History Main / SilkHidingSteel

* ''Literature/CudjosCave'': Virginia Villiers may seem like a timid SouthernBelle and even views herself as such, but she can navigate through dangerous woods without much help and wields an axe against a Confederate thug in the final act while later holding one of his bosses at gunpoint.

* In the [[http://www.newrepublic.com/article/books-and-arts/magazine/103083/lady-peacock-aung-san-suu-kyi words]] of a biographer, Aung San Suu Kyi was, until age 42, "a dutiful {{housewife}} who produced home-cooked meals every day, ironed her husband's socks, and sewed her own curtains and clothes". When her country needed her, she [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUYyX4NLaCY stepped up]] and made history.

* ''AnimeVoltesV'': Like Heinel, Katherine dresses like a fancy aristocrat, but is capable of fighting like a warrior when she has to. Unlike Heinel, who confronts people directly, Katherine would rather lure out her opponents when they're defenseless and strike them when they least expect it.

* ''WebVideo/DreamSMP'': Niki starts out as this. During the early L'Manburg era, Niki was a SweetBaker and the "First Lady"[[labelnote:*]]No, she wasn't and will likely never be romantically involved with the then-President Wilbur; but rather, it was an honorary title for her for being the literal first woman of the faction/nation[[/labelnote]] who was respected by most people, both inside and outside her faction, and she was typically generous, thoughtful, and relatively forgiving. However, she was by no means a pushover, most notably seen after [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Schlatt took over]], as she burnt down the Manburgian flag and planned to eventually blow up the White House, essentially [[DefiantStoneThrow leading a one-woman rebellion]] against him in a country where everyone else was either too scared and beaten-down to speak up, or were spies that would risk having their covers blown if they protested in public. [[spoiler:However, the events of the rebellion eventually took a massive toll on her, and [[ThereAreNoTherapists an overall lack of mental health support on the server as a whole]] caused her to be unable to deal with her grief and other issues properly, and ultimately causes her to shift away from this trope as a whole, even as a BrokenBird.]]

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': If Aeris is Silk Hiding Steel, it could be said that Tifa is [[InvertedTrope Steel Hiding Silk]].
*** [[WhiteMagicianGirl Aeris]] ''looks'' like a typical ProperLady with her flowing pink dress and curly long hair with ribbons in it, but in personality she's anything but; witty, flirty, boisterous, and independent.

* ''LetsPlay/DreamSMP'': Niki starts out as this. During the early L'Manburg era, Niki was a SweetBaker and the "First Lady"[[labelnote:*]]No, she wasn't and will likely never be romantically involved with the then-President Wilbur; but rather, it was an honorary title for her for being the literal first woman of the faction/nation[[/labelnote]] who was respected by most people, both inside and outside her faction, and she was typically generous, thoughtful, and relatively forgiving. However, she was by no means a pushover, most notably seen after [[TyrantTakesTheHelm Schlatt took over]], as she burnt down the Manburgian flag and planned to eventually blow up the White House, essentially [[DefiantStoneThrow leading a one-woman rebellion]] against him in a country where everyone else was either too scared and beaten-down to speak up, or were spies that would risk having their covers blown if they protested in public. [[spoiler:However, the events of the rebellion eventually took a massive toll on her, and [[ThereAreNoTherapists an overall lack of mental health support on the server as a whole]] caused her to be unable to deal with her grief and other issues properly, and ultimately causes her to shift away from this trope as a whole, even as a BrokenBird.]]

** Saya Yuriko’s mother appears to be the perfect lady. She remains quiet and generally stands behind her husband. However, we last see her massacring zombies in a dress and using a gun that’s almost as big as she is... in the middle of a fire.

* In ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' Book of Exalted Deeds there is a goddess named "Estanna" who is the goddess of the hearth and home. Her clerics are literally the clerics of home keeping, but keep in mind this is a game where the cleric is regarded as one of the most powerful classes in the game so any Player Character who is a Cleric of Estanna is likely to end up like this.

* ''Webcomic/WhiteDarkLife'': As an adult, Tori is very submissive outside correcting her husband. It's when antagonists start assuming that they can push her family around that she suddenly becomes [[{{Acrofatic}} fast]] and [[KatanasAreJustBetter armed]].
* ''WebComic/{{Homestuck}}'' has Kanaya Maryam. Being the representative of the Virgo sign, she bears all personality traits from it, being prim and proper, meticulous and, as she's also derived from its image, a GirlyGirl. However, while Kanaya never stops carrying herself with a [[TheFashionista fashionista]] flair, she's also the troll equivalent of a vampire and wields a ''chainsaw'' disguised as lipstick as her default weapon.

* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Bronwyn is a very feminine and nurturing woman, and her job is is to be healer. She is usually very peaceful, but if put in tense situations, she is not afraid to take the reigns. She fought and killed an Orc despite having to martial training, and organized the people of Tirharad to fight the Orcs and led them as their unofficial leader.

** Aina from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamThe08thMSTeam''; her feminine manner of dressing and acting is commented on by her brother, and she dislikes fighting to the point of calling a cease-fire, on her own initiative, with a WeaponOfMassDestruction.
** Relena Peacecraft from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing''. An elegant and reserved BadassPacifist that scares the greatest military power in the world. When they say WeCanRuleTogether, she surrenders and makes them regret it. The first several episodes essentially match her will against TheStoic Heero; it ends with him protecting her without knowing why.
** Rain Mikamura from ''Anime/MobileFighterGGundam'' is TheMedic to TheHero Domon, and also his childhood friend that, despite her occasional {{Tsundere}} reaction towards him, genuinely cares about his well-being. She also doesn't really care about fighting, but whenever the situation calls for it, she ''will'' join the battle, and that's when the silk falls off to show well-tempered steel. Once she manages to get a hold on a Gundam meant for one of the antagonists, Rain shows off very good naginata moves and impreccable precision with a bow-and-arrow.

--->'''Daenerys:''' [[CatchPhrase I am only a small girl]], and know little of the ways of war...

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': [[Characters/StevenUniversePearl Pearl]] is the most ladylike of the gems and apparently "wasn't built for fighting"[[note]]As Peridot puts it [[spoiler: "[[BeautifulSlaveGirlPearls are suppose to stand there and look pretty. They can't be anything else]]."]] [[/note]] but is so proficient at swordsmanship that she can hold her own against powerful fusions and high-class gem such as [[spoiler:Amethyst]].

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': [[Characters/StevenUniversePearl Pearl]] is the most ladylike of the gems and apparently "wasn't built for fighting"[[note]]As Peridot puts it [[spoiler: "Pearls are suppose to stand there and look pretty. They can't be anything else."]] [[/note]] but is so proficient at swordsmanship that she can hold her own against powerful fusions and high-class gem such as [[spoiler:Amethyst]].

* The [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel hopelessly romantic]], [[TheCutie sweet]], [[TheIngenue innocent]] and [[GirlyGirl feminine]] Rosa from ''Fanfic/TheStoryOfApolloDaphneAndLucaAnItalianTragedy'' show, in later chapters, to have quite the iron backbone by showing to not be afraid to speak her mind to people who misbehave like [[FilleFatale Sofia]] (who tried to steal Alberto from Luca) and [[GossipyHens Carlos]] (who tried to meddle in Rosa's [[spoiler: past love story with Vincenzo]]).

* The [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel hopelessly romantic]], [[TheCutie sweet]], [[TheIngenue innocent]] and [[GirlyGirl feminine]] Rosa from Fanfic/TheStoryOfApolloDaphneAndLucaAnItalianTragedy show, in later chapters, to have quite the iron backbone by showing to not be afraid to speak her mind to people who misbehave like [[FilleFatale Sofia]] (who tried to steal Alberto from Luca) and [[GossipyHens Carlos]] (who tried to meddle in Rosa's [[spoiler: past love story with Vincenzo]]).

* Nagisa Shiowatari is a ''[[RaisedAsTheOppositeGender male]]'' example of this. He's polite, soft-spoken and conflict averse, to the point his [[MasculineGirlFeminineBoy much more masculine]] [[ArrangedMarriage fiancee]] Ryuunosuke Fujinami complains about his tendency to burst into tears when critiqued. He's also been competing in and ''winning'' beach sumo contests since he was a little kid, despite being so slender and delicate looking [[DudeLooksLikeALady he can easily pass for a girl]]. When Ryuunosuke tries to attack Nagisa, he literally manhandles her like she was a child, [[SuperStrength effortlessly holding her back]] before slinging her over her back. In a second duel, he easily evades every attack, then bearhugs her into submission. For context, Ryuuosuke was the strongest, most aggressive and undefeatable fighter in the cast until Nagisa showed off what he could do.

* ''VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}}'' has Yaobikuni, the soft-spoken, gentle, and compassionate lady who has PsychicPowers and can kick ass in battle with the most beautiful skills ever, and then there is our hero Seimei, the local NiceGuy whose ass-kicking is his day job and whose refinement and elegance in battle has prompted an EvenTheGuysWantHim reaction from one of his foes. [[spoiler: And that's when they're not [[BewareTheNiceOnes angry]]. Each of them has their moments, the former when she slays [[TheDragon Yuki-onna]], but that's still milder than the latter who flips his nuts and goes toe-to-toe with the BigBad himself.]]