History Main / DelicateIsBeautiful

* BrawnHilda: Enforces this trope by portraying tougher/larger women as unattractive.

* SuicideByPills: Women are overrepresented in the depictions of this trope likely because it is [[BloodlessCarnage less gory]] than other forms of ChoosingDeath and because it preserves the beauty of the victim, making this both WomenAreDelicate and DelicateIsBeautiful.

[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/CodeGeass https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cg_princess_empress.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Such a sweet and innocent princess.]]

!! List of associated tropes.

!!! Played Straight

* {{Bishonen}}: Literally means "beautiful boy", a DudeLooksLikeALady who has delicate features in order to accentuate his beauty.

** GoGoEnslavement: Pushes the above even further by having the kidnapper sexualize the kidnap victim. (Can be gender inverted, though.)

!!! Averted

!!! Zigzagged (not quite straight examples or aversion)

* WaterIsWomanly: Women are associated with water because of it is a symbol of beauty, fluidity, and tranquility.

* WaterIsWomanly: Women are associated with water because of its beauty and fluidity.

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* BishounenLine: Involves a character becoming stronger (and uglier) with successive transformations, but ultimately subverting this trope by assuming a most powerful form which is more beautiful and delicate-looking than the ones before.

** KickingAssInAllHerFinery

* DaintyCombat: A softer and more delicate style of combat--usually considered "beautiful".
** DanceBattler: When something beautiful and ginger (like ballet) is used as an offensive weapon.
** GirlyBruiser: An interplay of delicate femininity and pure destructive badassery.
** LadyOfAdventure: While not necessarily physically adept herself, she doesn't shy away from danger or risk, but still strives to be beautiful and ladylike. Whether it averts or enforces this trope depends on the example.
** LadyOfWar: More physically potent than her Adventure counterpart, but attempts to be no less ladylike.
** SheFu: Usually involves flourishes and beautiful acrobatics.
** {{Swashbuckler}}: Used in romantic fiction because of its aesthetic value.
** WaifFu: Played straight in physical beauty, but subverted in physical toughness. The point to this trope is the irony of a delicate flower perform acts of aggression that seem improbable given her size.
* LadyLooksLikeADude: Tends to depend on how "dudelike" she is and how attractive she's considered. A {{Bifauxnen}} is still feminine and delicate like a {{Bishonen}} would be, but the stereotypical {{tomboy}} eschews any feminine traits which take time, effort and care to maintain because it isn't practical.

Along with the common stereotype is that WomenAreDelicate, beauty is associated with delicacy.There's an assumption that something powerful or tough enough to take care of itself or destroy things must also be physically scary or intimidating to boot.

* {{Bishounen}}: Literally means "beautiful boy", a DudeLooksLikeALady who has delicate features in order to accentuate his beauty.

* DistressedDamsel: Women are often kidnapped in fiction to provide a power fantasy for men and a danger fantasy for women.
** GoGoEnslavement: Pushes the above even further by having the kidnapper sexualize the kidnap victim. (Can be gender-flipped, though.)

* IBrokeANail: Used either to show that the speaker isn't an ActionHero(ine), or that being an ActionHero(ine) has aesthetic consequences.

** EnglishRose: The English archetypical beauty; usually a fair-haired, fair-skinned woman with a regal nature, delicate nature, and posh sophistication.
** SouthernBelle: The American South archetypical beauty; usually motherly, delicate, kind, and fiercely devoted to family and tradition.
** YamatoNadeshiko: The archetypical Japanese beauty; usually expected to be demure, modest, and well-mannered and fiercely devoted to family and tradition.
** PrincessClassic: The beautiful princess as the epitome of grace, poise, delicacy and beauty.
** TheHighQueen: When the PrincessClassic ascends.
* VanityIsFeminine: This trope creates the perception that those who overly care about their appearance are feminine.

* AmazonianBeauty: Amazonian Beauty is the outright defiance of this trope (at least aesthetically). The entire point of it being that a woman who is strong and powerful-looking can be beautiful or attractive.

!!! Zig-zagged (not quite straight examples or aversion)
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Seems to be a subversion, since the focus of the trope is likely an ActionGirl. Hwever, through improbable measures, she still manages to maintain a delicate beauty.

* CuteClumsyGirl[=/=]{{Dojikko}}: She subverts the perception of women as graceful, but this only serves to make her more endearing because she appears more vulnerable than usual.

* LadyLooksLikeADude: Tends to depend on how "dudelike" she is and how attractive she's considered. A {{bifauxnen}} is still feminine and delicate like a Bishonen would be, but the stereotypical {{tomboy}} eschews any feminine traits which take time, effort and care to maintain because it isn't practical.

Along with the common stereotype is that WomenAreDelicate, beauty is associated with delicacy. This has ''some'' justification in RealLife. If you believe in evolutionary psychology, mammals are wired to see cuteness and weakness as one and the same thing, because mammals usually take longer to develop and need a loving parent to nurture them. There's an assumption that something powerful or tough enough to take care of itself or destroy things must also be physically scary or intimidating to boot.

* ElegantClassicalMusician: The delicate touches of classical music are cosnidered more elegant or "beautiful", and the musician's look compliments it.

Along with the common stereotype is that WomenAreDelicate, beauty is associated with delicacy. This has ''some'' justification in RealLife. If you believe in evolutionary psychology, mammals are wired to see cuteness and weakness as one and the same thing, because mammals usually take longer to develop and need a loving parent to nurture them. There's an assumption that something powerful or tough enough to take care of itself or destroy things must also be physically scary or intimidating to boot. To further demonstrate how nature seems to agree, cats are well-known to stand rigid and let their coats rise on end to appear more frightening and tough. Likewise, male lions have a manes to appear LargeAndInCharge.

NoExamplesPlease. This is meant to only be a collection of subtropes.

* VasquezAlwaysDies: Involves a cast possessing one {{Tomboy}} and one more delicate and feminine character and the Tomboy always being the one killed. Hollywood usually [[EnforcedTrope enforces this]] because their leading ladies are beautiful, relatable and a better selling point than the secondary character and make the danger feel more potent.

* LadyLooksLikeADude: Tends to depend on how "dudelike" she is and how attractive she's considered. A {{bifauxnen}} is still feminine and delicate, but the stereotypical {{tomboy}} eschews any feminine traits which take time, effort and care to maintain because it isn't practical.