History Main / NeverASelfmadeWoman

** Asuka Kazama is mostly known for being a Kazama in the story and her association with Jin. She has even become a FauxActionGirl who only sticks to DesignatedGirlFights with Lili despite her strong and promising start to the series.

** Carol is a SuperSoldier by inheritance from her great-grandfather, Steve, and is later given an energy-absorbing shield by Odin [[spoiler: that, after unwitting tampering by the powers of Monica, can turn into a suit that gives her varying degrees of her canon powers]]. However, her tactical and strategic acumen (noted by the Winter Soldier, among others) is all natural, her main mentors and role models are her cousin (Sharon Carter), grandmother (Alison Carter), and great-grandmother presumed great-aunt (Peggy Carter) - Steve later becomes a mentor and ParentalSubstitute. She also has her own group of friends (at least one of whom is superpowered) and, apparently, history of interesting adventures prior to meeting Harry. Finally, she is chosen, twice, to wield the GreenLanternRing of Alan Scott based solely on her courage and strength of will (she is literally [[spoiler: too stubborn to die]]) - which is why explicitly why Odin gave her the shield.

* UsefulNotes/EleanorOfAquitaine is an interesting subversion. While she was queen consort of both France and England during her lifetime and ruled as regent for her son UsefulNotes/RichardtheLionheart, she was ruler in her own right of the Duchy of Aquitaine, which made her a formidable (and very rich) power player in medieval Europe.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' spends a lot of time reminding us that Olivia is the child of rape, which informs a lot of her [[TheChick unique ability to connect with victims]] and the reason she joined SVU in the first place. Her mother is never forgotten in the discussion of her past, but the search for her father and his impact on her life gets much more attention.

* In ''Film/LostInSpace'' we meet Dr. Judy Robinson and no surprise, she's the daughter of Professor John Robinson. In the original series' backstory, Judy was gaining success as an actress/singer in a family of scientists, so from that, she averted the trope. However, it turned her into TheChick with little to do in a sci-fi setting.

%%* FatIdiot BumblingDad supreme [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy Peter Griffin]]'s closest friends are InsufferableGenius Brian, [[TheCasanova Casanova]] Quagmire, HairTriggerTemper-ed Joe, and ExtremeDoormat Cleveland (before he got his SpinOff ''Series/TheClevelandShow''). Lois's only friends are Bonnie (Joe's wife) and Loretta (Cleveland's ex-wife, who was PutOnABus and later KilledOffForReal). Lois started off as a freelance piano teacher, which gave her people outside the family to interact with, but this aspect of her character was quietly dropped early on. One could say that Brian and Quagmire are mutual friends, but both of them are in love with her, which fuels most of their Peter-free interactions.

* In the late '90s when females weren't in WWE that much, those who were usually came in because they were dating an existing male star - Wrestling/{{Sable}} was with Wrestling/MarcMero, [[Wrestling/StacyCarter The Kat]] with Wrestling/JerryLawler, Wrestling/{{Chyna}} with Wrestling/TripleH, [[Wrestling/DebraMarshall Debra]] to Wrestling/JeffJarrett, etc. As the women's division grew, this was averted.

%%** This is one of the things often brought out when accusing the show of sexism: no matter how cool, well-rounded, or likeable the (generally young, attractive, and female) companions get to be, they are always dependent on the Doctor's affection for them - he calls the shots, and their job is to be TheWatson, provide ParentService, and catch the DistressBall with no ability to influence the Doctor's flights or go on their own adventures, reducing them to {{Satellite Character}}s in all but a few experimental cases (such as Barbara and the Series 8 conception of Clara). The revival series took note of this by making it so the (generally young, attractive, and female) companions quite often ended up saving the Doctor (both his life and [[MoralityChain his morals]]), and introduced an attractive female companion of whom the main appeal point was that she was going on her own time-travelling adventures, and so gets accused of sexism for different reasons... one being that the (generally young, attractive and female) companions now only get their special qualities in service to saving the Doctor and become {{Satellite Character}}s. The truth is probably that either application of the trope is something of a NecessaryWeasel (the whole premise of the show is the Doctor's unique powers and lifestyle), and the perceived sexism of ''Doctor Who'' is probably due to other tropes stemming from its use (ScreamingWoman, MaleGaze, MotherNatureFatherScience, ManicPixieDreamGirl, etc) rather than the trope itself.

* [[UsefulNotes/EleanorOfAquitaine]] is an interesting subversion. While she was queen consort of both France and England during her lifetime and ruled as regent for her son [[UsefulNotes/RichardtheLionheart]], she was ruler in her own right of the Duchy of Aquitaine, which made her a formidable (and very rich) power player in medieval Europe.

* Invoked in ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': Unlike Gary, who chose to go into Pokémon research like his grandfather even though it wasn't what he set out to do, everyone ''expects'' Chloe to get into Pokémon research solely because her father did it. Part of her character arc is figuring out how to subvert this and step out of her father's shadow, especially when she doesn't have the enthusiasm for Pokémon the job they're pressuring on her requires.

* One [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]]'' Franchise/{{Superman}}'' comic has Comicbook/LoisLane telling the story of how she got her job at the Daily Planet, telling Clark Kent "And I'll have you know I did it without your help!". Through the course of the story, we discover that Superman was secretly helping her all along. Remember, girls, even if you ''think'' you succeeded on your own merits, it's really because a man was helping you. Lois is usually an aversion, however: in most versions both before and after that story -- including Siegel and Shuster's original -- Lois was well-established at the paper (''Star'' or ''Planet'') before Clark and his costumed counterpart ever arrived in Metropolis.

* Stella Bridger of ''TheItalianJob'' is the safecracker and a necessary part of the team, but she is also the daughter of Charlie's mentor and got chosen for the job for that reason.

%%* In ''Series/{{Pretty Little Liars}} (where almost everything is gender-reversed), Toby, Ezra, and Paige are only a part of the group because they are love interests and don't provide a skill set. Caleb was brought into the group because of his hacking skills against the wishes of his girlfriend Hanna. He joined despite his romantic ties to the group.

* "Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)" and "Last of the Breed" by Music/{{Peter Sarstedt}} tell this story but Marie-Claire is a woman.

* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry''
** Eva could be an example of the trope, if only she wasn't ''solely'' spoken of as "mother to Dante and Vergil" or "wife of Sparda", or any variation or combination thereof. She's pretty much a blank slate of a character and no backstory whatsoever is given as to what she did ''before'' meeting an over-two-thousand-year-old devil, bearing his children, and then dying horribly in a demon attack to save said children. She's pretty much defined by those relationships and nothing else, not counting Trish who is meant to be her clone (and acts nothing like her). The ShoutOut in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' appears to fill in the gap in Eva's story by making her an accomplished dark witch that fought off the forces of Inferno, but she had to make a contract with a 'Legendary Dark Knight' before that happened.

** In ''A New Beginning'', a lot of Dunhill's dialogue mentions the player character's father, who once ran a farm on the same land you're using now, as being the source of their success. It also makes it pretty clear that the male farmer is the default; it's not very flattering as a girl to hear that, from the back, you can easily be mistaken for your dad. Especially if you're wearing a dress and a ponytail. Made even more jarring considering that the developers are well aware that the vast majority of the franchise's consumers are women.

This is an insidious trope where a female character -- whatever her own triumphs or merits -- is never mentioned without a reference to a male character, with the implications that ''he'' is what makes her notable. She's frequently someone's sister, girlfriend, or love interest. And if she's a military or political leader of some sort, then you can bet that her father or another male relative is a higher-up in that same branch.

** Yasha got to be leader of the Midnight Angels because Nagisa, her [[SplitPersonality original personality]], became so broken by her rape by Akutsu she created the biggest, baddest delinquent persona to cope.

** Silver Age Superman trained Supergirl when she was a teenager. However she got CharacterDevelopment, and in TheEighties she was a mature, intelligent, confident and extremely powerful young woman and crimefighter who didn't need her cousin's advice or approval (a fact Superman agreed with). Many creatives and fans kept brushing her off and dismissing her as "Superman with boobs", though.
** Earth-2 Supergirl (ComicBook/PowerGirl) was constantly trying to prove she didn't need her cousin's mentoring anymore, going so far to tell him she ''couldn't'' listen to his well-meaning advice because she needed to follow her own path.
** Post-Crisis Kara got help and training of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman when she arrived on Earth, but at the beginning, she messed up... ''a lot''. [[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 After a monumental screw-up]], she thought that her cousin was about to lecture her, and she stated that she was finally learning and she didn't need his validation. To her surprise, Clark agreed.

** Carol is a SuperSoldier by inheritance from her great-grandfather, Steve, and is later given an energy absorbing shield by Odin [[spoiler: that, after unwitting tampering by the powers of Monica, can turn into a suit that gives her varying degrees of her canon powers]]. However, her tactical and strategic acumen (noted by the Winter Soldier, among others) is all natural, her main mentors and role models are her cousin (Sharon Carter), grandmother (Alison Carter), and great-grandmother presumed great-aunt (Peggy Carter) - Steve later becomes a mentor and ParentalSubstitute. She also has her own group of friends (at least one of whom is superpowered) and, apparently, history of interesting adventures prior to meeting Harry. Finally, she is chosen, twice, to wield the GreenLanternRing of Alan Scott based solely off her courage and strength of will (she is literally [[spoiler: too stubborn to die]]) - which is why explicitly why Odin gave her the shield.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog''; it's obvious to the viewer that Tiana achieves her goals with hard work, sacrifice, and dedication to her dream, but every character in the movie that knows about Tiana's father constantly links her success to his influence, including Tiana herself. Eventually this is even added on to as shown at the end when she finally does set up her restaurant it is shown to be green and frog-themed and named "Tiana's Palace", clearly based off of her experience as a frog that she spent with her prince. In an earlier scene where she imagines her restaurant, it is done up in the yellow style her father had planned on using.

* In ''Film/LostInSpace'' we meet Dr. Judy Robinson and no surprise, she's the daughter of Professor John Robinson. In the original series' backstory, Judy was and gaining success as an actress/singer in a family of scientists, so from that, she averted the trope. However, it turned her into TheChick with little to do in a sci-fi setting.

* Discussed in ''Film/HiddenFigures'', where Dorothy says that women go from being their father's daughters to their husband's wives and eventually their children's mothers - and in her story she faces conflict from her husband, who can't understand why her work at NASA is so important to her.

** The seven known burn marks on the House of Black's family tapestry fit this trope. The four males were stricken from the family tree for various reasons, the three females were all stricken from it because of whom they married (a Muggle, a Weasley and a Muggleborn, respectively).

* Creator/DanBrown's LoveInterests are all like this. Vittoria of ''Literature/AngelsAndDemons'' and Sophie of ''Literature/TheDaVinciCode'' are only involved in their respective fields because their father-figures were already in them. They're both competent, no doubt, but from the moment they meet the AuthorAvatar, that is all but forgotten. Basically, they're the hot scientists who only get to tag along because the key victims happened to have raised them.

* [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-zagged]] in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''. The story makes it clear that everybody gets their power from their connections, regardless of gender, with a couple of significant exceptions. [[TheChessMaster Littlefinger]], one of the only truly [[SelfMadeMan Self Made Men]] in the series, [[LampshadeHanging points out]] that all of [[AlphaBitch Queen Cersei's]] power comes from either her family connections or (temporary) youth and beauty and none from political savvy, and Cersei herself openly resents her reliance on male relatives. On the other hand, [[MagnificentBitch Olenna, the "Queen of Thorns",]] is no more reliant on her relations than any of the men other than Littlefinger and Varys, and manages to near-openly rule her House with an iron fist, and [[GuileHero Daenerys]] succeeds or fails despite her male connections as often as because of them.

* Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses tries to set itself as a FeministFantasy with Feyre steadily becoming a competent High Fae, warrior, and High Lady in her own right who's on equal footing with her male partner. However, everything Feyre has, her life and powers as a High Fae, her skills as a warrior, her literacy, her title, even her trauma recovery, she only has because men give it to her. Her title of High Lady would imply she has some sort of power and responsibility in her court, but when all is said and done, however, once the danger's passed it seems to be little more than a ceremonial title as [[spoiler:Rhysand]] is the one doing all the political work, with her position and livelihood all hingeing on the fact that she's his wife. This reaches a head in the fifth book when Feyre becomes a passive trophy wife as soon as she [[spoiler:gets pregnant]], despite this being her biggest fear when she was with Tamlin. And [[spoiler:Rhysand ''conspire's to hide the dangers of her pregnancy from Feyre, because of how her knowing would affect [[ItsAllAboutMe him]]'']].

%%** Kira, Jadzia Dax, Kasidy, and Ishka also excel in male-dominated fields with little evidence that it was any specific man who inspired them or male family member. Kira was a freedom fighter alongside men and women while her father was a farmer. Jadzia and Kasidy have no reference to important male figures and Ishka had to battle to attain her status against men.

* Subverted on ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' with Parker. "The Inside Job" has her reveal she was adopted and mentored by a legendary (male) cat burglar, Archie, but he's introduced long after Parker's become a well-developed character and only appears in two episodes. Furthermore, she was already a StreetUrchin and pickpocket when they met, she having first become a thief at the age of 9. After she's integrated into her crew and gotten a dose of GoodFeelsGood, it's become quite clear to Archie that's she's come a long way from the thief he made her into.

%%* The recurring women in ''Series/{{Grimm}}'' are as follows: Juliette, Nick's girlfriend, Aunt Marie, Nick's aunt [[spoiler:who kicks the bucket]] and Adalind, Renard's [[GirlFriday right-hand woman]]. Since her return in season 2, she seems to be doing a lot more on her own. However, her motivations all center around her hatred for Nick for [[spoiler:taking her powers]].In season two there is also Rosalie, Monroe's {{Love Interest|s}}, who joins the plot as a result of [[spoiler:her brother's murder.]]Then there's [[spoiler:Nick's mother]], who shows up for a few episodes and leaves.

%%* Almost all female leads in ''Franchise/KamenRider'' are a sister, close friend or love interest of the hero. If not, they'll have something to do with a plot-centric male figure, such as Akiko in ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'' (the daughter of the hero's mentor) or Yui in ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'' (the sister of the man responsible for the Rider War.)

%%** This is one of the things often brought out when accusing the show of sexism: no matter how cool, well-rounded or likeable the (generally young, attractive and female) companions get to be, they are always dependent on the Doctor's affection for them - he calls the shots, and their job is to be TheWatson, provide ParentService, and catch the DistressBall with no ability to influence the Doctor's flights or go on their own adventures, reducing them to {{Satellite Character}}s in all but a few experimental cases (such as Barbara and the Series 8 conception of Clara). The revival series took note of this by making it so the (generally young, attractive and female) companions quite often ended up saving the Doctor (both his life and [[MoralityChain his morals]]), and introduced an attractive female companion of whom the main appeal point was that she was going on her own time-travelling adventures, and so gets accused of sexism for different reasons... one being that the (generally young, attractive and female) companions now only get their special qualities in service to saving the Doctor and become {{Satellite Character}}s. The truth is probably that either application of the trope is something of a NecessaryWeasel (the whole premise of the show is the Doctor's unique powers and lifestyle), and the perceived sexism of ''Doctor Who'' is probably due to other tropes stemming from its use (ScreamingWoman, MaleGaze, MotherNatureFatherScience, ManicPixieDreamGirl, etc) rather than the trope itself.

* ''Series/Merlin2008'' covers the younger years of four famous Arthurian characters: Arthur, Merlin, Morgana and Guinevere. Guinevere's RagsToRiches arc is the only one contingent on her relationship to a man; that is, she only becomes the destined queen of Camelot after marrying Arthur. Having reimagined her as a servant girl rather than a noblewoman in her own right, this was somewhat unavoidable.

* Invoked by the Wrestling/BellaTwins, who credit their respective partners - [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] for Brie, Wrestling/JohnCena for Nikki - for teaching them more about wrestling than they had ever known before. Nikki however refuted this in a 2016 rivalry with {{Wrestling/Carmella}}, assuring the newcomer that she still earned all her achievements in spite of who her boyfriend was. In the late 2010s, people have also noted that the men gained a lot from their relationships too. Especially Daniel Bryan - who went from indie darling to national celebrity partly thanks to ''Series/TotalDivas'' (which he would not have got a spot on if he hadn't been dating Brie). They also did talk up Natalya's help towards them when they were first training, but fans often ignore that in favor of mentioning the men (as that was when the twins went from novelty act to prominent players in the company).

** Moving away from the elves, Tzarina Katarin of the human nation of Kislev may have inherited her position as Tzarina from her father, Boris Ursa, but she is only coincidentally remembered as his daughter, and became a far more competent and clever ruler than he was.

** Special mentions go to Jaina Proudmoore who initially averts this trope in the original [=RTS=] game but then plays it straight in the [=MMORPG=] game, while does she achieve her position as leader of Theramore largely due to her father being the Lord-Admiral of Kul Tiras she was the only human leader to listen to the Prophet and single-handedly hauled what was left of Lorderon over to Kalimdor. In fact, she is even willing to help Thrall and the orc regretfully kill her father if it means to maintain peace between both the humans and the orcs. But then ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' she becomes much less proactive and becomes a submissive servant of Varian Wrynn, never questioning his actions nor even try to oppose him even after Varian declares war on the horde. Additionally, much of her time spent is instead on brooding about not being with Arthas causing many of fans who did not play the original Warcraft to perceive her as a shallow love interest of Arthas who does not do anything but watch and weep.

%%** In contrast to previous three female leads before her and having their own motivations and roles, in the [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry4 fourth game]], Kyrie's entire role revolves around being a DistressedDamsel in the hands of Sanctus for Nero and Credo to rescue. Her personality also revolves around her being Credo's sister and Nero's SatelliteLoveInterest and nothing more.

%%** The same also applies to her Nobody Namine: starting from the middle of ''Chain of Memories'', her sole motivation becomes to help Sora, then later his own Nobody Roxas, in any way she can. Also to note is the fact she always owes male characters for anything, such as Axel helping her to escape Organization XIII or Riku's BigDamnHeroes when she and Kairi are threatened by Saix. This also applies to the time she was working for Diz, where all she was seen to do was obeying his orders, never speaking him out in any way despite his own racist remarks regarding Nobodies.

%%** Despite being a badass along with being a talented and level-headed fighter, Aqua's achievements owes it all to her male master Eraqus, and her sole motivation is all about her two male friends, while these two friends' have motivations of their own [[note]]Terra wants to investigate regarding the matters with Xehanort and Unversed, Ventus wants to see the outside world and make new friends, Aqua...Well, she just goes because she wants to see if the two are alright[[/note]]. Even the fact that she's the only one who earned the title of Keyblade Master is somewhat downplayed when we learn that Terra is also Keyblade Master level and failed only because of Xehanort's meddling during the trial.

* Despite being the protagonist of ''VideoGame/RememberMe'' Nilin falls into this, both played straight, and as an inversion. [[spoiler: Her special ability to use the Hacking Glove has nothing to do with her personally, she only has it, and can only use it, because of her father. Her relationship with her mother is at the core of the entire game's events, but it's because that relationship is completely devoid of all emotional connection.]]

* Zig-zagged by the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series, due to large cast. Technically, most of the characters owe their position in the army to the usually male main character, because the main character recruited them.

* Defied in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''. The title character bears [[TheSacredDarkness the Left Eye of the World,]] a power that represents the true power of darkness and boosts her own magic several fold. Her father, Balder, bears the Right Eye of the World, which is a light-aligned counterpart to the left. Balder's whole plan in the first game was to ensure Bayonetta reached her full power, and he killed all the other witch candidates save for one that he enslaved. All of this suggests that Bayonetta is only so powerful because her father made her so... until later cutscenes revealed that she received training from Jeanne, against the Umbran Elder's wishes. [[VideoGame/Bayonetta2 The sequel]] builds on this: Not only was Bayonetta allowed to spar with Jeanne, but we find that Bayonetta's mother was an extraordinarily powerful witch in her own right. Bayonetta inherited her power from ''both'' her parents, and it shows.
* Aigle from ''VideoGame/RumbleRoses'' enters the female-only tournament due to everything she is known for being associated with her older brother and father. Reiko is also mostly known for her family due to being the baby of her family but in this case it is because of her older sister and mother.

** While Lili is usually self standing in the fighting department of the game, her social status and ettiqitue are often considered to be solely because of her father.

** A rare aversion to Julia and Bob's team is that they go to find Pandora because of her, however that is where her focus and importance end. Their rival battle is only because of Bob and the focus of the team quickly shifts to how much of a ladies man and gentleman Bob is. Their ending sees Bob deside what will be done and much focus is made to how he refused her payment.

** In animated domestic comedies (especially those with a BumblingDad and CloserToEarth mom), it is very rare to find a regular or even recurring female character without a familial or romantic relationship to a male character. In particular, the wife in the family (whether she works outside of the home or not) tends to have no friends or connection to the outside world outside of her husband's social circle. Homer Simpson has Carl, Lenny, and Barney. Marge has... Mrs. Lovejoy occasionally?

%%* Initially averted in the case of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', as Francine had a friend/[[LipstickLesbian secret admirer]] in Linda Memari. However, along with the show's overall change in direction from political humor to RefugeInAudacity, Linda was phased out after the first season and only appears as a background character in the neighborhood. On the other hand any friends Stan is ever shown to have are just work buddies.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'', this trope is explored a bit when Daria and Jodie go to get a loan from the bank to fund a business project as part of a class exercise. The loan officer compliments their business plan and their presentation, but tells them that teenage girls as "high-risk" applicants. He asks if Daria's father can co-sign the loan (because she's white, despite Jodie clearly spearheading their project), until the subject of Jodie's father (a local inventor) comes up, at which point he declares that business savvy is in her blood and agrees to the loan. Outraged by the racism and blatant attempt to gain her father's favor, they walk out and try another bank. Jodie mentions her father's name up front this time and they are offered the loan without incident. Later Daria calls her out, accusing her of falling into this trope intentionally instead of earning the loan themselves. Jodie responds that she just used the tools and connections available to her as best she could. Meanwhile, Helen averts the trope by being a slightly frenzied but seemingly successful high-powered lawyer on her own merit and is presumably supporting the family's finances while Jake's work-life suffers; at the same time, she struggles with feeling like being so focused on her work means she's a failure as a wife and mother.

** An interesting case happens to Flame Princess whom initially, enters the plot as an alternative LoveInterest for Finn [[spoiler: after his heart has been broken by Bubblegum's rejection]] along with the Flame King's "evil" daughter. However, over time she began diverging from this trope as she starts having more personality as Finn introduces her to the outside world. All this eventually culminates when she became [[spoiler: the Flame Queen without any input from her father or Finn whatsoever, the former she overthrew while the latter she dumps him for manipulating her]]. In fact, the last episode where she is featured is "The Cooler" where her entire plot has nothing to do with Finn nor Flame King at all.

--> '''Cotton:''' ''(To Hank Hill)'': Hello Hank. ''(To Peggy Hill)'': Hank's wife.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'': The only female present from the beginning is Nya, who is a competent fighter and engineer, but is only relevant to the cast because she's Kai's sister. She's quickly joined by Misako (Lloyd's mother/Garmadon's wife) and P.I.X.A.L. (Cyrus Borg's creation/secretary). The next important female to join the cast is Skylor (Chen's daughter), and she sits out several seasons. They also quickly become LoveInterests (to Jay, Wu, Zane, and Kai, respectively), ensuring that their relevance remains tied closely to the male leads. Though Nya and P.I.X.A.L. eventually each get a character arc of their own, independent of the boys (both revolving around the identity of Samurai X).

* Partial aversion with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the opposition to the Burmese military junta and prominent peace activist. She accomplished a great deal in her own right, and most people outside of Burma know her far better than they know her father, General Aung San, who is considered the father of modern Burma and was the leader of the Burmese independence movement. However, within Burma, it cannot be denied that despite her achievements, she got her start by being her father's daughter.[[note]]Her first encounter with politics came in 1988, when she returned to Burma in order to take care of her ailing mother (who died on December 27); at the same time, General Ne Win, longtime dictator (since 1962), stepped down that year.[[/note]]

* In times before women were allowed to receive a higher education, most of them taught themselves however they could, which was usually attached to their husband, reading the books in his library, and often working with him as an unofficial assistant or apprentice. Maria Winkelmann is one example; she was educated first by her father, a Lutheran minister, who believed that she deserved an education equivalent to that given to young boys. By the age of 13, she was an orphan, but had also received a general education from her brother-in-law Justinus Toellner and the well-known astronomer Christoph Arnold. She became an unofficial apprentice and later assistant for Arnold.

* This was essentially unavoidable for many pioneering women for in order to learn a trade that was considered "men's work" or get higher education before the 20th century, a woman usually had to rely on a male teacher (because there usually would not be a female one around) and often enough on the support of her father and/or husband. Even those women whose mother could have taught them a thing or two about their chosen profession might be unlucky like Mary Shelley, whose mother Mary Wollstonecraft died eleven days after giving birth to her, or UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette of France, whose mother Maria Theresa of Austria ruled an empire, but decided that little Maria Antonia needed less of an education than her elder sisters.

* This is brought up in a few ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomverse'' stories in regards to Chloe Cerise. All she's basically known for is "daughter of a Pokémon Professor" and her classmates constantly pester her to get into the role of her father. In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainSeekerOfCrocus'', she tells Goh that all that she's been told is that "The only way to be into Pokémon is to be a boy who loves them" and that she's only going to be noticed for her father's merits, and never her own.

* In ''Manga/ShonanJunaiGumi'', the female delinquents typically rise to their positions either by love or by a male delinquent making her his woman.

* In the first issues of ''Comicbook/YTheLastMan'', the widows of [[{{Gendercide}} deceased (male)]] Republican senators attempt a coup against the remaining American government in order to be appointed to their late husbands' positions. Notable not because they got the positions (they didn't), but that the wives thought they ''deserved'' them simply because they were married to the former incumbents. This has precedent, but not legally so, as on many occasions the widows of congressmen have asked to be appointed to finish their husband's term, and so far none have been turned down by their state's governors. Almost none are re-elected, however.
* Both Silk Spectres of ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}''. The original Silk Spectre's career was aggressively built by her husband/manager. Laurie/Silk Spectre II [[LegacyCharacter inherited her mother's identity]], and spends the entire graphic novel dependent on her love interests. [[spoiler:Ultimately subverted with Laurie in the end, who expresses that she doesn't want to settle down with a family, but take up crime-fighting again. But then again, she seems to be following in her recently revealed father's footsteps in that regard as well based on her description of improvements to her costume...]]

* Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}:

** Earth-2 Supergirl (Comicbook/PowerGirl) was constantly trying to prove she didn't need her cousin's mentoring anymore, going so far to tell him she ''couldn't'' listen to his well-meaning advice because she needed to follow her own path.

[[/folder]]

* Zig-zagged by the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series, due to LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters. Technically, most of the characters owe their position in the army to the usually male main character, because the main character recruited them.

This is an insidious trope where a female character's success is undermined by the narrative of a male character providing advantages necessary for them. She's usually framed as someone's sister, girlfriend, or love interest. And if she's a military or political leader of some sort, then you can bet that she got the position with help from her father or another male relative.

Under this trope, a female character's membership in a field -- usually male-dominated -- is implied to be mostly due to motivation and training by her male relatives or acquaintances who are active in the same field, rather than her own independent ambitions. However, there may be a certain element of {{Double Standard}}s present in this aspect of the trope; namely, the notion that a strong woman's achievements -- no matter how genuine her efforts were in gaining them -- [[NoTrueScotsman aren't worthy of recognition]] if a man was involved in making her the person she is now in the past -- even if he only gave her training, support, and advice to aid her rather than grant her any advantages that undermine her efforts -- or simply if she has any ties to men ''at all''. A woman receiving help from another woman in working towards her goals, a man receiving help from another man, or a man receiving help from another woman are seen in a far less negative light than a woman receiving help from a man, even though none are any different from the other in practice.

This character stands in contrast to SelfMadeMan, where a character ([[AlwaysMale usually male]], but not always) was able to accomplish goals well beyond their advantages. In short, this is another example of DoubleStandard. Due to stereotypes about separate gender roles, writers will often use this trope to justify to viewers (presumed male) why they should care about the female character at all, as it is assumed the female character would not have taken an interest had it not been for the presence of that male character.

%%** In contrast to previous three female leads before her and having their own motivations and roles, in the fourth game, Kyrie's entire role revolves around being a DistressedDamsel in the hands of Sanctus for Nero and Credo to rescue. Her personality also revolves around her being Credo's sister and Nero's SatelliteLoveInterest and nothing more.

* When Senator UsefulNotes/KamalaHarris was chosen as the vice presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in 2020, right-wing media [[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kamala-harris-affair-willie-brown/ criticized her]] for two early political appointments by her then-boyfriend State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, claiming she owed her political career to him. This ignores that Harris was elected District Attorney of San Francisco, Attorney General of California, and U.S. senator all well after the relationship ended.
* During her early political career, UsefulNotes/AngelaMerkel, who had risen from relative obscurity in East Germany to the federal cabinet in a few months during the turbulent 1989–90, era was often referred to as "Kohl's Mädchen" ("Kohl's girl") for the federal chancellor who had appointed her as a minister. Naturally, after 16 years of being [[UsefulNotes/TheChancellorsOfGermany German chancellor]] -- longer than anybody except Helmut Kohl himself -- few people dismiss her as easily as that anymore.

Going hand with this is MenActWomenAre, which is about what comes from the man, and where the woman comes from; and FemalesAreMoreInnocent, where if a woman is evil, it’s usually the fault of a man. Also compare LineageComesFromTheFather, which deals with bloodlines. IHaveBrothers is a more mild version of this trope that nonetheless associates a woman's less traditionally feminine interests with a male influence rather than her own volition.

* Downplayed by Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. While she attained her position at least partially because she was the daughter of the influential politician and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru [[note]]also the first PM of independent India[[/note]], she quickly proved to be far more powerful than expected.

* More than one US state governor used the "back door candidate" method to get around the term limit. The most notorious example is probably George Wallace, who was succeeded after his first term as Governor of Alabama by his wife Lurleen.
* Of the first fourteen women to serve in the US Senate, many were widows of established politicians. Those who weren't were either appointed to the position or were elected to placeholder, month-long terms. It wasn't until 1980, when Paula Hawkins was elected to the US Senate from Florida, that a woman without a prior family connection in politics was elected to a normal six-year term.
** Similarly, the first two women governors -- Nellie Tayloe Ross and Miriam A. Ferguson -- were preceded by their husbands in office. It wasn't until 1974 when Ella T. Grasso was elected governor of Connecticut that a woman who wasn't the wife or widow of a prior governor was elected.
* The mayor of Las Vegas (Oscar Goodman) was a much-beloved mayor and when he hit his term limit, so the city promptly elected his wife mayor by a landslide.
* In Canada, Member of Parliament Niki Ashton won her seat at the relatively young age of 26 in 2008 and ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party in 2011 (although she was unsuccessful). Many of her detractors claimed that she only got that far because of her father's influence, despite the fact that Steve Ashton was a provincial Cabinet minister and was arguably superseded by his daughter's success in federal politics.
* Partial aversion with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the opposition to the Burmese military junta and prominent peace activist. She accomplished a great deal in her own right, and most people outside of Burma know her far better than they know her father, General Aung San, who is considered the father of modern Burma and was the leader of the Burmese independence movement. However, within Burma, it cannot be denied that despite her achievements, she got her start by being her father's daughter. [[note]]Her first encounter with politics came in 1988, when she returned to Burma in order to take care of her ailing mother (who died on Dec 27); at the same time, General Ne Win, long time dicator (since 1962), stepped down that year.[[/note]]

* When Senator Kamala Harris was chosen as the vice presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in 2020, right-wing media [[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kamala-harris-affair-willie-brown/ criticized her]] for two early political appointments by her then-boyfriend State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown, claiming she owed her political career to him. This ignores that Harris was elected District Attorney of San Francisco, Attorney General of California, and U.S. senator all well after the relationship ended.
* During her early political career, Angela Merkel who had risen from relative obscurity in East Germany to the federal cabinet in a few months during the turbulent 1989/90 era was often referred to as "Kohl's Mädchen" ("Kohl's girl") for the federal chancellor who had appointed her as a minister. Needless to say after 16 years of being [[UsefulNotes/TheChancellorsOfGermany German chancellor]] - longer than anybody except Kohl himself - few people dismiss her as easily as that any more.

* Subverted historically by women whose success was attributed to their male relatives or husbands. Mary Shelley, for example, whose [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} novel]] was published with no stated author, but it had a preface by her husband, so most people assumed that he wrote the whole book. Then the sales of the book dropped dramatically when its true author was made public, and Mary was widely criticized for writing about such an "unfeminine" subject matter. [[VindicatedByHistory It would be decades before the book was judged by its own merits, rather than by who wrote it]].
* This was essentially unavoidable for many pioneering women for in order to learn a trade that was considered "men's work" or get higher education before the 20th century, a woman usually had to rely on a male teacher (because there usually would not be a female one around) and often enough on the support of her father and/or husband. Even those women whose mother could have taught them a thing or two about their chosen profession might be unlucky like Mary Shelley, whose mother Mary Wollstonecraft died eleven days after giving birth to her, or Marie-Antoinette of France, whose mother Maria Theresia of Austria ruled an empire, but decided that little Maria Antonia needed less of an education than her elder sisters.
** Meanwhile, by a not untypical DoubleStandard, male prodigies, geniuses, etc. are frequently celebrated as if their achievements had come out of thin air, downplaying or downright ignoring the important roles played by their parents, teachers, sponsors, advisors, etc. A lot of people talk e. g. about the achievements of UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat as if he had not inherited his kingdom and the best army in the world from his father and a supernatural mystique from his mother (who put about that Alexander had been fathered by a god and also accelerated his inheritance) as if he had not been educated by Aristotle and been surrounded by experienced and highly competent generals. And how many men's reputation was really diminished by the saying "behind every great man there is a great woman"?

* One of the controversies behind some major female-led movies (e.g. Film/OceansEight, Film/Ghostbusters2016, etc.) is that they are [[DistaffCounterpart female-driven counterparts]] of male-led movies, and are viewed as such, regardless of quality. In other words, had the male-driven earlier movies not succeeded on their own merits, these female-driven ones would likely never have existed.

** ComicBook/CarolDanvers zig-zags this trope. Her superhero career began when a Kree device, the Psyche-Magnitron, transferred the powers of the male ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}} (Mar-Vell) on to her and she became ComicBook/MsMarvel, wearing a costume that looked like Mar-Vell's costume [[GenderedOutfit retailored to show more skin.]] She later got different costumes, powers, and code-names (Binary, Warbird), but now, as Captain Marvel, she is once again [[LegacyCharacter using the code-name]] of a well-known (in-universe, at least) male superhero. Also, on a meta-level, she started out as a non-powered supporting character to Captain Mar-Vell in his feature, and yet in-universe and in some alternate continuities like the ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe, she averts this trope by being a BadassNormal Air Force Captain whose career is entirely self-made.
** The news during ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel'' that [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]] would be replaced by a woman was met with a mixed reaction. While many applauded Marvel's efforts to bring more female heroes to the fore, the fact that this one was doing so by piggybacking on the popularity of a male hero, rather than having her own unique identity, was a sticking point for some. Eventually, [[StatusQuoIsGod Jane Foster died, and Thor got his title and hammer back]].
* ''ComicBook/NewAvengers2015:'' Doctor Toni Ho gets very irate when Sunspot casually mentions she's the daughter of Ho Yinsen, asking whether she just inherited those three doctorates of hers from him.

* During her early political career, Angela Merkel who had risen from relative obscurity in East Germany to the federal cabinet in a few months during [[TheGreatPoliticsMessUp the turbulent 1989/90 era]] was often referred to as "Kohl's Mädchen" ("Kohl's girl") for the federal chancellor who had appointed her as a minister. Needless to say after 16 years of being [[UsefulNotes/TheChancellorsOfGermany German chancellor]] - longer than anybody except Kohl himself - few people dismiss her as easily as that any more.

* The entire first season of ''WesternAnimation/HarleyQuinn'' is devoted to Harley attempting to defy this trope and step outside of the Joker's shadow after realizing he doesn't view her as more than an abusable minion and the other supervillains viewing her through the lens of this trope. Much of the drama of the season comes from her attempts at overcompensating in the opposite direction and doing things just ''because'' she wants to show off how much better she is without the Joker, even if those things do not benefit her own career.