the job for himself. Well, Samus at least gets to kill the BigBad in the final boss fight, right? Nope.

** Android 18 is a somewhat straighter example. While ''[[CantCatchUp everyone]]'' [[OvershadowedByAwesome who isn't a Saiyan]] takes a second seat to Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Trunks and later Goten, no matter their gender, she also occasionally takes a backseat to Krillin after she marries him, despite usually being the stronger of the couple.
*** In ''[[Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF Resurrection F]]'' this is actually FridgeBrilliance. One of them has to stay behind to keep their daughter safe in case Freeza wins and decides to go tearing Earth apart. Freeza knows who Krillin is, but he's never seen 18 before, and her energy can't be sensed. She's the logical choice, regardless of who's stronger. [[JustifiedTrope Not to mention, she doesn't have any interest in fighting unless it's for money, or a few specific other reasons]] [[spoiler: such as the survival of the universe, as seen in the show's final arc]].

This trope is not merely an ActionGirl who shows "female" emotions or [[RealWomenDontWearDresses likes girly-girl dresses]]; there is no rule that a heroine [[EmotionalBruiser cannot have feelings and express them]] and neither is there a rule against [[KickingAssInAllHerFinery kicking ass in a skirt]] or partaking in [[GirlyBruiser girlish pastimes]]. This trope is where a character becomes more stereotypically feminine ''and also'' becomes less action oriented at the same time.

Compare with GirlinessUpgrade, in which a woman becomes more feminine but doesn't lose her edge. Remember, '''there is absolutely no overlap between these two tropes.'''

If the girl used to be an active character but now is just ''there,'' the trope is MenActWomenAre. For girls that are both badass and feminine, see GirlyBruiser. For a tomboyish woman who still has a more girlish side, see TomboyWithAGirlyStreak. For a girly girl who enjoys a rough past time, see GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak. See FauxActionGirl if the supposed female badass character never performed any such actions to begin with. When a female character wants to be more of an action girl but ends up being defied or discouraged from doing so, then it's StayInTheKitchen.

* Jane Layton's ''The Boyhood Of Grace Jones'' takes place in the 1930s. Grace feels completely male at this point in the series. [[PluckyMiddie She wants to be a sailor]] and live as masculine a life as possible, and strenuously exercises to keep up with the strength of guys her age (eleven or so). Her parents have this whole worried conversation [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon about her getting muscular]]. [[SarcasmMode Fortunately]], the first time she actually goes out in a boat, she gets embarrassingly seasick and the malady returns when she climbs her favorite tree, which previously she enjoyed its swaying in the wind. Nobody bothers to tell her that many [[TheCaptain salty old sea dogs]] began by spending most of their time leaning over the side and there's a reason sailors like crackers, ginger, corned beef and pickles. She undergoes full Chickification and by the end of the novel [[EsotericHappyEnding is deeply into clothes, makeup and giggling over film stars]], disappointing her music instructor, for one, who's enjoyed seeing her swagger into the room like [[Literature/TheBountyTrilogy Captain Bligh]]. Readers still complain about the way Layton "sold Grace out".

* Jane Layton's ''The Boyhood Of Grace Jones'' takes place in the 1930s. Grace feels completely male at this point in the series. She wants to be a sailor and live as masculine a life as possible, and strenuously exercises to keep up with the strength of guys her age (eleven or so). Her parents have this whole worried conversation about her getting muscular. [[SarcasmMode Fortunately]], the first time she actually goes out in a boat, she gets embarrassingly seasick and the malady returns when she climbs her favorite tree, which previously she enjoyed its swaying in the wind. Nobody bothers to tell her that many salty old sea dogs started out as kids spending most of their time leaning over the side. She undergoes full Chickification and by the end of the novel [[EsotericHappyEnding is deeply into clothes and makeup]], disappointing her music instructor, for one, who's enjoyed seeing her swagger into the room like [[TheBountyTrilogy Captain Bligh]]. Readers still complain about the way Layton "sold Grace out".

* Much like her husband who gets {{ukeification}}, Kim Wexler in canon ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' is emotionally constipated, the only time she ''is'' held hostage she's very willing to shoot a man, and has a PowerDynamicsKink with Jimmy where she's on top. While most fic at least tries for this portrayal, there's a good chunk that turns her into a helpless damsel, the 'emotionally open moral centre', or secretly a sub who wants to be ravaged.

* ''Manga/BlackLagoon'' subverted this with a vengeance. While Rock and Revy wait together in a submarine full of corpses and relics, Rock tries to get Revy to open up and show there's a person who cares underneath her tough exterior. She reveals some of her past, and after she notices Rock's sympathy over it, she threatens him with death if he even hints at what he's seen, then goes on a KillEmAll rampage on the ship above.

* In VideoGame/TheThirdBirthday Aya Brea is noticeably less confident and snarky taking a demure, submissive role toward her superiors, a far cry from her previous depictions in the first two games. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope Except this isn’t actually Aya.]] In actuality, it’s her clone sister Eve possessing her body who lost her memory after jumping into her body in an attempt to save her from soldiers shooting her down at her wedding. As it turns out, the real Aya Brea is as brave and sure of herself as she already was, cooly shooting and killing Hyde Bohr as he’s about to kill Eve, snarkily quipping at him.]]

* In VideoGame/TheThirdBirthday Aya Brea is noticeably less confident and snarky taking a demure, submissive role toward her superiors, a far cry from her previous depictions in the first two games. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope Except this isn’t actually Aya.]] In actuality, it’s her clone sister Eve possessing her body who lost her memory after jumping into her body in an attempt to save her from soldiers. As it turns out, the real Aya Brea is as brave and sure of herself as she already was, cooly shooting and killing Hyde Bohr as he’s about to kill Eve, snarkily quipping at him.]]

* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'' opens with Jill coolly narrating Raccoon City's situation and establishing her determination to survive even though the odds are against her. [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Remake The remake]] opens with the BigBad crashing into her room and choking her, effectively removing any initiative Jill showed in the original plot. Far from being a veteran soldier who chooses to venture into Raccoon City's zombie-infested streets, she appears like a victim who runs from plot point to plot point, escaping by sheer luck. (However, this trope may be a side effect of the shift into gritty realism: 3!Jill was a classic action hero unafraid of mooks, Remake!Jill has [=PTSD=] like any normal person would.)

* Some ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'' fanfiction pulls this on the Mistress, in order to make her more "suitable" as a love interest for the Warden and not be any threat. Suddenly, the Mistress is all about angstily pining for her true love, portrayed as a submissive wife who will do anything and everything to please him, [[RapeAsBackstory having her earlier cruelty explained away as her father sexually abusing her from childhood]] or [[DomesticAbuse having been otherwise physically abused by lovers]] and the Warden being the ''only'' one who can heal her. Oddly, some of these writers decry the "Hippie Mistress" twist in season 3 for making her "less strong", as well as her overall ''canon'' case of personality change in "Stingstress" beforehand, but don't seem to mind their own alterations. There's a reason why the canon change wasn't looked so fondly upon by these writers, though, considering '''what''' lead to Mistress going hippie: [[spoiler: The Warden didn't know how to have sex with the Mistress, so Alice slept with her instead and Mistress decided she didn't need ANY men. [[ShipSinking Which kind of put a hold on the thought of pairing those two]].]].

** [[Characters/XMen80sMembers Rogue]], despite being [[SuperStrength strong enough to bench-press tanks]] and capable of [[{{Flight}} outflying]] almost any weapons she cannot [[NighInvulnerability laugh off]], was repeatedly pummeled by far less formidable foes, and at least once screamed for help from a boyfriend that was barely a step above BadassNormal. Her psychological fortitude went down the tubes to boot.

* The ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime started doing this after the ending of the Black & White saga, in regards to female traveling companions:

** The female Alolan classmates suffer from this to various degrees, mainly being unable to own more than one Pokemon:
*** Lillie is a mess of emotions because of a traumatic incident that left her unable to touch Pokemon. Though she eventually gets over this and she makes an effort to become a battler with her Alolan Vulpix, she always needs to be bailed out by Ash or someone else to win.

*** Dawn's return isn't as kind as Iris's, however. Unlike how she was an ActionGirl, she can't seem to solve problems without having to call Ash and Goh for help. Especially jarring during the Winter Arc, where she doesn't even think about using any other Pokemon other than her lost Piplup despite the fact she had them all out at the beginning.
*** Korrina's return starts off with her as a PWC opponent, but her Mienshao and Mega Lucario are thoroughly steamrolled by Ash's Dragonite, whom he had just captured recently. It gets progressively worse for her when Ash learns Bea manhandled her better than he did. Later on, she joins Ash in finding his Lucario's Lucarionite, but notably, she never does let her own Lucario help in anything during the perilious quest and behaves more like hitchhiker more than anything. And when Ash gets to see [[OhCrap Korrina showing up to see Bea]] prior his match with her, [[spoiler:the scene fakes a mood of tension that is quickly replaced by Korrina [[TheKnightsWhoSaySquee squeeing over Bea]] and giving her sweets.]]

* In ''Anime/YashahimePrincessHalfDemon'' has the ActionGirl Towa Higurashi start off as a loner who often got into fights with bullies, constantly transferring schools as a result. The moment she goes back to the feudal era, she slowly (or quickly) but surely starts to lose her lone wolf tendencies and replaces them entirely with a sweeter attitude next to her long-lost younger sister Setsuna, who basically takes over Towa's previous attitude while reducing Towa to a sweet if ''very'' naive girl incapable of not getting her head cut in two in the old era, often needing aid from Setsuna (and sometimes Moroha) to remain alive. To make matters worse, Towa didn't even make any friends in the present era, but she is more than willing to make friends with just about ''anyone'' she meets in the feudal era to the point she [[spoiler:completely trusts Riku so much after learning he is basically Kirinmaru's henchman and gives him her rainbow pearl with no questions asked.]] Setsuna and even ''Moroha'' scold her for doing something so dumb, which she later comes to regret the next second when she realizes how stupid that was.

* ComicBook/BlackCanary is still capable, but not in her own book. While ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' and ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' which she is the leader of both feature her kicking ass, ''Comicbook/GreenArrow/Black Canary'' treats her as a perpetual DamselInDistress for Green Arrow to rescue.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]] was depicted as a reckless and fiery reporter throughout the late 1930s and 1940s, and then she was watered down into a comic relief who constantly needed saving in the mid 50s'. Fortunately, the late Silver Age/[[UsefulNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks early Bronze Age]] restored her opinionated, smart and resourceful persona.

* ''Franchise/FairyTail''
** Lucy Heartfilia gets this often in all sorts of fics. In canon she's a determined PluckyGirl serving as the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] on her team while growing into a talented Celestial Spirit Mage. She had no problem CallingTheOldManOut for his actions and holds her own well. While she does have insecurities about her lack of power next to her teammates, she never gives up and has manged to survive against improbable odds while acomplishing some impressive feats. Fics turn her into a weepy mess and ExtremeDoormat who needs [[LoveInterest Natsu/Loke/Laxus/Cana/Cobra/whoever the author ships]] to save her from being abused and/or raped by [[RonTheDeathEater her father/Natsu/Lisanna/Team Natsu/Fairy Tail/whoever the writer doesn't like]]/the actual villains. A really weird genre is the fics that intially chickify her in the FandomSpecificPlot of Lucy getting kicked off her team than have her [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]] and/or [[TookALevelInJerkass jerkass]] to reverse it.

* In ''Literature/ThePrioryOfTheOrangeTree'', this happened in-universe to the warrior-mage Cleolind. In her homeland she is still revered as "the Mother" who sealed away the Nameless One. In Inys and the rest of Virtudom, she is referred to as "the Damsel" and is seen instead as the wife of Saint Galian Berethnet, and ''he'' defeated the Nameless One. The irreconcilable nature of the two versions of Cleolind is eventually given a concrete explanation: [[spoiler:Kalyba, Galian's adopted mother, hypnotized him into thinking she was Cleolind so that he would marry her.]]

* ''Series/CriminalMinds'': One of Garcia's exes accuses Derek (who he's mistaken for her new lover) and then Garcia herself of doing this to herself, when comparing her [[PlayfulHacker present personality]] to her former persona as [[TheCracker The Black Queen]]. Subverted as Garcia explains her present personality was ''always'' her real personality even back then and her Black Queen persona was just an act she put on for his benefit/to keep him with her and she allowed the FBI to catch her because she was tired of keeping up the act.

** Once ranked among the top wrestlers in the USA, USWA boasting that she was ''the'' very top woman in the country, Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} debuted in the WWF as Marc Mero's valet Although she won the reinstated Women's Championship, Jacqueline was booked rather weakly and lumped together with the non-wrestler divas such as Wrestling/TerriRunnels and Wrestling/{{Sable}}. Fast forward a year and [[HiddenDepths she gets to show off the full extent of her wrestling ability]], even competing in intergender matches. She defeats Wrestling/ChavoGuerreroJr for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-c.html WWE Cruiserweight Title]] in 2004 before losing it back and being pushed out the door to make room for those who did not win the diva search.

* This trope was one of the motivations behind the founding of the PGWA in 1992. Since most "major" promotions in the USA were giving women five minute matches, Tom Randolph and Penny Banner decide to give them a place where most of the matches were between fifteen and thirty minutes, in order to let women show a wider range of what they could do and use the footage to increase their standings. This in particular helped Lita, who mostly worked as a valet in USA until then, get to wrestle on TV. However, it also ''resulted'' in some chickification when women they showcased got signed by a major promotion but were not pushed as strongly, such as the Heidi Lovelace mentione above.

* Parodied with [[Characters/WonderWomanAllies Steve Trevor]], love interest of Franchise/WonderWoman in his appearance on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'': In all other incarnations (comics, animation, live action TV) he is a fairly proactive guy, in TheTeaser of “Scorn of Star Sapphire” he is a secret agent so confident that Wonder Woman will come to his rescue that he doesn’t move a muscle to get out of a DeathTrap, letting her do all the work, and gushes in her presence. This immortal line:

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'': Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}} was awesomely awesome during the arc "Partners in Danger," which introduced her. She leaves near the end, but puts in one more guest appearance in which she's as cool as ever. Unfortunately, when she returns again for "Secret Wars," her role in the story is to fall off of things, scream, and be caught by ComicBook/CaptainAmerica while Petey looks on with jealousy. [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion Maybe it was a Skrull impostor...]]

* The [[TastesLikeDiabetes hyper-saccharine]] fanfic "sea change," based on the Netflix version of ''Anime/{{Aggretsuko}}'', portrays Retsuko as an overly-emotional wimp who needs Haida's help to deal with anything and sees her job as "torture."

* Characters/{{Black Canary|TheBlackCanary}} is still capable, but not in her own book. While ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' and ''Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' which she is the leader of both feature her kicking ass, ''Comicbook/GreenArrow/Black Canary'' treats her as a perpetual DamselInDistress for Green Arrow to rescue.

* ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' has Andrea. She initially was a GirlNextDoor trying desperately to be an ActionGirl in season 1. In season 2, she sort of made it by the end, yet was still making bad decisions. However, in season 3, she ends up [[spoiler: basically becoming the [[BigBad Governor's]] personal slut. She slowly lets him take away her gun and her freedom. Lets him. She has plenty of outs, including leaving with Michonne, the girl who SAVED HER FREAKING LIFE on multiple occasions. What's worse, she defends the Governor despite all of the horrible crap he does]]. She becomes so irritating that some fans call her the [[FanNickname New]] [[TheScrappy Lori]].

* ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': Horrendously, horrendously done to Lanolin Sheep. In her original comic ''ComicStrip/U.S. Acres'', she's an aggressive badass who frequently mops the floor with her enemy, Roy Rooster. In ''Garfield and Friends'', however, she's reduced to a laundry-doing grouch who, in the episode "Much Ado About Lanolin", randomly smiles and promises to be nicer to the other characters after they tell her about their fantasy performance of ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' without her telling her side of the situation. It gets even worse in Orosn Pig's fantasies, as Lanolin's often placed in a passive Chick role-that's a love interest of Orson's role, to boot! The ''Taming of the Shrew'' performance in "Much Ado About Lanolin" even has Lanolin's role KISS Orson when she magically turns nice! And the only Lanolin-Roy confrontation to be make it into the animated adaptation has her lose to Roy. What a waste of a character.

* ''Literature/TheHost'':

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'': Characters/{{Black Cat|Marvel}} was awesomely awesome during the arc "Partners in Danger," which introduced her. She leaves near the end, but puts in one more guest appearance in which she's as cool as ever. Unfortunately, when she returns again for "Secret Wars," her role in the story is to fall off of things, scream, and be caught by ComicBook/CaptainAmerica while Petey looks on with jealousy. [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion Maybe it was a Skrull impostor...]]

This trope is not merely an ActionGirl who shows "female" emotions or [[RealWomenDontWearDresses likes girly-girl dresses]]; there is no rule that a heroine [[EmotionalBruiser cannot have feelings and express them]] and neither is there a rule against [[KickingAssInAllHerFinery kicking ass in a skirt]] or partaking in [[GirlyBruiser girlish pastimes]]. This trope is where a character becomes more stereotypically feminine '''with no good in-universe justification''', especially if it meets an apparent demand for a "chick" in the cast.

Compare with GirlinessUpgrade, in which a woman becomes more feminine but doesn't lose her backbone. Remember, '''there is absolutely no overlap between these two tropes.'''

If the girl used to be an active character but now is just ''there,'' the trope is MenActWomenAre. For girls that are both badass and feminine, see GirlyBruiser. For a tomboyish woman who still has a more girlish side, see TomboyWithAGirlyStreak. See FauxActionGirl if the supposed female badass character never performed any such actions to begin with. When a female character wants to be more of an action girl but ends up being defied or discouraged from doing so, then it's StayInTheKitchen.

** Once regarded as a high peak for a woman wrestler to climb, perhaps the highest, helping usher in Wrestling/WrestleMania, the reputation of the Wrestling/{{WWE}} women's division started to deteriorate around 1995, though the causes behind it went back further. From women's champions not allowed to use any moves men were doing, to women's champions who don't bump, to Divas champions who can't run the ropes it became disturbingly common to use the very idea of WWE divas in a serious context as a punchline. Proven talents repeatedly being passed over for unproven counterparts based on presumed sex appeal, [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished efforts to hide aesthetic injuries]] and reduced match time also being contributing factors.
** Introducing first, from some kind of place, weighing in at so many pounds, wrestler's name! That used to be the standard entrance for any wrestler but at some point, the WWF decided to stop giving the weight of women wrestlers. ([[Wrestling/SherriMartel Sensational Sherri]] usually weighed in at 144 lbs, for example, but [[Wrestling/{{Madusa}} Alundra Blayze's]] was conspicuously ignored) While plenty of other companies still recognize why listing a wrestler's weight might be important, such as Ice Ribbon eliminating the 60 KG limit on the [=ICEx=]∞ so Wrestling/ManamiToyota could challenge for the belt, more than a few seem to have taken the WWF's example.
** The creative direction just completely buries them. Wrestling/MickieJames, Wrestling/BethPhoenix, {{Wrestling/Melina}}, Wrestling/{{Natalya|Neidhart}}, and Wrestling/{{Michelle McCool}} were all excellent workers - probably better workers in the ring than even Wrestling/{{Trish|Stratus}} & {{Wrestling/Lita}}. They just didn't have the character depth beyond "evil cheerleaders" or time for a feud. They also didn't get to mix it up in angles involving main-eventers like Trish & Lita did. It's almost as though WWE doesn't believe more than 4 wrestlers can be stars at a time.

** To illustrate the WWE problem in a more personable manner, women such as Wrestling/SaraDelRey, known for her 60 minute time limit draw against PGWA champion Nikki Roxx, Traci Brooks, whose feud with Trinity brought women's wrestling to new venues and April Hunter, whose matches had fans around the world asking for WWE to sign her, were passed up. Body building legend Lenda Murray failed to get a developmental deal. So there was only one title to wrestle for but presumptions that the WWE roster was simply full were disproved when it was cleaned out for the sake of untrained talent who were then pushed as wrestlers. [[Wrestling/TerriPoch Tori]], Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}}, Wrestling/{{Ivory}}, it happened slowly at first but then in a move that somehow went unnoticed by the NAACP, Wrestling/{{Nidia}}, Wrestling/GailKim and [[Wrestling/CarleneMoore Jazz]] were simultaneously released with failed contestants from the 2004 Wrestling/WWEDivaSearch put in their place. While WWE somehow avoided a discrimination lawsuit for replacing all its remaining nonwhite women at once with inferior workers, it would take twelve years before the division's reputation began to recover.
** Both Monster Ripper and Wrestling/JillianHall went into WWF/E with fearsome reputations that had to be rebuilt upon leaving. The former was given a goofy trailer park gimmick, which still managed to work until she was told [[ExecutiveMeddling not to use her slams and throws]]. The latter became more girly, then got saddled with many ridiculous gimmicks, which still managed to work but was stuck [[{{Jobber}} doing the job]] for years on end.
** Wrestling/{{Chyna}}, although hers was more [[ExecutiveMeddling enforced from above]]. She came in as a bodyguard (not valet, Bodyguard) to Wrestling/TripleH. She then went on to feuding with the male wrestlers, had absolutely no interest in the Women's Championship, and was the first woman to hold a man's wrestling title (not counting the Hardcore Title, but that's another story.) Toward the end, after she ended up the hypotenuse in the Chyna / Triple H / Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon triangle, she was pushed back into the Women's Division before being quietly pushed out the door in May 2001.

** Once ranked among the top wrestlers in the USA, USWA boasting that she was ''the'' very top woman in the country, Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} debuted in the WWF as Marc Mero's valet and although winning the reinstated Women's Championship, was booked rather weakly and lumped together with the non-wrestler divas such as Wrestling/TerriRunnels and Wrestling/{{Sable}}. But fast forward a year and she gets to show off the full extent of her wrestling ability, even competing in intergender matches. She defeated Wrestling/ChavoGuerreroJr for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-c.html WWE Cruiserweight Title]] in 2004 before losing it back and being pushed out the door to make room for those who did not win the diva search.

** [[OptOut Upon leaving WWE for the second time]], Wrestling/GailKim claimed, among other things, that WWE wants the division to be more "girly" and have barred the Divas from things like punching and kicking. That obviously cuts out a lot but still leaves pretty of moves to do right? No, even go to stuff like the DDT apparently got divas reprimanded to the point they had to sneak spots past the agents. Possibly as a result, these "rules" would change week to week. Whatever WWE's case may be, the chickification of this once great women's division is painfully obvious.

** Wrestling/{{Kara|Drew}} Slice was a persistent rival of independent wrestling star Alexis Laree. Since Laree got hit with this as Mickie James it was expected that Slice would follow but she got an especially harsh case as Deuce and Domino's valet "Cherry", who at first couldn't even defend herself or even run away well on her rollerskates. Cherry "progressed" to the underdog in a feud with Maryse, a protege of Michelle [=McCool=] and bullying victim of Natalya (she did get to show some of her wrestling ability in the latter case but was never allowed to win).
** Remember when [[Wrestling/RubyRiott Heidi Lovelace]]'s selling and angles were turning heads in TNA's then developmental partner Ohio Valley Wrestling? Remember when promotions across four countries on two continents were bidding to book Wrestling/KimberLee? When Lee had an undefeated streak in Beyond revolving around outsmarting even the male wrestlers, when Lovelace was A-1 Alpha Male champion? When they were competing to be the top wrestler of CHIKARA? WWE had no interest in reminding anyone, as they were both not only restricted to women's divisions, but [[BadassDecay jobbers in those divisions]].

* This trope was one of the motivations behind the founding of the PGWA in 1992. Since most "major" promotions in the USA were giving women five minute matches, Tom Randolph and Penny Banner decide to give them a place where most of the matches were between fifteen and thirty minutes, in order to let women show a wider range of what they could do and use the footage to increase their standings. This in particular helped Lita, who mostly worked as a valet in USA until then, get to wrestle on TV.