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* In ''Fanfic/HarrysNewHome'', although both sisters were attractive, the blonde one was bubbly, outgoing and utterly dimwitted, while the brunette was quieter, more intellectual and a bit of a DeadpanSnarker.

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* In ''Fanfic/HarrysNewHome'', although both sisters were attractive, the blonde one (Sirius' date) was bubbly, outgoing and utterly dimwitted, while the brunette (Snape's date) was quieter, more intellectual and a bit of a DeadpanSnarker.
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* The Smart Sister: [[BookSmart A bookish, explicitly smart character.]] Very often a DeadpanSnarker and TheSnarkKnight. Very socially awkward and subject to far less male attention, although this often has more to do with her personality than [[HollywoodHomely her appearance]]. Endlessly criticizes her sister for her willing or apparent shallowness.

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* The Smart Sister: [[BookSmart A bookish, explicitly smart character.]] character]]. Very often a DeadpanSnarker and TheSnarkKnight. Very socially awkward and subject to far less male attention, although this often has more to do with her personality than [[HollywoodHomely her appearance]]. Endlessly criticizes her sister for her willing or apparent shallowness.
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* The Beautiful Sister: An attractive, outgoing, fashionable, popular, but unintellectual character. If older, she'll be more mature sexually. Can range from smart yet BookDumb to TheBrainlessBeauty. Endlessly criticizes her sister for her unyieldingly contrarian social attitude.

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* The Beautiful Sister: An attractive, outgoing, fashionable, popular, but unintellectual character. If older, she'll be more mature sexually. Can range from smart yet BookDumb to TheBrainlessBeauty.a BrainlessBeauty. Endlessly criticizes her sister for her unyieldingly contrarian social attitude.
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Nina and Anna don't really fit the "smart v. pretty" aspect of this trope.


* Nina and Anna Williams in the ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' series. It started out with Nina playing mean pranks on Anna (in the endings for the first two games) to the two of them actually trying to kill each other with a variety of lethal weaponry before the most recent titles have had them switch over to being more rivals without the outright murder attempts anymore.

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[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Mion and Shion Sonozaki (a TomboyAndGirlyGirl, respectively) of ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' are a bit like this. Both girls have more depth than it seems, however.
[[/folder]]



* Nina and Anna Williams in the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series. It started out with Nina playing mean pranks on Anna (in the endings for the first two games) to the two of them actually trying to kill each other with a variety of lethal weaponry before the most recent titles have had them switch over to being more rivals without the outright murder attempts anymore.

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* Nina and Anna Williams in the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' series. It started out with Nina playing mean pranks on Anna (in the endings for the first two games) to the two of them actually trying to kill each other with a variety of lethal weaponry before the most recent titles have had them switch over to being more rivals without the outright murder attempts anymore.



[[folder:Web Comics]]

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[[folder:Web Comics]][[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Mion and Shion Sonozaki (a TomboyAndGirlyGirl, respectively) of ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' are a bit like this. Both girls have more depth than it seems, however.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
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Anything That Moves disambiguation and cleanup


* Robin and Roz [=DeSanto=] of ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' are an odd take on this with Robin being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} ManicPixieDreamGirl and Roz being a DepravedBisexual AnythingThatMoves Nymphomaniac cam whore.

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* Robin and Roz [=DeSanto=] of ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' are an odd take on this with Robin being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} ManicPixieDreamGirl and Roz being a DepravedBisexual AnythingThatMoves Nymphomaniac cam whore.
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Dark Chick has been disambiguated


* Starfire and Blackfire on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. Starfire is the sweet, beautiful, GenkiGirl, and while she has trouble adapting to life on Earth, she still works hard to protect her adopted home. Meanwhile Blackfire has had little trouble fitting in on Earth but is a DarkChick who is only out for herself.

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* Starfire and Blackfire on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. Starfire is the sweet, beautiful, GenkiGirl, and while she has trouble adapting to life on Earth, she still works hard to protect her adopted home. Meanwhile Blackfire has had little trouble fitting in on Earth but is a DarkChick who is selfish and only out for herself.
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See also BrattyTeenageDaughter and TomboyAndGirlyGirl.

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See also BrattyTeenageDaughter and TomboyAndGirlyGirl. For another way female family members can be at odds, see FeminineMotherTomboyishDaughter.

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remerging small subpages, trope merge, no chained sinkholes, alphabetization


* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/FanWorks
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/{{Film}}



* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/{{Theatre}}
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/VideoGames
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/WesternAnimation



* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': Amora the Enchantress and her younger sister Lorelei. For years Lorelei tried to best her sister in her own field of expertise ([[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman supernatural beauty]] and [[CharmPerson magical]] [[TheDulcineaEffect seduction]]) and always [[AlwaysSecondBest failing pretty spectacularly]]. In more recent times the younger sister has tried to pivot away from emulating her sister and has become something of a ClassyCatBurglar on Earth. Though they snipe at each other over petty things, Amora ''has'' shown genuine care and concern over her little sister (at least in times of existential danger), though Lorelei's hatred of her legendary, overshadowing sibling shows no signs of fading.

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* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': Amora the Enchantress and her younger sister Lorelei. For years Lorelei tried to best her sister in her own field of expertise ([[WorldsMostBeautifulWoman supernatural beauty]] and [[CharmPerson magical]] [[TheDulcineaEffect magical seduction]]) and always [[AlwaysSecondBest failing pretty spectacularly]]. In more recent times the younger sister has tried to pivot away from emulating her sister and has become something of a ClassyCatBurglar on Earth. Though they snipe at each other over petty things, Amora ''has'' shown genuine care and concern over her little sister (at least in times of existential danger), though Lorelei's hatred of her legendary, overshadowing sibling shows no signs of fading.



[[folder:Fan Works]]
* Hope and Will from ''Fanfic/AnAstralDropInHeatherfield'' may be identical in appearance but they quickly carve out very different niches in the family -- feisty, athletic Will versus the sociable and diligent Hope.
* In ''Fanfic/ADifferentDursleyFamily'', Petunia speculates that her mother tried to invoke this by only praising her daughters when they were out of earshot and unfavorably comparing them to each other, perhaps out of the belief that it would lead to healthy competition. It didn't work, and Petunia struggles with her resentment towards Lily for years, even seeking therapy when it starts to affect the way she treats Harry.
* In ''Fanfic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed'', Princess Celestia is very popular and well-loved among her citizens, most likely due to her established cult of personality, while Princess Luna is seen more as the outcast and "the lanky, weird one". This leads to slight jealousy on Luna's end which eventually bubbles over to a literal all-out Civil War.
* In ''Fanfic/HarrysNewHome'', although both sisters were attractive, the blonde one was bubbly, outgoing and utterly dimwitted, while the brunette was quieter, more intellectual and a bit of a DeadpanSnarker.
* In ''[[Fanfic/TheMasksWeWearTeenTitans The Masks We Wear]]'', Samantha Vanaver forces John to become a Talon by threatening to take Dick away from him and Mary. Then drugs and rapes him after he completes his training as a Talon, all to spite Mary out of jealousy because Samantha was his ex-girlfriend. Samantha is Mary's half-sister, but Mary never knew they were related.
* Administrivia/SeenItAMillionTimes in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic. [[TheHighQueen Princess Celestia]] is the popular one, Princess Luna the smart one (more or less; she's certainly the headstrong one), and they're both already pranksters...
* The relationship between Flandre and Remilia Scarlet has slowly turned into this by the time ''Fanfic/{{A New World|IcedFairy}}'' begins. There's still a lot of sororal love -- it's just that Flandre has reached a certain plateau of SmugSuper, ''knowing'' she's the strongest vampire in Gensokyo, while Remilia has largely given up on her ambitions after the deaths of Meiling and Sakuya. Flandre also resents Remilia for losing herself in her grief and entering torpor instead of staying with her.
* Male example in ''Fanfic/APairingOfSouls''. Shen Jiu is the smart brother able to plan for survival and to read the romantic undertones between Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan whom he berates for his naivety yet secretly envies for being more lovable than himself, while Shen Yuan is the pretty one who charms almost everyone he meets through his kindness but considers himself unimpressive in front of Shen Jiu's rightfully earned achievements. They deeply care for and are quite protective of each other, though.
* Wicke is revealed to have this with her older sister Pia in ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines''. As an adult, Wicke describes her relationship with Pia as "a long, lengthy, guerrilla war of aggravation", and it didn't improve with age one bit.
* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fic ''Fanfic/{{Strandpiel}}'', by Creator/AAPessimal:
** Graduate Assassin, Ruth N'Kweze, is recalled Home by her father, an autocratic King, to take up her duties as Paramount Crown Princess. After having established her credentials as a Princess (by raising her own loyal Army and fighting a winning war), she then starts to steer the future course of the Empire. Ruth has lots of half-sisters -- and half-brothers -- through her father's many wives. Her sisters are jealous of the way she has risen to prominence and several ineffectual assassination attempts are mounted from her loving siblings. But unlike Ruth, most of her half-sisters were not trained by the Guild of Assassins. Several jealous sisters find out the hard way.
** Elsewhere only daughters are born to two Grand Ducal families in what is left of the Discworld's UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} after its version of Soviet collapse. Olga Romanoff and Natasha Romanoff are cousins. If they agree on one thing, it is that as only children they were deprived of a chance to slug it out with an actual sibling. Being cousins, however, is the same thing at one level removed.
* ''Fanfic/WhiteSheepRWBY'': Jaune's seven sisters (eight with adopted sister Cinder) are in a constant ongoing war with each other. Cinder still remembers the day she woke up to find her hair in pigtails ([[BestServedCold she's going to find out who was responsible eventually]]), Coral and Sapphire fight over Qrow (Coral wants to fuck him, Sapphire wants to kill him), and when taken to a safe house they all fight over who gets the biggest rooms (their father doesn't bother telling them they're all the same size).
[[/folder]]



* Mirabel and Isabela from WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} are this for most of the film with Isabela playing The Beautiful Sister. [[spoiler: They become closer towards the end of the film when Isabela confesses her unhappiness and lack of desire to marry Mariano and Mirabel realizes they're not so different.]]

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* Mirabel and Isabela from WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}'' are this for most of the film with Isabela playing The Beautiful Sister. [[spoiler: They become closer towards the end of the film when Isabela confesses her unhappiness and lack of desire to marry Mariano and Mirabel realizes they're not so different.]]



[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Kat and Bianca Stratford from ''Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou''. Kat is the smart [[TheLadette ladette]] and almost a StrawFeminist, while Bianca is the pretty and popular one, who only seems to think about having a boyfriend. [[spoiler:But in the end, they can move beyond the negative parts of their respective personalities and become closer to each other.]]
%%* Tess and Jane Nichols from ''Film/TwentySevenDresses''.
* ''[[Film/AMaSoeur Fat Girl]]'': An overweight 13-year-old girl is jealous of her beautiful 15-year-old sister because she gets to have sex (she longs to have sex herself) ''and'' has an affair with a boy right in front of her, no less.
* This trope forms much of Gamora and Nebula's relationship in the ''Film/{{Guardians of the Galaxy|2014}}'' films, at least until the end of the second (and even then, to some extent): Gamora is the beautiful, talented sister, whereas Nebula has been mutilated by her father to the point where she's more robot than human.
* ''Literature/InHerShoes'' plays this trope in a serious manner, as both sisters struggle with their own insecurities and with the 20 plus year death of their mother.
* The plot of ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'' centers on the growing rivalry between sisters Dottie and Kit Hinson. Scouts are unimpressed by Kit’s batting and will only allow her a tryout if the more skilled Dottie agrees to try out as well. Knowing how much Kit wants to escape their small town, Dottie agrees to try out for her sister’s sake.
* ''Film/MenWithBrooms'' features a variation: Both sisters are The Smart Sister; one happens to be the Prodigal Daughter (went to college, joined [[{{Expy}} The American Space Agency]], became an astronaut) while the other is TheDutifulDaughter, who stayed home with the family and cared for their father. Also, [[SiblingTriangle both are romantic interests]] for the main character of the film, Chris Cutter.
* In ''Film/NewYorkMinute'', though the sisters are identical twins, Jane is an overachiever trying to earn a prestigious scholarship, while Roxy is laid back, habitually skips school, and dreams of becoming a rock star.
* ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'' and the musical version ''Film/HighSociety'' has the Lord sisters: Tracy, the older, beautiful, popular socialite sister; and Caroline, the teenage, unrefined, [[TheSnarkKnight sarcastic]] tomboy. A variation, as neither sister is really smarter than the other; however Tracy is ''acting'' stupidly, marrying the wrong man, while her sister [[ShipperOnDeck knows who she should really be with]].
* The 2001 adaptation of ''Literature/PrettyThings'' based on a novel by Virginie Despentes. See the literature section.
* ''Film/RoboGeisha'' has the Kagusa sisters, who compete with each other to see who can become the best android Geisha assassins.
* ''Film/SaveTheDate2012'': Sarah and Beth care about each other, but constantly clash over their very different personalities. For her part, Sarah's more humble, laidback and quiet. Beth's far more intense, slightly arrogant and outgoing. Sarah feels unable to talk with Beth after getting pregnant, although she really needs a caring ear. Beth for her part complains that Sarah always ignores what she tells her. After learning she's about to have an abortion, Beth does speak with her and offers unconditional support no matter what. She even postpones her wedding (which she'd obsessed over) so it won't fall the same time as when Beth is due (this had been the main reason behind Beth's planning the abortion, not wanting to detract from her sister's big day).
* ''Film/SoulFood'' features this among the three sisters, mainly on the turbulent relationship between Maxine and Terri.
%%* Another GenderFlip example is Marvel's Film/{{Thor}} and Loki, Thor being the elder son, heir to the throne, golden, popular and HotBlooded warrior-prince, contrasted by his younger brother Loki's clever, magic-wielding [[TheTrickster Trickster]] nature making him TheUnfavorite BlackSheep prince and heightening their rivalry to CainAndAbel proportions. Although Thor seems to genuinely love and trust his younger brother, at least initially.
* ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane'' takes this to an extreme. As children, Jane was a child star while her sister Blanche was plain and often overlooked. Blanche grew up to be beautiful and her acting talent overshadowed Jane's, but despite this, Blanche still saw Jane as a rival and felt threatened by her, to the point where [[spoiler:she eventually tried to kill Jane]].
* This is the basis of the Creator/{{Disney}} film ''Film/WishUponAStar'', where Alexia and Hayley switch places. The differences are accentuated by using their favourite styles of music (rock and classical, respectively) in the background of their scenes.
[[/folder]]



* In Myth/PacificMythology, Pele (the goddess of fire) and Poli'ahu (one of the four goddesses of snow and ice) are like this. Not only because they are, you know, ''diametrically-opposed elemental forces'', but because they often competed over the same mortal men, most memorably a young ''ali'i'' (chief) by the name of Aiwohikupua. They also competed in ''[[https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/holua-sledding-death-defying-sport-hawaiian-chiefs holua]]'' sledding, which (to make a long story short) is [[JustSoStory why there are glaciers on Mauna Kea, and why Mauna Kea is dormant]] (which was said to be Poli'ahu's home, [[DaddysGirl gifted to her by]] [[EveryoneIsRelated her and Pele's father]].)

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* In Myth/PacificMythology, Pele (the goddess of fire) and Poli'ahu (one of the four goddesses of snow and ice) are like this. Not only because they are, you know, ''diametrically-opposed elemental forces'', but because they often competed over the same mortal men, most memorably a young ''ali'i'' (chief) by the name of Aiwohikupua. They also competed in ''[[https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/holua-sledding-death-defying-sport-hawaiian-chiefs holua]]'' sledding, which (to make a long story short) is [[JustSoStory why there are glaciers on Mauna Kea, and why Mauna Kea is dormant]] (which was said to be Poli'ahu's home, [[DaddysGirl gifted to her by]] her]] by [[EveryoneIsRelated her and Pele's father]].)



[[folder:Theatre]]
* PlayedWith in ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}''. Angelica, the eldest Schuyler sister, is intelligent ''and'' attractive, but her younger sister Eliza is evidently more attractive to Alexander, and she is the one whom he marries. However, he clearly has affections for both (he flirts with Angelica in "Satisfied", and they have a ''very'' close relationship in "Take a Break"), and when push comes to shove [[spoiler:after he publicly admits to adultery]], Angelica sides with her sister, thus effectively ending the rivalry.
* ''Theatre/TheLearnedLadies'' has smart older sister Armande and beautiful younger sister Henritte. They snit at each other constantly, in a rare example where the beautiful sister is more sympathetic and the smart one trying to bring the pretty one to her side.
* Eponine and Cosette of ''Theatre/LesMiserables'', although they were only raised as sisters after Cosette's mother Fantine placed her in of Eponine's parents, the Thenardiers. The rivalry, however, doesn't begin after they have long since stopped "being" sisters when Cosette is introduced to Marius, Eponine's love interest. Cosette is the pretty, innocent one who eventually gets the guy while Eponine is more intelligent, snarky, and due to a bad case of CanNotSpitItOut (and Marius's obliviousness) ends up [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy helping Marius and Cosette get together]].
* ''[[Theatre/TheLoveOfTheNightingale The Love of the Nightingale]]'' has Procne (the smart, maternal, wiser one) and Philomele (the beautiful naive one). However, they are instead best friends and the main drama of the play begins out of Procne's desperation to see her.
* In ''Theatre/MaryMary'', Mary is smart and snarky to a fault. Her prettier older sister Clara never appears, but Mary discusses growing up in her shadow:
-->"You take two little girls. One of them is pink and round, with curly hair and yards of eyelashes. The other one is pale and bony, with thin, wispy hair and two little ears poking through--like the handles on a sugar bowl... When I was a kid, I mean really a kid, I never worried about the way I looked, because I thought--I ''knew''--I'd grow up to be beautiful just like my sister Clara."
* Aloysia and Constanza in ''Theatre/MozartLOperaRock'', especially when it comes to Mozart. In "six pieds sous la terre" they trade insults back and forth (Constanze calls Aloysia a "little bitch" while Aloysia shoots back that "you blow your mind when you knit!").
* ''Theatre/{{Picnic}}'' has something of this dynamic between Madge (the pretty one) and Millie (the smart one), although Madge is a couple of years older.
* Subverted in ''Theatre/{{Proof}}''. Catherine is portrayed as the smart sister and Claire as the pretty one, but both are actually very intelligent and attractive.
* ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'': Katerina, the older sister, is the hotheaded nonconformist who hates the idea of getting married, and her younger sister Bianca is the sweet womanly one who deeply wants a husband.
* ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'':
** Elphaba and Nessarose fit this trope to a certain extent. Ostracised due to her strange appearance, Elphaba has grown up smart, independent and prickly -- not to mention hugely magically talented. Nessa is pretty, somewhat shallow and her father's favourite. She misses out on the popularity she craves due to her disability [[spoiler: and severe mental instability]]. She's often embarrassed by Elphie, laying anything that goes wrong at her door.
** In terms of personality, pretty Glinda and smart Elphaba fit this even better, even though they are roommates/classmates instead of sisters.
* ''Theatre/WonderfulTown'' has Ruth Sherwood as the smart one and her sister Eileen as the pretty one. This was based on ''Theatre/MySisterEileen'', which was VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory by Ruth [=McKenney=].
[[/folder]]



[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/Dota2'', Slayer Lina and Crystal Maiden Rylai are reworked into this. Lina is the smart, guile sister who is favored by their original parents, unlike Rylai who is more naive (and blonde). However, lore-wise, after separation for their mage mastery, Lina didn't make many friends with other heroes in the game, while Rylai actually befriended another hero, Ymir the Tusk.
* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' has [[HalfHumanHybrid Kayle and Morgana]], twin daughters of a mortal man and angelic woman. Each wound up with half their mother's power, with Kayle having taken up their mother's [[KnightTemplar law-enforcing ways]], while Morgana sees far more nuance and is justifiably horrified at [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner her sister's methods]]. Their conflicting views are best summed up with this exchange:
-->'''Kayle''': Why have we wings, sister, if not to fly?\\
'''Morgana''': Why do we have feet, if not to tread upon the soil?
* In ''VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou'', in Another Day, Shoka and Ayano, who had a sister-like relationship in the main story, are actually sisters. They don't seem to get along, and much of their bickering is over who gets to have their iguana Iggy. [[spoiler:Unlike the main story, in which Ayano's Noise form used her ultimate attack to trap everyone besides Shoka and Rindo, Another Day's Ayano starts off the battle by trapping Shoka.]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', twins Lilith and Angela Pleasant in the Pleasantview neighborhood are pre-programmed to hate each other. Angela is the Popular One and Lilith is a Goth.
* Nova and Vera are this in ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2''. Nova is the younger one and is [[GenkiGirl super-upbeat, cheerful]], and always [[PluckyGirl on the go.]] Vera, the older one, is [[TheStoic calm, professional]], and [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling regularly lectures Nova on her job]]. We do find out more about them as the story goes on:
** Nova takes a moment to share some rather embarrassing details about [[spoiler: Vera's disastrous dating life with the party and that her no-nonsense persona is [[NotSoStoic really just a front she puts on for work]]. In reality, she is really [[NoSocialSkills not good with people]] and can't carry on a normal conversation without it turning into awkward silence, which explains why her record for being able to hold on to a boyfriend is only a month (and that this guy lost 30 lbs. trying to put up with Vera), and every time after a breakup she inevitably ends up [[DrowningMySorrows drowning her sorrows]] while complaining to Nova. Oh, and apparently every morning Nova has to put up with Vera's SurvivalMantra before she goes to work: that everyone is just a giant pumpkin, which is apparently her version of how to ImagineTheAudienceNaked.]]
** Later, Vera finds out that Nova's been blabbing about her personal life, so she decides to [[BestServedCold get a little payback]] when she calls the party and tells this is strictly a personal call, which is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness really noteworthy]] since all her previous calls were related to the plot. She then proceeds to [[spoiler:regale the party with the story of how when Nova was still in university, she had a big crush on a certain young man's older brother, and tried to give him a nice gift, but said older brother was out of the apartment at the moment, so the gift ended up in the hands of the younger brother while Nova bolted off, leaving him with a big mistaken impression that Nova was in love with him. Vera then closes the story by letting everyone know that [[TakeThat for having such a big mouth, Nova sure is a big coward when it comes to matters of the heart.]]]] [[PlayerCharacter Ludger]] realizes that story was also a big TakeThat against ''him'' as well.
* Nina and Anna Williams in the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series. It started out with Nina playing mean pranks on Anna (in the endings for the first two games) to the two of them actually trying to kill each other with a variety of lethal weaponry before the most recent titles have had them switch over to being more rivals without the outright murder attempts anymore.
* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': The game's plot pits the Voerman sisters, the cold, intellectual and business-minded Therese and charismatic, manipulative and BookDumb Jeanette, against each other. The whole thing is made more complicated by the fact that both sisters are ancient and extremely powerful vampires with vast networks and resources to draw on.
[[/folder]]



** Larima, the older sister, is the stereotypical blonde beauty… and a CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, being an ''[[MakingASplash Elite-ranked]]'' [[MakingASplash Pacificator of Water]], and a very [[{{Ambadassador}} renowned ambassador]]. She's definitely ''not'' [[ObfuscatingStupidity stupid as]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer she looks]]. She's also the compassionate one.

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** Larima, the older sister, is the stereotypical blonde beauty… and a CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, being an ''[[MakingASplash Elite-ranked]]'' [[MakingASplash Pacificator of Water]], and a very [[{{Ambadassador}} renowned ambassador]]. She's definitely ''not'' [[ObfuscatingStupidity stupid as]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer as she looks]]. She's also the compassionate one.


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[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' has Jen as The Smart One and Courtney as The Beautiful One in "It's Always Courtney, Courtney, Courtney".
* Surprisingly and refreshingly averted in ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingChanAndTheChanClan''. Anne Chan is the Smart One and a {{Bokukko}} while her older sister Suzie is TheCutie and the Pretty One, but they get along quite well. In fact, a good part of the SiblingRivalry tropes are averted in the cartoon: while the kids ''did'' have their disagreements, ''extended'' rivalries didn't really happen.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' has Abigail Lincoln, a.k.a. Numbuh Five, and her sister, Cree. This show {{exaggerated|Trope}} it since Cree is a teenager and a sworn enemy of the Kids Next Door, in which Numbuh Five is involved. Cree was once a KND operative herself, known as Numbuh 11, and the sisters got along rather well then, but when Cree got older, she was no longer allowed in the KND but escaped being decommissioned. This has also somewhat caused their personal relationship to sour as well. One scene shows them at the dinner table pretending to get along, when in fact they're secretly aiming weapons at each other under the table.
* Alice Tompkins in ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' has a decades-long rivalry with her SouthernBelle sister, Miranda, who for the most part, is considered to be more attractive, and deliberately tries to upstage Alice every chance she gets, even at Alice's wedding. When Miranda finally admits to her sister that she's jealous of the life that she has with her job, her daughter, and her relationship with Jay, Alice takes a brief moment to rejoice.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'':
** Daria Morgendorffer is the titular character and the smart one, her sister Quinn is the fashionable, popular one. However, Quinn is shown to be fairly intelligent in her own right (which actually scares her, fearing she'd be kicked out of her clique), and Daria is shown to be attractive when she makes an effort (which scares ''her'', fearing it makes her as shallow as the conformist students she rails against). The sisters do begin to make peace in the final season. In the episode "Quinn the Brain", Quinn embraces a shallow sort of intellectualism because the dimmer wits wandering the school find her crappy poetry profound. Daria finds this even worse than her normal, self-imposed ditziness; she might not ''like'' Quinn's default personality but she'd rather her sister be herself than change who she is to please the masses, so [[WeWantOurJerkBack Daria works to restore the status quo]] (even willing to give herself [[BeautifulAllAlong a temporary makeover]]), if only so that their relationship can remain at "rivalry" as opposed to out-and-out holy war.
** Turns out to be GenerationXerox to some extent: their mother, Helen, has an acrimonious relationship with her older sister Rita, and to a lesser extent their younger sister Amy. Rita seems to be the pretty one, Amy the smart one, and Helen the overachiever who's become the most successful. Interestingly, each sister has their own gripes towards the other two. Despite being spoiled the most by their mother, Rita felt that Helen's achievements made Amy and herself look lazy; whereas Amy got out of doing anything for the family by shutting herself in. By comparison, Amy feels that Helen was too high strung/high maintenance (going as far to congratulate Jake for putting up with her) and resented the constant attention that Rita got from their mother which in turn led to Amy constantly withdrawing herself. Witnessing all this leads Daria and Quinn to decide that [[CharacterDevelopment they don't want to feel that kind of resentment toward each other twenty years down the line and start working to get along with each other better]].
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' has Helga, who's a tomboyish {{Tsundere}}, and Olga, who's pretty and brilliant. Of course, the rivalry is only present because of [[ParentalFavoritism their parents showing so much favoritism towards Olga]], who doesn't even want it in the first place and tells Helga that being ignored is ''better'' than being [[StageMom stifled and bound by said attention.]] The girls do generally care for each other.
* An adult example: ''WesternAnimation/AKindOfMagic'' has Willow, a cheerful fairy, and Ferocia, an evil witch.
* In the third season, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' reveals that Lin and Suyin Beifong were this. Lin was a young police officer, soon to rise rapidly through the ranks, and notably lacking when it came to navigating interpersonal relationships; Suyin was outgoing but a [[BrattyTeenageDaughter bratty wild child]] whose friends landed her in trouble. They really don't get on well when they first meet after thirty years but patch things up by the end of the show.
* This trope appears several times in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** First off, we have Celestia and Luna, the [[PhysicalGod embodiements of day and night]]. Older sister Celestia is the Popular One -- the [[GodEmperor God Empress]] of Equestria who brings daylight to the land, beloved by all of her people -- while the younger Luna shows traces of the Smart One (she has PsychicPowers including being a DreamWalker) and, in her opinion, isn't as well-liked, because everypony is asleep when she delivers nighttime to the world. Luna's jealousy of Celestia's popularity eventually [[GreenEyedMonster transforms her into the monstrous Nightmare Moon]], which in turn forces Celestia to banish her to the moon for a thousand years. By the end of the pilot, Luna has been healed, and the two sisters mend their relationship (though a few later episodes, and the tie-in comics, hint that they're still rivals, though to a far lesser extent). This is the central conflict in the Season 7 episode "A Royal Problem", with both sisters being upset with each other because they believe that the other has the easier job. Luna thinks Celestia has it easy basking in the love and adoration of her subjects. Celestia thinks Luna has it easy dealing with dreams instead of being a SlaveToPR. It pops up again in season 9’s “Between Darkness and Dawn”, when they start arguing over differing tastes in spending their vacation.
** Among the Mane Six, we have Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Like Celestia, Rarity is the Popular One and older of the two, a prim-and-proper pony who works as a seamstress/fashion designer and loves high society. Like Luna, Sweetie Belle is younger, and while not the polar opposite of her sister, she's far more energetic and playful, which contrasts with Rarity's posh attitude. Both Sweetie Belle-centric episodes ("Sisterhooves Social" and "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls") focus on the contrast between the sisters, with Sweetie becoming particularly jealous of Rarity and either declaring that she doesn't want to be her sister or intentionally sabotaging one of Rarity's important clients. Rarity and Sweetie Belle's relationship has been expressly compared to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's ''by Luna herself!''
** The trope is downplayed with Pinkie and Maud Pie. Pinkie is the younger sister and Popular One -- she's quite literally the embodiment of fun and laughter, has a bright pink color, and works as a party planner and apprentice baker in Ponyville. Older sister Maud is the Smart One -- she's an expert on rocks who is receiving a doctorate in the field, is dull gray, and has a single friend (a small pebble), at least until her boyfriend Mudbriar comes along. Both sisters are well aware of their severe contrast but don't try to change for one another and never ask each other to. This is perhaps best symbolized by the Pies' tradition of exchanging rock candy necklaces whenever they see each other -- Pinkie loves sugar and always devours hers right away, while Maud doesn't care for sweets and keeps them in a small box. But [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther despite their differences, they love each other dearly]].
** Finally, the trope is largely averted with Applejack and Apple Bloom. Both have pretty much the same personality -- headstrong, hard-working, and compassionate -- and get along extremely well. The only tension in their relationship was a [[CompressedVice single incident]] in "Somepony to Watch Over Me" where Applejack thought that Apple Bloom needed to be kept safe and babied her to an absurd degree.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'', Rapunzel's mother Arianna is a [[TheHighQueen reserved and responsible queen]] while her aunt Willow is [[BlitheSpirit fun-loving and outgoing]].
* Starfire and Blackfire on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. Starfire is the sweet, beautiful, GenkiGirl, and while she has trouble adapting to life on Earth, she still works hard to protect her adopted home. Meanwhile Blackfire has had little trouble fitting in on Earth but is a DarkChick who is only out for herself.
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* In Myth/PacificMythology, Pele (the goddess of fire) and Poli'ahu (one of the four goddesses of snow and ice) are like this. Not only because they are, you know, ''diametrically-opposed {{Elemental}} forces'', but because they often competed over the same mortal men, most memorably a young ''ali'i'' (chief) by the name of Aiwohikupua. They also competed in ''[[https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/holua-sledding-death-defying-sport-hawaiian-chiefs holua]]'' sledding, which (to make a long story short) is [[JustSoStory why there are glaciers on Mauna Kea, and why Mauna Kea is dormant]] (which was said to be Poli'ahu's home, [[DaddysGirl gifted to her by]] [[EveryoneIsRelated her and Pele's father]].)

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* In Myth/PacificMythology, Pele (the goddess of fire) and Poli'ahu (one of the four goddesses of snow and ice) are like this. Not only because they are, you know, ''diametrically-opposed {{Elemental}} elemental forces'', but because they often competed over the same mortal men, most memorably a young ''ali'i'' (chief) by the name of Aiwohikupua. They also competed in ''[[https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/holua-sledding-death-defying-sport-hawaiian-chiefs holua]]'' sledding, which (to make a long story short) is [[JustSoStory why there are glaciers on Mauna Kea, and why Mauna Kea is dormant]] (which was said to be Poli'ahu's home, [[DaddysGirl gifted to her by]] [[EveryoneIsRelated her and Pele's father]].)
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* Robin and Roz [=DeSanto=] of ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' are an odd take on this with Robin being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} ManicPixieDreamGirl and Roz being a DepravedBisexual AnythingThatMoves Nymphomaniac CamWhore.

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* Robin and Roz [=DeSanto=] of ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' are an odd take on this with Robin being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} ManicPixieDreamGirl and Roz being a DepravedBisexual AnythingThatMoves Nymphomaniac CamWhore.cam whore.
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The Chick is a disambiguation, not a trope.


** Larima, the older sister, is the stereotypical blonde beauty… and a CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, being an ''[[MakingASplash Elite-ranked]]'' [[MakingASplash Pacificator of Water]], and a very [[{{Ambadassador}} renowned ambassador]]. She's definitely ''not'' [[ObfuscatingStupidity stupid as]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer she looks]]. She's also the [[TheChick compassionate one]].

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** Larima, the older sister, is the stereotypical blonde beauty… and a CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, being an ''[[MakingASplash Elite-ranked]]'' [[MakingASplash Pacificator of Water]], and a very [[{{Ambadassador}} renowned ambassador]]. She's definitely ''not'' [[ObfuscatingStupidity stupid as]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer she looks]]. She's also the [[TheChick compassionate one]].one.
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* Lily Allen has a song ''Back to the Start'' that's all about this trope and Lily reconciling with her sister. Lily apparently was the smart one. (Not that Lily Allen herself is unattractive, but her sister "[was] and always will be/The taller and the prettier one".)
* ''Music/AshleeSimpson'' has a very intense take on this trope in ''Shadow'', written about her difficult, envy-ridden relationship with [[Music/JessicaSimpson her sister]].

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* Lily Allen Music/LilyAllen has a song ''Back to the Start'' that's all about this trope and Lily reconciling with her sister. Lily apparently was the smart one. (Not that Lily Allen herself is unattractive, but her sister "[was] and always will be/The taller and the prettier one".)
* ''Music/AshleeSimpson'' Music/AshleeSimpson has a very intense take on this trope in ''Shadow'', written about her difficult, envy-ridden relationship with [[Music/JessicaSimpson her sister]].

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* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/WesternAnimation
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/RealLife




[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' has Jen as The Smart One and Courtney as The Beautiful One in "It's Always Courtney, Courtney, Courtney".
* Surprisingly and refreshingly averted in ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingChanAndTheChanClan''. Anne Chan is the Smart One and a {{Bokukko}} while her older sister Suzie is TheCutie and the Pretty One, but they get along quite well. In fact, a good part of the SiblingRivalry tropes are averted in the cartoon: while the kids ''did'' have their disagreements, ''extended'' rivalries didn't really happen.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' has Abigail Lincoln, a.k.a. Numbuh Five, and her sister, Cree. This show takes this trope UpToEleven since Cree is a teenager and a sworn enemy of the Kids Next Door, in which Numbuh Five is involved. Cree was once a KND operative herself, known as Numbuh 11, and the sisters got along rather well then, but when Cree got older, she was no longer allowed in the KND but escaped being decommissioned. This has also somewhat caused their personal relationship to sour as well. One scene shows them at the dinner table pretending to get along, when in fact they're secretly aiming weapons at each other under the table.
* Alice Tompkins in ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' has a decades-long rivalry with her SouthernBelle sister, Miranda, who for the most part, is considered to be more attractive, and deliberately tries to upstage Alice every chance she gets, even at Alice's wedding. When Miranda finally admits to her sister that she's jealous of the life that she has with her job, her daughter, and her relationship with Jay, Alice takes a brief moment to rejoice.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'':
** Daria Morgendorffer is the titular character and the smart one, her sister Quinn is the fashionable, popular one. However, Quinn is shown to be fairly intelligent in her own right (which actually scares her, fearing she'd be kicked out of her clique), and Daria is shown to be attractive when she makes an effort (which scares ''her'', fearing it makes her as shallow as the conformist students she rails against). The sisters do begin to make peace in the final season. In the episode "Quinn the Brain", Quinn embraces a shallow sort of intellectualism because the dimmer wits wandering the school find her crappy poetry profound. Daria finds this even worse than her normal, self-imposed ditziness; she might not ''like'' Quinn's default personality but she'd rather her sister be herself than change who she is to please the masses, so [[WeWantOurJerkBack Daria works to restore the status quo]] (even willing to give herself [[BeautifulAllAlong a temporary makeover]]), if only so that their relationship can remain at "rivalry" as opposed to out-and-out holy war.
** Turns out to be GenerationXerox to some extent: their mother, Helen, has an acrimonious relationship with her older sister Rita, and to a lesser extent their younger sister Amy. Rita seems to be the pretty one, Amy the smart one, and Helen the overachiever who's become the most successful. Interestingly, each sister has their own gripes towards the other two. Despite being spoiled the most by their mother, Rita felt that Helen's achievements made Amy and herself look lazy; whereas Amy got out of doing anything for the family by shutting herself in. By comparison, Amy feels that Helen was too high strung/high maintenance (going as far to congratulate Jake for putting up with her) and resented the constant attention that Rita got from their mother which in turn led to Amy constantly withdrawing herself. Witnessing all this leads Daria and Quinn to decide that [[CharacterDevelopment they don't want to feel that kind of resentment toward each other twenty years down the line and start working to get along with each other better]].
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' has Helga, who's a tomboyish {{Tsundere}}, and Olga, who's pretty and brilliant. Of course, the rivalry is only present because of [[ParentalFavoritism their parents showing so much favoritism towards Olga]], who doesn't even want it in the first place and tells Helga that being ignored is ''better'' than being [[StageMom stifled and bound by said attention.]] The girls do generally care for each other.
* An adult example: ''WesternAnimation/AKindOfMagic'' has Willow, a cheerful fairy, and Ferocia, an evil witch.
* In the third season, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' reveals that Lin and Suyin Beifong were this. Lin was a young police officer, soon to rise rapidly through the ranks, and notably lacking when it came to navigating interpersonal relationships; Suyin was outgoing but a [[BrattyTeenageDaughter bratty wild child]] whose friends landed her in trouble. They really don't get on well when they first meet after thirty years but patch things up by the end of the show.
* This trope appears several times in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** First off, we have Celestia and Luna, the [[PhysicalGod embodiements of day and night]]. Older sister Celestia is the Popular One -- the [[GodEmperor God Empress]] of Equestria who brings daylight to the land, beloved by all of her people -- while the younger Luna shows traces of the Smart One (she has PsychicPowers including being a DreamWalker) and, in her opinion, isn't as well-liked, because everypony is asleep when she delivers nighttime to the world. Luna's jealousy of Celestia's popularity eventually [[GreenEyedMonster transforms her into the monstrous Nightmare Moon]], which in turn forces Celestia to banish her to the moon for a thousand years. By the end of the pilot, Luna has been healed, and the two sisters mend their relationship (though a few later episodes, and the tie-in comics, hint that they're still rivals, though to a far lesser extent). This is the central conflict in the Season 7 episode "A Royal Problem", with both sisters being upset with each other because they believe that the other has the easier job. Luna thinks Celestia has it easy basking in the love and adoration of her subjects. Celestia thinks Luna has it easy dealing with dreams instead of being a SlaveToPR.
** Among the Mane Six, we have Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Like Celestia, Rarity is the Popular One and older of the two, a prim-and-proper pony who works as a seamstress/fashion designer and loves high society. Like Luna, Sweetie Belle is younger, and while not the polar opposite of her sister, she's far more energetic and playful, which contrasts with Rarity's posh attitude. Both Sweetie Belle-centric episodes ("Sisterhooves Social" and "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls") focus on the contrast between the sisters, with Sweetie becoming particularly jealous of Rarity and either declaring that she doesn't want to be her sister or intentionally sabotaging one of Rarity's important clients. Rarity and Sweetie Belle's relationship has been expressly compared to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's ''by Luna herself!''
** The trope is downplayed with Pinkie and Maud Pie. Pinkie is the younger sister and Popular One -- she's quite literally the embodiment of fun and laughter, has a bright pink color, and works as a party planner and apprentice baker in Ponyville. Older sister Maud is the Smart One -- she's an expert on rocks who is receiving a doctorate in the field, is dull gray, and has a single friend (a small pebble). Both sisters are well aware of their severe contrast but don't try to change for one another and never ask each other to. This is perhaps best symbolized by the Pies' tradition of exchanging rock candy necklaces whenever they see each other -- Pinkie loves sugar and always devours hers right away, while Maud doesn't care for sweets and keeps them in a small box. But [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther despite their differences, they love each other dearly]].
** Finally, the trope is largely averted with Applejack and Apple Bloom. Both have pretty much the same personality -- headstrong, hard-working, and compassionate -- and get along extremely well. The only tension in their relationship was a [[CompressedVice single incident]] in "Somepony to Watch Over Me" where Applejack thought that Apple Bloom needed to be kept safe and babied her to an absurd degree.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'', Rapunzel's mother Arianna is a [[TheHighQueen reserved and responsible queen]] while her aunt Willow is [[BlitheSpirit fun-loving and outgoing]].
* Starfire and Blackfire on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. Starfire is the sweet, beautiful, GenkiGirl while Blackfire is a smart, evil, DarkChick.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Creator/JKRowling, the writer of ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', and her sister Dianne. They seem to get along pretty well, but growing up, everybody decided that Rowling was "the smart one" and Dianne was "the pretty one," and neither was particularly happy with their role. (For the record, Dianne is now a lawyer.)
* Authors A.S. Byatt and Margaret Drabble. If Byatt's "The Game" is to be taken as autobiographical, Byatt was the Smart Sister and Drabble was the Popular One.
* Going by her autobiography, Jessica Mitford spent a certain amount of her adolescence in an extraordinarily black-comedic variant on this; she was developing into a lifelong socialist at precisely the same time as her sister Unity was becoming an [[NaziNobleman extremely dedicated British Fascist]] (and personal friends with most of the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi high command]]). Furthermore, there was a definite pretty one/smart one element to it; while neither was ugly, Unity was considered prettier (once he met her, Hitler -- with whom she may or may not have had an affair -- called her "a perfect specimen of Aryan womanhood"), while Jessica was famous for being crazy-smart (she wrote a lot of articles and books later in life). Until the international situation [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII began to get really dire]], they behaved almost ''exactly'' like every other pair of arguing teenagers. Did we mention they shared a room? Well, they shared a room -- which, as soon as their politics were cemented, they [[ThisIsMySide split down the middle with a chalk line]] and decorated on each side in the symbols of their ideologies (Unity in swastikas and pictures of Hitler, 'Decca' in hammers and sickles and pictures of Lenin).
** What makes this really sad is that there's evidence that when they were children Unity and 'Decca' were very close and shared a secret society and language, among other examples.
* [[Literature/TheDiaryOfAYoungGirl Anne Frank's diary]] is full of this kind of thing about her older sister Margot, who she claimed was prettier, nicer, smarter, more mature, and just "better," in contrast to Anne's adolescent awkwardness and mood swings. She also wrote about times she thought her parents were favoring Margot over her.
* This was the relationship between the Tudor Queens of England, [[UsefulNotes/MaryTudor "Bloody" Mary I]] and her younger half-sister [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]]. Mary's happy childhood as the only surviving child of UsefulNotes/HenryVIII came to a crashing halt when Henry took up with UsefulNotes/AnneBoleyn, for whom he divorced Mary's mother Catherine of Aragon. Anne was [[WickedStepmother infamously cruel to Mary]], persuading Henry to strip his daughter of her rightful title of 'Princess' and even forcing her to be a nursemaid to the infant who supplanted her as heir to the throne. Nevertheless, the much-older Mary was fond of her little sister and also their mutual half-brother Edward (later Edward VI). As Elizabeth grew older, however, Mary began to see her as a rival, a fact which was cemented during Mary's queenship. Their opposing religions did not help; Mary was a steadfast Catholic (under the influence of her devout Spanish mother) while Elizabeth had been reared in the (Protestant) Church of England. When Mary became Queen, Protestant plots to depose her and place Elizabeth on the throne resulted in Elizabeth being arrested and imprisoned several times. Elizabeth was much younger, prettier, and much, much smarter than poor Mary; she was unhappy, aging badly, despised by her subjects, unable to have children, and eventually died of a tumor. Against her inclination, she had no choice but to leave the throne to the sister she resented.
** It has been speculated that the current [[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen Queen Elizabeth]] was not immune to this effect. Princess Elizabeth was never intended to be a contender to the throne: her father George, after all, was merely the younger brother of King Edward VIII, a man who, barring accident or the unthinkable act -- abdication -- was set to be King until well into the twentieth century. But events conspired, her father ascended a tarnished throne as King George VI, led a country through [=WW2=], and died young in 1952, so the eldest of his two daughters became Queen Elizabeth II. The ongoing calculated bad behaviour and imperious hauteur of her younger sister, Princess Margaret Rose, was out in public for all to see: Margaret lived in perpetual jealousy of Elizabeth's role as Queen, [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling and her antics were designed to embarrass the reign.]] Elizabeth is said to have felt like the dowdy and plain one next to her sister, a woman who regularly figured in lists of the world's most beautiful women and who was known for her grand living. While Margaret had some love and affection for her sister, she pushed the boundaries of acceptable behaviour and caused Elizabeth constant dread and embarrassment: her affairs were legion, not especially discreet, and included Peter Sellers and (according to legend) Mick Jagger, among many others. As the sisters entered middle age, however, Elizabeth asserted greater control as Margaret's looks faded and died; lacking the looks to keep rich lovers, Margaret now depended on her sister's dole and had to toe the Windsor party line -- effectively, the Queen was taking her revenge for the put-downs and exquisite embarrassments of earlier years.
* Creator/JoanFontaine and Creator/OliviaDeHavilland. One of the most famous feuds in Old Hollywood, and was STILL ongoing at this entry's original inclusion in 2012. By the time of Joan's death in 2013[[note]]Ironically, Joan had joked that if she were to die first, Olivia would probably be annoyed because she'd beaten her at something[[/note]], both sisters were just a little under 100 and hadn't spoken to each other in the 30 years after their mother died. The rivalry was all the more intense because both of them were A-list actresses back in the day, each winning Oscars for Best Actress. Rivalry compounded by the fact Joan had been ''forbidden'' by her parents to use her family name for acting -- she had to settle for their stepdad’s name, "Fontaine”.
-->'''Olivia''': Imagine what we could have done if we had gotten together. We could have selected the right scripts, the right directors, the right producers -- we could have built our own empire. But it was not to be.
* Chinese empress [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Yanyan Xiao Yan Yan]] had two older sisters and hated both of them. One of them tried to poison her, so Xiao Yan Yan forced her to commit suicide. The other one was imprisoned and executed on Xiao Yan Yan's orders.
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[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Urd and Skuld of ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' play with this Trope six ways 'til Sunday. While Urd is the Popular Sister and Skuld is the Smart Sister, Urd is no intellectual slouch herself (and quite the DeadpanSnarker), and Skuld can be either a BrattyHalfPint or a {{Yandere}}. Still, they have their sweet moments. [[RuleOfFunny To add to the hilarity]], they're also LoveObstructingParents; they have a middle "child", Belldandy (who ''is'' a happy medium between the two, incidentally, and a [[NiceGirl real sweetheart]]), and live under the roof of Keiichi Morisato -- while Urd [[ShipperOnDeck makes attempts to bring the two together]], Skuld sees Keiichi as a rival for Belldandy's attention [[ShippingTorpedo and tries to keep the two apart.]]
* In the second season of ''Anime/AldnoahZero'', [[spoiler: Princess Lemrina Vers Envers]] is the Smart Sister and she heavily resents her Pretty Sister [[spoiler: Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia]] since [[spoiler: she is an IllGirl ''and'' an illegitimate child while Asseylum is the "official" Martian Princess]], and seeks to replace her as she [[spoiler: works with Saazbaum and Slaine as Asseylum's BodyDouble.]]
* In ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'' Alita's [[SendInTheClones TUNED clones]] had a ''literal'' War (or, more precisely, Hunt) Of Sisterly Rivalry, where [[YouAreNumberSix GR-6]] sought to destroy every other clone and then the original [[MiddleChildSyndrome to prove herself]]. The only survivors of which, GR-6 and the twins GR-11 and GR-12 later started to call themselves [[BilingualBonus Sechs, Elf and Zwoelf]] respectively, and retroactively kinda ''became'' [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling her siblings]], pushing the trope further. Though [[BloodKnight Sechs]] actually dropped out of it, due to [[RunningGag now]] [[GenderBender him]] switching to the DumbassTeenageSon role.
* [[spoiler:Hilda and Yolda]] from ''Manga/{{Beelzebub}}'' absolutely despise each other, so much so that they would gladly kill if needed, as demons are encouraged to dispose of their rivals. While both are beautiful and powerful, the former was always favoured -- however, both have also shown willingness to help the other when she needs it.
** It even gets lampshaded after an arc where both go through a lot to save one another, that if it wasn't for the fact that they serve demon lord rivals, they would probably be completely loving sisters. After the arc, they act a bit nicer to one another.
* Slightly subverted in ''Manga/BlackButler'' as beautiful Rachel Durless apparently never feels threatened by smart Angelina, while Angelina feels deeply envious of Rachel but still loves her dearly and the main reason she wants to be a doctor is to help her older sister who is asthmatic. [[spoiler: Not helped by how Earl Vincent Phantomhive, the love of Angelina's life, marries Rachel, has Ciel with her... and they're both murdered a few years later.]]
* Parodied in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. In the early chapters, there is a running gag where Rukia is often seen reading a shojo manga, which, according to supplemental materials from the tankoban, is about two sisters having a private war over a box left to them by their dead mother.
** In-series, this is averted by the Kotetsu sisters. Older sister Isane is the "Beautiful" one since she's a kind and softspoken healer, while younger sister Kiyone is the "smart" one thanks to being a FieryRedhead, but they get along pretty well as we can see.
* ''Anime/BloodPlus'': Saya is the "Smart" Sister, though she's not so much snarky or intelligent so much as she embraces her humanity [[spoiler:and excludes herself from the world because of her deathwish]]. Diva is the Beautiful Sister, and is well aware of her sex appeal and how to use it, and wants to create a world where she can live openly and as she sees fit. [[note]]As a side note, they are literally at war with each other.[[/note]]
* Semi-averted by Momiji Fujimiya (Beautiful) and Kaede Kunikida (Smart), the fraternal twin CainAndAbel sisters of ''Manga/BlueSeed''. Since they were SeparatedAtBirth Momiji didn't even know she had a twin older sister until they came into conflict [[spoiler: as Kaede has grown massively disillusioned of her BarrierMaiden deal]], though in the end, Momiji is able to use her pure-hearted belief in their sisterhood to her advantage [[spoiler: so she can bring Kaede back from her FaceHeelTurn. (Which turns out to be a FakeDefector plan in the end)]].
* ''Manga/CaseClosed'':
** Mina (beautiful) and Masayo (smart) Aoshima. [[spoiler: Taken to horrible levels when Masayo ''kills'' Mina over a huge misunderstanding.]]
** Also, in Detective Conan Special, the Matsumoto sisters. Kiwako (beautiful) and Chieko (smart), complete with very harsh rivalry. [[spoiler:Subverted when it's revealed that all of the rivalry was an act in order to kill the victim who stole the music school and forced their father to commit suicide. In truth, they really love each other]].
** Again with the Kataoka sisters, Sayuri (beautiful) and Saki (smart). [[spoiler:Saki has always been jealous that her sister was the favorite child since the old days, became a famous idol and married (later divorced) her boyfriend Keiichi,]] but her last straw broke when [[spoiler:Sayuri came to star in Saki's plays and performed even BETTER than her. It got worse, needless to say, and Saki ended up ''beating Sayuri to death'''.]]
* In ''LightNovel/DateALive'' the Yamai twins first appear locked in a struggle with one another, with the winner absorbing the loser to become the true Yamai. They are very close in appearance but with wildly different personalities. [[spoiler:The two love each other deeply and have secretly been throwing their fights to avoid killing one another; when they discover this their trash talk changes to convincing the other sister they should be the winner until Shidou seals their powers]].
* Agon and Unsui of ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' are probably the closest example of a male version of this trope. Agon is popular (especially with women), arrogant, shallow, lazy and condescending. Unsui is reserved, analytical, serious, hard-working, and eternally overshadowed by his brother in every way. They don't necessarily argue, but Unsui often scolds Agon for being a {{jerkass}} and Agon loves to tease his brother.
* Erina and Alice Nakiri in ''Manga/FoodWars'' are a cousin variation of this, although they zigzag a bit on the "smart" and "beautiful" roles. Erina was mean to Alice when they were growing up and still looks down on her, preferring to stand as the superior chef. In exchange, Alice teases Erina where she knows her cousin is less experienced — social life and behaving like a normal teenager. Despite this, as the story advances it's revealed that the two love each other very much.
* Hinagiku and Yukiji Katsura of ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' could qualify. Popularity isn't quite as significant though. Hinagiku is the school idol and Yukiji is a teacher but noticeably less popular. Yukiji likes to drink and is constantly wasting money, while Hina is the student council president, president of the kendo club and seems to be good with money, at least to the effect of lending large amounts to her sister.
** The two also apparently have the rivalry of their foster parents' affections. Yukiji is favored by their father while Hinagiku is for their mother.
** It seems while it isn't a point of contention to cause the two to argue, Yukiji does have a grudge over her sister's popularity. And Hinagiku doesn't seem to have any reluctance to harm her sister, particularly when Yukiji barges in on her changing. OTOH, though, Hina is shown to have quite a bit of respect for her older sister, using 'onee-san' even while berating.
* Subverted in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', when Ginga Nakajima, Subaru's beautiful and more accomplished older sister is first introduced. While we are first led to believe by Subaru's subdued reaction to Ginga's transfer that there is some unresolved tension between the two, it is soon revealed to be just Subaru struggling to express her joy properly -- for her relationship with Ginga is actually very close and trusting [[spoiler:and is rooted in a ''lot'' of trauma they've endured together]].
* In ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'', we have Princess Hakuei and her cousin Princess Kougyoku, who become step-sisters after Hakuei's mother marries Kougyoku's father. Both girls are very beautiful as well as powerful fighters, but Hakuei is a [[ProperLady Proper]] LadyOfWar loved by pretty much everyone, while Kougyoku is low-born and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends VERY socially awkward with next to no friends]]...so Kougyoku envies Hakuei a LOT, both for [[KissingCousins having a good relationship]] with Prince Kouen (whom Kougyoku might admire...[[BigBrotherAttraction a bit too much]]) and for her popularity and skill.
* ''Manga/MinamiKe'' spreads the trope over three sisters instead of two, though it's largely borne by Kana (the Popular Sister, minus the actual popularity) and Chiaki (mostly the Smart Sister). Eldest Haruka picks up the "popularity" aspect of Popular Sister and "responsibility" fragments of the Smart Sister role. The warring is entirely between Kana and Chiaki as well and is mostly over Kana wanting Chiaki to participate in her shenanigans, and Chiaki calling Kana an idiot and preferring her '''own''' shenanigans.
* ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' has the Anarchy sisters, with Panty being the Beautiful One and Stocking being the Smart One. When they're not fighting Ghosts, they are often quarreling with each other, especially in "Transwhoremers".
* Poor Misty from ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' has to deal with Popular ''Triplet'' Sisters! It doesn't help that while not bad people, Daisy, Violet, and Lily are completely irresponsible Gym Leaders as well, causing Misty to leave Ash and Brock at the end of Johto.
* Narumi (beautiful) and Kurumi (smart) in ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis''. They adore each other, yes, but Kurumi also feels very awkward as she feels Narumi is overshadowing her.
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' plays around with this trope. Nabiki is not so much "smart" as she is "cunning" and enormously popular with the guys even when ''everyone'' knows she only dates them in order to fleece them for all they're worth. Also, it's "Beautiful" Akane who criticizes Nabiki for her shallowness and materialistic attitude.
* Subverted with [[spoiler: Hilda (Beautiful) and Freya (Smart)]] in ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', since normally the smart sister [[OneeSama adores the beautiful one]] and is loved back by her, and are on opposing sides only when [[spoiler: Hilda is BrainwashedAndCrazy and Freya is the [[CassandraTruth the only one who realizes this]] [[DefectorFromDecadence so she runs away to get help on how to save her]]. Once Hilda is released, she returns to her gentler self and the sisters are tearfully reunited.]]
* Karala (the popular younger sister) and Harulu (the smart older one) from ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'' go for the CainAndAbel route.
* Downplayed in ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' with the witch sisters Yubaba and Zeniba. The two lead vastly different lives -- Yubaba is a wealthy businesswoman who runs a famous bathhouse for tired spirits, which technically makes her the Smart One (as she has a head for numbers and industry), while Zeniba lives alone in a small cottage in the woods; the [[TrueCompanions heroes]] of the film come to like her more than Yubaba, so she could be considered the Popular One. The two sisters aren't fond of each other, but they don't seem all that interested in pursuing their rivalry; it's more a case of leaving one another alone unless provoked.
* Momo and Nana Deviluke from ''Manga/ToLoveRu'', even more so in the sequel ''Darkness''. Momo, the younger one, is more extroverted, devious, scheming, sexually active, comfortable herself and quite popular, while Nana, far from bookish or unpopular, is far more straightforward, cynical, sheltered and a {{Tsundere}}.
* Lady Jaguara and her younger twin sister Hamona from ''Anime/WolfsRain''. In this case, [[SiblingTriangle there was also a man involved]].
[[/folder]]

to:

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
[[index]]
* Urd and Skuld of ''Manga/AhMyGoddess'' play with this Trope six ways 'til Sunday. While Urd is the Popular Sister and Skuld is the Smart Sister, Urd is no intellectual slouch herself (and quite the DeadpanSnarker), and Skuld can be either a BrattyHalfPint or a {{Yandere}}. Still, they have their sweet moments. [[RuleOfFunny To add to the hilarity]], they're also LoveObstructingParents; they have a middle "child", Belldandy (who ''is'' a happy medium between the two, incidentally, and a [[NiceGirl real sweetheart]]), and live under the roof of Keiichi Morisato -- while Urd [[ShipperOnDeck makes attempts to bring the two together]], Skuld sees Keiichi as a rival for Belldandy's attention [[ShippingTorpedo and tries to keep the two apart.]]
TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/AnimeAndManga
* In the second season of ''Anime/AldnoahZero'', [[spoiler: Princess Lemrina Vers Envers]] is the Smart Sister and she heavily resents her Pretty Sister [[spoiler: Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia]] since [[spoiler: she is an IllGirl ''and'' an illegitimate child while Asseylum is the "official" Martian Princess]], and seeks to replace her as she [[spoiler: works with Saazbaum and Slaine as Asseylum's BodyDouble.]]
TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/FanWorks
* In ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'' Alita's [[SendInTheClones TUNED clones]] had a ''literal'' War (or, more precisely, Hunt) Of Sisterly Rivalry, where [[YouAreNumberSix GR-6]] sought to destroy every other clone and then the original [[MiddleChildSyndrome to prove herself]]. The only survivors of which, GR-6 and the twins GR-11 and GR-12 later started to call themselves [[BilingualBonus Sechs, Elf and Zwoelf]] respectively, and retroactively kinda ''became'' [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling her siblings]], pushing the trope further. Though [[BloodKnight Sechs]] actually dropped out of it, due to [[RunningGag now]] [[GenderBender him]] switching to the DumbassTeenageSon role.
TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/{{Film}}
* [[spoiler:Hilda and Yolda]] from ''Manga/{{Beelzebub}}'' absolutely despise each other, so much so that they would gladly kill if needed, as demons are encouraged to dispose of their rivals. While both are beautiful and powerful, the former was always favoured -- however, both have also shown willingness to help the other when she needs it.
** It even gets lampshaded after an arc where both go through a lot to save one another, that if it wasn't for the fact that they serve demon lord rivals, they would probably be completely loving sisters. After the arc, they act a bit nicer to one another.
TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/{{Literature}}
* Slightly subverted in ''Manga/BlackButler'' as beautiful Rachel Durless apparently never feels threatened by smart Angelina, while Angelina feels deeply envious of Rachel but still loves her dearly and the main reason she wants to be a doctor is to help her older sister who is asthmatic. [[spoiler: Not helped by how Earl Vincent Phantomhive, the love of Angelina's life, marries Rachel, has Ciel with her... and they're both murdered a few years later.]]
TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/LiveActionTV
* Parodied in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. In the early chapters, there is a running gag where Rukia is often seen reading a shojo manga, which, according to supplemental materials from the tankoban, is about two sisters having a private war over a box left to them by their dead mother.
** In-series, this is averted by the Kotetsu sisters. Older sister Isane is the "Beautiful" one since she's a kind and softspoken healer, while younger sister Kiyone is the "smart" one thanks to being a FieryRedhead, but they get along pretty well as we can see.
TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/{{Theatre}}
* ''Anime/BloodPlus'': Saya is the "Smart" Sister, though she's not so much snarky or intelligent so much as she embraces her humanity [[spoiler:and excludes herself from the world because of her deathwish]]. Diva is the Beautiful Sister, and is well aware of her sex appeal and how to use it, and wants to create a world where she can live openly and as she sees fit. [[note]]As a side note, they are literally at war with each other.[[/note]]
* Semi-averted by Momiji Fujimiya (Beautiful) and Kaede Kunikida (Smart), the fraternal twin CainAndAbel sisters of ''Manga/BlueSeed''. Since they were SeparatedAtBirth Momiji didn't even know she had a twin older sister until they came into conflict [[spoiler: as Kaede has grown massively disillusioned of her BarrierMaiden deal]], though in the end, Momiji is able to use her pure-hearted belief in their sisterhood to her advantage [[spoiler: so she can bring Kaede back from her FaceHeelTurn. (Which turns out to be a FakeDefector plan in the end)]].
* ''Manga/CaseClosed'':
** Mina (beautiful) and Masayo (smart) Aoshima. [[spoiler: Taken to horrible levels when Masayo ''kills'' Mina over a huge misunderstanding.]]
** Also, in Detective Conan Special, the Matsumoto sisters. Kiwako (beautiful) and Chieko (smart), complete with very harsh rivalry. [[spoiler:Subverted when it's revealed that all of the rivalry was an act in order to kill the victim who stole the music school and forced their father to commit suicide. In truth, they really love each other]].
** Again with the Kataoka sisters, Sayuri (beautiful) and Saki (smart). [[spoiler:Saki has always been jealous that her sister was the favorite child since the old days, became a famous idol and married (later divorced) her boyfriend Keiichi,]] but her last straw broke when [[spoiler:Sayuri came to star in Saki's plays and performed even BETTER than her. It got worse, needless to say, and Saki ended up ''beating Sayuri to death'''.]]
* In ''LightNovel/DateALive'' the Yamai twins first appear locked in a struggle with one another, with the winner absorbing the loser to become the true Yamai. They are very close in appearance but with wildly different personalities. [[spoiler:The two love each other deeply and have secretly been throwing their fights to avoid killing one another; when they discover this their trash talk changes to convincing the other sister they should be the winner until Shidou seals their powers]].
* Agon and Unsui of ''Manga/{{Eyeshield 21}}'' are probably the closest example of a male version of this trope. Agon is popular (especially with women), arrogant, shallow, lazy and condescending. Unsui is reserved, analytical, serious, hard-working, and eternally overshadowed by his brother in every way. They don't necessarily argue, but Unsui often scolds Agon for being a {{jerkass}} and Agon loves to tease his brother.
* Erina and Alice Nakiri in ''Manga/FoodWars'' are a cousin variation of this, although they zigzag a bit on the "smart" and "beautiful" roles. Erina was mean to Alice when they were growing up and still looks down on her, preferring to stand as the superior chef. In exchange, Alice teases Erina where she knows her cousin is less experienced — social life and behaving like a normal teenager. Despite this, as the story advances it's revealed that the two love each other very much.
* Hinagiku and Yukiji Katsura of ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' could qualify. Popularity isn't quite as significant though. Hinagiku is the school idol and Yukiji is a teacher but noticeably less popular. Yukiji likes to drink and is constantly wasting money, while Hina is the student council president, president of the kendo club and seems to be good with money, at least to the effect of lending large amounts to her sister.
** The two also apparently have the rivalry of their foster parents' affections. Yukiji is favored by their father while Hinagiku is for their mother.
** It seems while it isn't a point of contention to cause the two to argue, Yukiji does have a grudge over her sister's popularity. And Hinagiku doesn't seem to have any reluctance to harm her sister, particularly when Yukiji barges in on her changing. OTOH, though, Hina is shown to have quite a bit of respect for her older sister, using 'onee-san' even while berating.
* Subverted in ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikers'', when Ginga Nakajima, Subaru's beautiful and more accomplished older sister is first introduced. While we are first led to believe by Subaru's subdued reaction to Ginga's transfer that there is some unresolved tension between the two, it is soon revealed to be just Subaru struggling to express her joy properly -- for her relationship with Ginga is actually very close and trusting [[spoiler:and is rooted in a ''lot'' of trauma they've endured together]].
* In ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'', we have Princess Hakuei and her cousin Princess Kougyoku, who become step-sisters after Hakuei's mother marries Kougyoku's father. Both girls are very beautiful as well as powerful fighters, but Hakuei is a [[ProperLady Proper]] LadyOfWar loved by pretty much everyone, while Kougyoku is low-born and [[IJustWantToHaveFriends VERY socially awkward with next to no friends]]...so Kougyoku envies Hakuei a LOT, both for [[KissingCousins having a good relationship]] with Prince Kouen (whom Kougyoku might admire...[[BigBrotherAttraction a bit too much]]) and for her popularity and skill.
* ''Manga/MinamiKe'' spreads the trope over three sisters instead of two, though it's largely borne by Kana (the Popular Sister, minus the actual popularity) and Chiaki (mostly the Smart Sister). Eldest Haruka picks up the "popularity" aspect of Popular Sister and "responsibility" fragments of the Smart Sister role. The warring is entirely between Kana and Chiaki as well and is mostly over Kana wanting Chiaki to participate in her shenanigans, and Chiaki calling Kana an idiot and preferring her '''own''' shenanigans.
* ''Anime/PantyAndStockingWithGarterbelt'' has the Anarchy sisters, with Panty being the Beautiful One and Stocking being the Smart One. When they're not fighting Ghosts, they are often quarreling with each other, especially in "Transwhoremers".
* Poor Misty from ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' has to deal with Popular ''Triplet'' Sisters! It doesn't help that while not bad people, Daisy, Violet, and Lily are completely irresponsible Gym Leaders as well, causing Misty to leave Ash and Brock at the end of Johto.
* Narumi (beautiful) and Kurumi (smart) in ''Manga/ThePrinceOfTennis''. They adore each other, yes, but Kurumi also feels very awkward as she feels Narumi is overshadowing her.
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' plays around with this trope. Nabiki is not so much "smart" as she is "cunning" and enormously popular with the guys even when ''everyone'' knows she only dates them in order to fleece them for all they're worth. Also, it's "Beautiful" Akane who criticizes Nabiki for her shallowness and materialistic attitude.
* Subverted with [[spoiler: Hilda (Beautiful) and Freya (Smart)]] in ''Manga/SaintSeiya'', since normally the smart sister [[OneeSama adores the beautiful one]] and is loved back by her, and are on opposing sides only when [[spoiler: Hilda is BrainwashedAndCrazy and Freya is the [[CassandraTruth the only one who realizes this]] [[DefectorFromDecadence so she runs away to get help on how to save her]]. Once Hilda is released, she returns to her gentler self and the sisters are tearfully reunited.]]
* Karala (the popular younger sister) and Harulu (the smart older one) from ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'' go for the CainAndAbel route.
* Downplayed in ''Anime/SpiritedAway'' with the witch sisters Yubaba and Zeniba. The two lead vastly different lives -- Yubaba is a wealthy businesswoman who runs a famous bathhouse for tired spirits, which technically makes her the Smart One (as she has a head for numbers and industry), while Zeniba lives alone in a small cottage in the woods; the [[TrueCompanions heroes]] of the film come to like her more than Yubaba, so she could be considered the Popular One. The two sisters aren't fond of each other, but they don't seem all that interested in pursuing their rivalry; it's more a case of leaving one another alone unless provoked.
* Momo and Nana Deviluke from ''Manga/ToLoveRu'', even more so in the sequel ''Darkness''. Momo, the younger one, is more extroverted, devious, scheming, sexually active, comfortable herself and quite popular, while Nana, far from bookish or unpopular, is far more straightforward, cynical, sheltered and a {{Tsundere}}.
* Lady Jaguara and her younger twin sister Hamona from ''Anime/WolfsRain''. In this case, [[SiblingTriangle there was also a man involved]].
[[/folder]]
TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry/VideoGames
[[/index]]



[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Fanfic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed'', Princess Celestia is very popular and well-loved among her citizens, most likely due to her established cult of personality, while Princess Luna is seen more as the outcast and "the lanky, weird one". This leads to slight jealousy on Luna's end which eventually bubbles over to a literal all-out Civil War.
* In ''Fanfic/HarrysNewHome'', although both sisters were attractive, the blonde one was bubbly, outgoing and utterly dimwitted, while the brunette was quieter, more intellectual and a bit of a DeadpanSnarker.
* Administrivia/SeenItAMillionTimes in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic. [[TheHighQueen Princess]] [[ThePrankster Celestia]] is the popular one, Princess Luna the smart one (more or less; she's certainly the headstrong one), and they're both already pranksters...
* In ''Fanfic/ADifferentDursleyFamily'', Petunia speculates that her mother tried to invoke this by only praising her daughters when they were out of earshot and unfavorably comparing them to each other, perhaps out of the belief that it would lead to healthy competition. It didn't work, and Petunia struggles with her resentment towards Lily for years, even seeking therapy when it starts to affect the way she treats Harry.
* Hope and Will from ''Fanfic/AnAstralDropInHeatherfield'' may be identical in appearance but they quickly carve out very different niches in the family -- feisty, athletic Will versus the sociable and diligent Hope.
* The relationship between Flandre and Remilia Scarlet has slowly turned into this by the time ''Fanfic/{{A New World|IcedFairy}}'' begins. There's still a lot of sororal love -- it's just that Flandre has reached a certain plateau of SmugSuper, ''knowing'' she's the strongest vampire in Gensokyo, while Remilia has largely given up on her ambitions after the deaths of Meiling and Sakuya. Flandre also resents Remilia for losing herself in her grief and entering torpor instead of staying with her.
* Wicke is revealed to have this with her older sister Pia in ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines''. As an adult, Wicke describes her relationship with Pia as "a long, lengthy, guerrilla war of aggravation", and it didn't improve with age one bit.
* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fic ''Strandpiel'', by Creator/AAPessimal:
** Graduate Assassin, Ruth N'Kweze, is recalled Home by her father, an autocratic King, to take up her duties as Paramount Crown Princess. After having established her credentials as a Princess (by raising her own loyal Army and fighting a winning war), she then starts to steer the future course of the Empire. Ruth has lots of half-sisters -- and half-brothers -- through her father's many wives. Her sisters are jealous of the way she has risen to prominence and several ineffectual assassination attempts are mounted from her loving siblings. But unlike Ruth, most of her half-sisters were not trained by the Guild of Assassins. Several jealous sisters find out the hard way.
** Elsewhere only daughters are born to two Grand Ducal families in what is left of the Discworld's UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} after its version of Soviet collapse. Olga Romanoff and Natasha Romanoff are cousins. If they agree on one thing, it is that as only children they were deprived of a chance to slug it out with an actual sibling. Being cousins, however, is the same thing at one level removed.
* ''Fanfic/WhiteSheepRWBY'': Jaune's seven sisters (eight with adopted sister Cinder) are in constant ongoing war with each other. Cinder still remembers the day she woke up to find her hair in pigtails ([[BestServedCold she's going to find out who was responsible eventually]]), Coral and Sapphire fight over Qrow (Coral wants to fuck him, Sapphire wants to kill him), and when taken to a safe house they all fight over who gets the biggest rooms (their father doesn't bother telling them they're all the same size).
* In [[Fanfic/TheMasksWeWearTeenTitans The Masks We Wear Teen Titans]] Samantha Vanaver forces John to become a Talon by threatening to take Dick away from him and Mary. Then drugs and rapes him after he completes his training as a Talon, all to spite Mary out of jealousy because Samantha was his ex-girlfriend. Samantha is Mary's half-sister but Mary never knew they were related.
* Male example in ''Fanfic/APairingOfSouls''. Shen Jiu is the smart brother able to plan for survival and to read the romantic undertones between Luo Binghe and Shen Yuan whom he berates for his naivety yet secretly envies for being more lovable than himself, while Shen Yuan is the pretty one who charms almost everyone he meets through his kindness but considers himself unimpressive in front of Shen Jiu's rightfully earned achievements. They deeply care for and are quite protective of each other, though.
[[/folder]]



[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* Kat and Bianca Stratford from ''[[Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou 10 Things I Hate About You]]''. Kat is the smart [[TheLadette ladette]] and almost a StrawFeminist, while Bianca is the pretty and popular one, who only seems to think about having a boyfriend. [[spoiler: But in the end, they can move beyond the negative parts of their respective personalities and become closer to each other.]]
%%* Tess and Jane Nichols from ''Film/TwentySevenDresses''.
* ''[[Film/AMaSoeur Fat Girl]]''. An overweight 13-year-old girl is jealous of her beautiful 15-year-old sister because she gets to have sex (she longs to have sex herself) ''and'' has an affair with a boy right in front of her, no less.
* This trope forms much of Gamora and Nebula's relationship in the ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' films, at least until the end of the second (and even then, to some extent): Gamora is the beautiful, talented sister, whereas Nebula has been mutilated by her father to the point where she's more robot than human.
* ''Literature/InHerShoes'' plays this trope in a serious manner, as both sisters struggle with their own insecurities and with the 20 plus year death of their mother.
* The plot of ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'' centers on the growing rivalry between sisters Dottie and Kit Hinson. Scouts are unimpressed by Kit’s batting and will only allow her a tryout if the more skilled Dottie agrees to try out as well. Knowing how much Kit wants to escape their small town, Dottie agrees to try out for her sister’s sake.
* ''Film/MenWithBrooms'' features a variation: Both sisters are The Smart Sister; one happens to be the Prodigal Daughter (went to college, joined [[{{Expy}} The American Space Agency]], became an astronaut) while the other is [[TheDutifulSon The Dutiful Daughter]], who stayed home with the family and cared for their father. Also, [[TriangRelations both are romantic interests]] for the main character of the film, Chris Cutter.
* In ''Film/NewYorkMinute'', though the sisters are identical twins, Jane is an overachiever trying to earn a prestigious scholarship, while Roxy is laid back, habitually skips school, and dreams of becoming a rock star.
* ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory'' and the musical version ''Film/HighSociety'' has the Lord sisters: Tracy, the older, beautiful, popular socialite sister; and Caroline, the teenage, unrefined, [[TheSnarkKnight sarcastic]] tomboy. A variation, as neither sister is really smarter than the other; however Tracy is ''acting'' stupidly, marrying the wrong man, while her sister [[ShipperOnDeck knows who she should really be with]].
* Millie (Smart) and Madge (Beautiful) from ''{{Picnic}}''.
* The 2001 adaptation of ''Literature/PrettyThings'' based on a novel by Virginie Despentes. See the literature section.
* ''Film/RoboGeisha'' has the Kagusa sisters, who compete with each other to see who can become the best android Geisha assassins.
* ''Film/SaveTheDate2012'': Sarah and Beth care about each other, but constantly clash over their very different personalities. For her part, Sarah's more humble, laidback and quiet. Beth's far more intense, slightly arrogant and outgoing. Sarah feels unable to talk with Beth after getting pregnant, although she really needs a caring ear. Beth for her part complains that Sarah always ignores what she tells her. After learning she's about to have an abortion, Beth does speak with and offer unconditional support no matter what. She even postpones her wedding (which she'd obsessed over) so it won't fall the same time as when Beth is due (this had been the main reason behind Beth's planning the abortion, not wanting to detract from her sister's big day).
* ''Film/SoulFood'' features this among the three sisters, mainly on the turbulent relationship between Maxine and Terri.
%%* Another GenderFlip example is Marvel's Film/{{Thor}} and Loki, Thor being the elder son, heir to the throne, golden, popular and HotBlooded warrior-prince, contrasted by his younger brother Loki's clever, magic-wielding [[TheTrickster Trickster]] nature making him TheUnfavorite BlackSheep prince and heightening their rivalry to CainAndAbel proportions. Although Thor seems to genuinely love and trust his younger brother, at least initially.
* ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane'' takes this to an extreme. As children, Jane was a child star while her sister Blanche was plain and often overlooked. Blanche grew up to be beautiful and her acting talent overshadowed Jane's, but despite this, Blanche still saw Jane as a rival and felt threatened by her, to the point where [[spoiler:she eventually tried to kill Jane]].
* This is the basis of the Creator/{{Disney}} film ''Film/WishUponAStar'', where Alexia and Hayley switch places. The differences are accentuated by using their favourite styles of music (rock and classical, respectively) in the background of their scenes.

to:

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
[[folder:Music]]
* Kat Lily Allen has a song ''Back to the Start'' that's all about this trope and Bianca Stratford from ''[[Film/TenThingsIHateAboutYou 10 Things I Hate About You]]''. Kat is Lily reconciling with her sister. Lily apparently was the smart [[TheLadette ladette]] and almost a StrawFeminist, while Bianca one. (Not that Lily Allen herself is the pretty and popular one, who only seems to think about having a boyfriend. [[spoiler: But in the end, they can move beyond the negative parts of their respective personalities and become closer to each other.]]
%%* Tess and Jane Nichols from ''Film/TwentySevenDresses''.
* ''[[Film/AMaSoeur Fat Girl]]''. An overweight 13-year-old girl is jealous of
unattractive, but her beautiful 15-year-old sister because she gets to have sex (she longs to have sex herself) ''and'' "[was] and always will be/The taller and the prettier one".)
* ''Music/AshleeSimpson''
has an affair with a boy right in front of her, no less.
* This trope forms much of Gamora and Nebula's relationship in the ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' films, at least until the end of the second (and even then, to some extent): Gamora is the beautiful, talented sister, whereas Nebula has been mutilated by her father to the point where she's more robot than human.
* ''Literature/InHerShoes'' plays
very intense take on this trope in a serious manner, as both sisters struggle ''Shadow'', written about her difficult, envy-ridden relationship with their own insecurities and with the 20 plus year death of their mother.
* The plot of ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'' centers on the growing rivalry between sisters Dottie and Kit Hinson. Scouts are unimpressed by Kit’s batting and will only allow
[[Music/JessicaSimpson her a tryout if the more skilled Dottie agrees to try out as well. Knowing how much Kit wants to escape their small town, Dottie agrees to try out for her sister’s sake.sister]].
* ''Film/MenWithBrooms'' features Music/TheKinks' song "Two Sisters" contrasts a variation: Both beautiful, fashionable jet-setter with her sister who's more of a dowdy housewife-mother. The latter envies the former before finally deciding she's better off.
* In this case, six
sisters (or, according to one side's opinion, only four). And it isn't pretty. Seventies/Eighties singing family TheNolanSisters appear to have split into two separate rival factions who are The Smart Sister; one happens mutually not at home to be each other. Let us call these the Prodigal Daughter (went Provisional and Official wings of the Nolan family, as it does appear to college, joined [[{{Expy}} The American Space Agency]], have got this bloody and this Irish. Relations were soured when the oldest sister made abuse allegations against her (now deceased) father that were hotly denied by the horrified rest of her family. It was pointed out that the oldest sister is bankrupt and in desperate need of the money only a shock/horror autobiography could bring in. Offered a lucrative reunion tour and recording deal, the rest of the sisterhood retaliated by cutting the oldest out of the contact. On top of this, a sixth sister who left the band just as they became an astronaut) while the other is [[TheDutifulSon The Dutiful Daughter]], who stayed home with the family and cared for their father. Also, [[TriangRelations both are romantic interests]] for the main character of the film, Chris Cutter.
* In ''Film/NewYorkMinute'', though
famous was miffed to discover the sisters were reforming, and she had not been invited. Lawyers have been brandished and opening shots fired. Official family history has been airbrushed to make it look as if there were only ever four Nolan Sisters (Maureen, Linda, Bernadette, and Colleen). Anne and [[ThePeteBest Denise Nolan]] are identical twins, Jane is an overachiever trying said to earn be just a prestigious scholarship, while Roxy is laid back, habitually skips school, wee fecken' bit offended that they no longer exist, and dreams are seeking to prove their corporeal integrity, to the satisfaction of becoming a rock star.
* ''Film/ThePhiladelphiaStory''
Church, State and Courts. (If nothing else, they are credited on the musical version ''Film/HighSociety'' first few LP's and an awful lot of TV work the girls did....) Watch this space.
** Family relations have "normalized" somewhat and something of a Good Friday Agreement
has been entered into following the Lord sisters: Tracy, tragic and premature death of Bernadette Nolan. However, the older, beautiful, popular socialite sister; youngest and Caroline, the teenage, unrefined, [[TheSnarkKnight sarcastic]] tomboy. A variation, as neither sister is really smarter than the other; however Tracy is ''acting'' stupidly, marrying the wrong man, while her sister [[ShipperOnDeck knows who she should really be with]].
* Millie (Smart) and Madge (Beautiful) from ''{{Picnic}}''.
* The 2001 adaptation of ''Literature/PrettyThings'' based on a novel by Virginie Despentes. See the literature section.
* ''Film/RoboGeisha'' has the Kagusa sisters, who compete with each other to see who can become the best android Geisha assassins.
* ''Film/SaveTheDate2012'': Sarah and Beth care
most successful Sister, [[TalkShow TV presenter Colleen]], almost immediately set about each other, but constantly clash over their very different personalities. For her part, Sarah's more humble, laidback and quiet. Beth's far more intense, slightly arrogant and outgoing. Sarah feels unable to talk with Beth after getting pregnant, although she really needs a caring ear. Beth for her part complains that Sarah always ignores what she tells her. After learning she's about to have retaliation in first, via an abortion, Beth does speak with and offer unconditional support no matter what. She even postpones her wedding (which she'd obsessed over) so it won't fall autobiography serialised in ''[[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers the same time as when Beth is due (this had been the main reason behind Beth's planning the abortion, not wanting to detract from her sister's big day).
* ''Film/SoulFood'' features this among the three sisters, mainly on the turbulent relationship between Maxine and Terri.
%%* Another GenderFlip example is Marvel's Film/{{Thor}} and Loki, Thor being the elder son, heir to the throne, golden, popular and HotBlooded warrior-prince, contrasted by his younger brother Loki's clever, magic-wielding [[TheTrickster Trickster]] nature making him TheUnfavorite BlackSheep prince and heightening their rivalry to CainAndAbel proportions. Although Thor seems to genuinely love and trust his younger brother, at least initially.
* ''Film/WhatEverHappenedToBabyJane'' takes this to an extreme. As children, Jane was a child star while her sister Blanche was plain and often overlooked. Blanche grew up to be beautiful and her acting talent overshadowed Jane's, but despite this, Blanche still saw Jane as a rival and felt threatened by her, to the point where [[spoiler:she eventually tried to kill Jane]].
*
Daily Mirror]]''. This is could run on for as long as the basis of the Creator/{{Disney}} film ''Film/WishUponAStar'', where Alexia and Hayley switch places. The differences are accentuated by using their favourite styles of music (rock and classical, respectively) in the background of their scenes.[[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles other Troubles]].



[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/OneHundredYearsOfSolitude'': Amaranta Buendia (Smart) and her adopted sister Rebeca (Popular).
* Meg Cabot's ''Literature/AllAmericanGirl'' has a set of three sisters where the protagonist has an inferiority complex because her older sister is the Popular One and her younger sister is the Smart One. She herself is Artistic. The main rivalry is between the protagonist and her older, popular sister as they are closer in age and the youngest is so smart she considers rivalries petty.
* ''Literature/TheAnderssons'': Ida Sofia is a straight-laced intellectual, while Greta is an impulsive TheFashionista.
* Creator/JaneAusten:
** ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'' examines the trope in some way, before it [[UnbuiltTrope was even a trope yet]]. The two eldest Bennet daughters Jane and Lizzie are both smart and pretty, but one trait overshadows the other in each case -- Jane being the pretty one of the family but a little too naive and trusting, while Lizzie's SpiritedYoungLady-like nature preventing her from being thought as pretty and as conventionally lady-like as Jane but her wit and intelligence make up for it. They embody the positive qualities of the smart and pretty sisters, while their three younger sisters embody the negatives. Mary the wannabe smart sister is actually a KnowNothingKnowItAll who cares more about forcing her opinions on others and appearing smart than actually cultivating her mind. Lydia and Kitty are the wannabe pretty sisters but are silly vapid boy-crazy idiots who embarrass the family at every possible interval. They're all single at the beginning story and their air-headed mother considers match-making and husband-hunting a competition.
** Elinor and Marianne Dashwood in ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'' have some elements of this (their younger sister barely has a presence to speak of). They're both beautiful, intelligent, well-read and proficient artists -- Elinor paints and draws while Marianne sings and plays the piano. They're very close and love each other dearly. However, Elinor is slightly less beautiful and way more reasonable, responsible and levelheaded, while Marianne is considered a more striking beauty, and she's also overly passionate and not prudent enough, especially considering her intelligence.
** ''Literature/{{Persuasion}}'': Anne and Elizabeth Elliot. They have a younger married sister, Mary, who thinks she won, and she did in some ways because of her prosperous marriage at a young age. Elizabeth is the beautiful sister -- a vain woman, proud of her beauty and her blue blood, dissatisfied only with the family's debts and her still being single when she's almost thirty. Anne is the smart sister -- keenly intelligent, sensitive, selfless and kind to everyone, even to people who don't deserve it. Elizabeth and Anne are very close in age but their position in society is vastly different. Elizabeth is the mistress of their father's house and one of the most prominent ladies of their social circle (she's second only after Lady Russell, their widowed and titled friend). She's also their father's favourite child. Anne is neglected and overlooked by both Elizabeth and their silly father.
** ''Literature/MansfieldPark'': Maria and Julia Bertram. Both are beautiful and bright. Maria is elder and the more beautiful sister. Julia is also attractive, just not as pretty. Also, Maria is coddled more by their aunt Norris. They get on well until Henry Crawford comes to Mansfield. They soon become enamoured with him and compete for his attention and love.
* ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'':
** Claudia and Janine, and this is apparently hereditary. Their mother, Rioko, is a librarian, and her sister, nicknamed Peaches, is something of a wild child. (''Their'' mother says she got along beautifully with her sister, however.) Unusually, Claudia (the Popular One) is one of the main characters, whereas Janine (the Smart One) is merely part of the supporting cast.
** Marilyn and Carolyn Arnold, with Marilyn being the Smart One while Carolyn is the Popular One. Although both of them are smart (Carolyn loves science and Marilyn is a talented piano player), but Carolyn is more fashion-conscious and sociable than her sister.
** Dawn and Mary Anne exhibit signs of this in the early days of their stepsisterhood. Their case lacks the Popular/Smart dichotomy, instead having more to do with trying to fit their different lifestyles together.
* A version of this appears in the [[Literature/TheBible Old Testament]] book of Genesis. Jacob falls in love with Rachel, but on their wedding day, her father substitutes her older, less attractive sister Leah as the bride. Jacob subsequently marries Rachel as well, and for some years the two women try to outdo one another in giving him children (apparently, Leah desperately prayed to God to be appreciated by Jacob, so He took pity on her and made her able to bear children, leaving Rachel barren until the last two); they even get their (slave) maids involved.
* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'':
** Lucy and Susan -- it's hardly the focus of the books, but there are hints at times. Susan is older and considered more conventionally pretty, often takes a superior TeamMom-type approach to the problems the kids encounter, and of course is the one who ends up "outgrowing" Narnia as a young woman to focus on her social life. Lucy is the youngest of the four and has the closest relationship with Aslan, which Susan sometimes tries to step on, apparently thinking Lucy is acting spoiled or attention-seeking. And when Lucy is in the magician's house in ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'', for instance, and reads the spell for making yourself beautiful, one of the things she sees in the illustrations is Susan looking plainer than usual and consumed with envy. The unspecified ages of the Pevensies throughout the books make all this a little harder to pin down, though.
** ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'' alludes to it in what little backstory we get concerning Jadis and her unnamed sister. Apparently the two started a war over their rights to the throne, one that ended with Jadis speaking the Deplorable Word in order to wipe out everything other than herself. Better that than let her sister take the throne, according to her.
* Invoked in ''Literature/CountingToD'' by Lissa Banks and her younger sister Kaitlyn. They come from a competitive family, and eventually they decided to stop competing for the same title. Lissa is an overachiever with perfect grades and blue hair. Kaitlyn wears cool clothes, hangs out with her GirlPosse of frenemies, and dates only the most popular boys. Kaitlyn is actually smart too, but she doesn't take advanced classes because it would ruin her image.
* ''Literature/{{Deenie}}'': Their mother frequently tells people (including complete strangers) that "Deenie's the beauty, Helen's the brain." At one point Helen tells Deenie she doesn't have to fall into the role their mother has chosen for her.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The witch Granny Weatherwax is GenreSavvy. She can recognise when a story is happening around her, and as often as not out of sheer bloody-mindedness will seek to derail it. Or, as in the case of ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'', she walks through a trail of classic fairy-tales, recognises a truly evil witch is at work, and makes it her business to derail every story she enters. The reason is a simple one: Granny has a wealth of resentment against her older sister Lily, who became a witch first and got to leave home and do all the interesting things with Witchcraft that Granny longed to do herself. But Esme was then forced into the role of Good Witch, having to stay at home in Lancre and do all the boring and humdrum everyday "good witch" things. Esmerelda takes a long-awaited vengeance on Lilith -- who tries equally hard to thwart and if possible to kill her sister. And does some good as a side-effect.
* In the ''LightNovel/DisgaeaNovels'', this occurs between [[Characters/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Flonne]] and her sister [[Characters/DisgaeaNovels Ozonne]]. Flonne is the older {{Cloudcuckoolander}} LoveFreak while her little sister is a BrutalHonesty [[OnlyInItForTheMoney Money Freak]].
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** It's revealed in ''Literature/ColdDays'' that [[spoiler:Sarissa]] and [[spoiler:Maeve]] are an epically deranged and bitter version of this.
** ''Literature/ProvenGuilty'': the rivalry between Karrin Murphy and her younger sister makes that look fairly mild -- especially as the younger sister [[spoiler:is about to marry Karrin's ex-husband]].
* A very sad case of this appears in a Swedish RomanceNovel: ''Driver dagg, faller regn'' by Margit Söderholm. Elin is the plain-looking sister, who is clever enough to become the local medicine woman. Gertrud is the beautiful sister, who is more frivolous and sociable than Elin. However, the true conflict only starts when Gertrud runs off with a penniless fiddler and disgraces the family. Elin will never forgive her for this, especially as she's secretly in love with Gertrud's fiancé and sees how he's hurt by her betrayal. It is later revealed that Elin also felt that Gertrud was their mother's favorite even after the scandal, which would make her bitterness if possible even worse. Gertrud meets a tragic death only a year or so after she left with the fiddler, but even that can't make Elin forgive her. And even on her own deathbed years later, Elin is unable to say one positive thing about her sister. And it becomes even sadder when you realize that Gertrud apparently never wanted this poisonous relationship with her sister, but it was all on Elin's side.
* ''Literature/TheFallingKingdomsSeries'': The goddesses Valoria and Cleiona embodied this, with Valoria being strict, devout, and no-nonsense, while Cleiona is frivolous, social, and self-centered. Valoria instructed a life of discipline to her nation Limeros, while Cleiona bequeathed a life of pleasure to her nation Auranos. [[UnreliableNarrator Depending on which you ask]], this rivalry eventually turned lethal, with one sister becoming evil and murdering the other. [[spoiler:The true story is that there were ''three'' sisters, with [[TheAce Eva]] being the object of Valoria and Cleiona's jealousy and that they ''both'' turned evil to murder her, steal [[MacGuffin The Kindred]], and eventually destroyed each other. [[{{Deconstruction}} Sister rivalry isn't nearly as glorious when the sisters fighting are immortals who screw up the world as a result]].]]
* This trope is the reason Literature/HarryPotter grew up with MuggleFosterParents who [[AbusiveParents hated him]] (well, and that whole Voldemort thing). Harry's treatment by his Aunt Petunia was essentially revenge against his mother/her younger sister Lily for being the better sister (it seems Lily got the looks ''and'' the brains ''and'' was a witch to boot -- no wonder Petunia was so jealous). That's not the reason Vernon abused him, of course, but that's a moot point since Petunia wouldn't be married to someone like Vernon if she hadn't chosen to be like that, not to mention that the rivalry is likely the reason Petunia was content to let Vernon mistreat Harry.
* ''Literature/HatingAlisonAshley'': Erica is a smart overachiever who has no friends, while her sister Valjoy is outgoing and boy-crazy, and they never get along. However, neither is portrayed as likable, and Erica herself is an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist, despite being the main character.
* Creator/StephenColbert references this trope in ''Literature/IAmAmericaAndSoCanYou'', in the chapter about family (which is appropriately [[DysfunctionalFamily fraught with]] [[StepfordSuburbia distressing subtext about the nuclear American family]]). Discussing non-immediate relatives, it tells you to find out more about your aunt by determining whether your mother was "the one who 'got the looks' or the one who 'got the brains.' Either way, she resents your aunt for getting the other one!"
* In ''Literature/ICaptureTheCastle'', Rose is the beautiful sister and Cassandra is the smart sister.
* Laura and Mary [[Literature/LittleHouseOnThePrairie Ingalls]] have elements of this. Mary is very pretty and perfectly well-behaved, while Laura is active, energetic, and brave. Some subversion in that they're both pretty smart, though. They laugh about it when they're older. (They also have two younger sisters, Carrie and Grace, but Carrie avoids conflict with Laura and Mary due to them being focused on each other, and the age gap between her and Grace (almost seven years), plus the fact that their personalities don't really lend themselves to a conflict, avert a rivalry there as well.)
* Michelle Magorian's ''A Little Love Song[=/=]Not a Swan'' is about Rose (the smart one) and her big sister Diana (the beautiful one). At first, we only get Rose's side of the story, since she's the main character, which is that everyone likes Diana better because she's prettier, including their [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII recently deceased father]]. When they finally talk about it, it turns out that Diana herself is convinced that their father liked Rose best because of her intelligence and that he never took anything Diana said seriously. Diana also feels lonely because girls generally don't like her and boys are so mesmerized by her looks that they can't talk to her.
* ''Literature/LittleWomen'' has four sisters; among them, Jo and Amy fit the trope. Jo is a brash, bookish, outspoken tomboy, while Amy is an aspiring ProperLady who loves beauty and refined society. Their differences, combined with the fact that they're not that different in their fiery tempers, leads them to clash with each other much more often than they do with their other sisters, although they [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther really do love each other]] and learn to disagree more respectfully as they grow up.
** Jo (Smart) and Meg (Beautiful) fit in technically speaking, but end up subverting the trope. Aside from Meg chiding Jo once in a while for being tactless and too outspoken, they get along pretty well and Jo considers Meg her best friend. [[spoiler: Jo even shows jealousy towards John Brooke when he's revealed to have feelings for Meg, as she's afraid that she'll lose Meg's emotional support.]]
* [[spoiler: Lisbeth and her sister Camilla Salander]] in ''Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy'' are so at odds with each other they have been in separate classes their entire life and haven't spoken to each other or even seen each other since they were sixteen when their meeting resulted in a DesignatedGirlFight.
* The entire point of Philippa Gregory's ''Literature/TheOtherBoleynGirl'' is the rivalry between Anne Boleyn and her younger, less famous sister Mary. Interestingly enough, neither of them fit completely into the stereotypes listed. Anne would be the "Popular Sister," yet she is far more intelligent than Mary. Accordingly, Mary would be the "Smart Sister," except she's not as smart as Anne, and is generally considered more beautiful. What it really comes down to is Anne knows how to work the court and has heaping piles of ambition, while Mary just wants to raise her children in the country. The true fit in the types comes in that Anne is far more shallow than Mary.
* ''Literature/ThePerilousGard'''s Kate, the clever, awkward elder sister, has an inferiority complex about her beautiful, silly, lovable younger sister Alicia so deep-rooted it [[ObliviousToLove prevents her from noticing]] that they aren't romantic rivals.
* Spencer and Melissa in ''Literature/PrettyLittleLiars''. Melissa is the smart one and Spencer is the pretty one, though both of them are smart.
** Reversed in the television version: Spencer is the smarter one, while Melissa is the favorite one (and ostensibly the prettier, although YMMV on that), although they are both smart and driven.
* ''Literature/PrettyThings'' by VirginieDespentes is based on this trope, applied to twins. The book plays a lot with the trope, [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructing it]] by showing one of them as nearly autistic and the other as totally depressed by the shallowness of her many social relationships. It also goes to great length to [[JustifiedTrope justify]] it by exposing the girls' [[FreudianExcuse childhood and relationships]] with an abusive father and submissive mother as the root of the situation. However, [[spoiler: one of the sisters dies early in the story, prompting the other to assume her identity and finally understand her dead sister, ending with her personality balanced between the two extremes and some measure of peace]].
* In ''Literature/ProphecyOfTheSisters'', the main conflict is about moral allegiance, but Alice is more interested in looking good, while Lia prefers to be comfortable. The example given is their nightgowns, Alice has one made of silk, while Lia prefers flannel. Alice is a bit bitter about the fact that Lia was always their bookish father's favourite.
* In ''[[Literature/RamonaQuimby Beezus and Ramona]]'', Mrs. Quimby tells Beezus that her childhood relationship with her sister Beatrice (Aunt Bea) has shades of this. Doris is the bookish, indoorsy type, while Beatrice is the more popular, impulsive and outgoing of the two. The two sisters often fight because of this.
* In Charle's Perrault's tale "Riquet with the Tuft", the ugly but witty and kind protagonist Prince Riquet comes across a princess who is a DumbBlonde while her younger sister is ugly but charming. The eldest princess, despite her dimness, is painfully aware of the trope and confides on Riquet how unhappy she is for it. [[spoiler: Riquet befriends this princess and tells her that a fairy told him that he'd be able to make the person he loves smarter, and the girl promises to marry him. She becomes smarter and refuses to marry Riquet... but on the grounds that she made the promise ''before'' becoming wittier, rather than not liking him. It turns out she has a gift of her own -- and which makes Riquet handsome, in return for him giving her the smarts she needed.]]
* Echo and Zoë in ''Literature/SavingZoe'', though it really only starts after Zoë's death. Echo is the smart one and Zoë is the pretty one.
* ''Literature/ShadesOfMilkAndHoney'': Jane is plain, but accomplished. She wishes she were as beautiful as her sister Melody. Melody is beautiful. She wishes she were anywhere near as talented in anything as her sister Jane. This causes more than a little conflict between them as they try to settle which one of them is better or worse off in the game of getting a husband.
* Pearl and May in ''Literature/ShanghaiGirls''. Pearl is the smart one and May is the pretty one, and Pearl feels like she is TheUnfavorite.
* ''Literature/TheSisterhoodOfTheTravelingPants'' has Lena and Effie. Lena is the quiet, socially awkward sister and Effie is the popular, stylish, outgoing sister, but in a slight rearrangement of the usual types, ''Lena'' is the one who gets the male attention (at first sight, that is) because of her looks. Lena herself feels that their looks and personalities are mismatched.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': [[LovableAlphaBitch Sansa]] and [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling Arya]] Stark have this going on, with added FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling vibes. According to [[SternNun Septa Mordane]], Sansa is "the responsible one" and Arya is "the difficult one", and they are each treated accordingly, which doesn't help either interact with the other civilly.
** Sansa is seen as being significantly more beautiful, is popular and is accomplished in the airs and graces of high society. She's the more [[{{Bookworm}} indoorsily bookish]] of the two, if ''very'' [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel naïve]] and fairly sweet with it (despite a tendency to find high horses from which to look down on Arya). Her sister's bluntness, lack of standard graces, manners, polish and outright preference for the Heartswood, however, constantly embarrasses her, and she always feels the need to call Arya out on any faux pas she makes.
** Arya is more practically minded and StreetSmart with a rebellious streak. She prefers maths and histories over Sansa's fairytales. She has a comparatively homely appearance and is highly uninterested in learning the social games of court. Arya is ''very'' critical of Sansa's perceived shallowness and unwillingness to get out to smell the wider reality in return for the put-downs Sansa (and her small girl posse) regularly dishes out.
** [[BreakTheCutie Both of them are horribly broken upon their being separated]]. Despite their previous hostility, they [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther actively start missing/ mourning each other greatly]] (neither know that the other is alive).
* ''Literature/SorceryAndCecelia'': Georgy is the pretty one. Kate is the smart one (not that [[MaidenAunt Aunt Charlotte]] acknowledges this). Of course, Kate is perfectly pretty herself, it's only that Georgy is so beautiful as to be the talk of the Ton.
* ''Literature/SouthernSistersMysteries'': Patricia Anne is the quiet, smart one (and a retired schoolteacher!) while Mary Alice is the pretty, popular one. It's made very clear that they actually do care about each other, despite all their differences.
* Appears in Sophie Hannah's "Spilling Series" with [[TomboyandGirlyGirl Charlie and Olivia]] -- they do SnarkToSnarkCombat in almost every installment in the series, but it's clear they do care for each other.
* In ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfTheAlchemistsDaughter'' despite being raised apart for most of their lives, Mary Jekyll and Diana Hyde quickly fall into this.
* ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh'' has twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield who frequently clashed over boyfriends, schoolwork and just about everything else. While both are popular and attractive, Elizabeth is more academically minded while Jessica is more into fashion and celebrity.
* ''Literature/TellTheWolvesImHome'': Shows up with Greta (the pretty, popular older sister who purposely dumbs herself down) and June (plainer, prosaic, critical of Greta's shallowness), although Greta is actually more BookSmart than June (but the latter is more bookish). They used to be extremely close, but grew apart and bitter over the years.
* ''Literature/TheTillermanFamilySeries'' installment ''Sons from Afar'' has a male example in insecure genius James and popular athlete Sammy, which serves as a major plot point for most of the book. Oddly enough, Dicey and Maybeth have the makings of this (the former being a tough tomboy and the latter being sweet and girly), but subvert this as each sister finds the other's opposite trait from hers to be comforting.
* In both ''Literature/TippingTheVelvet'' and ''Literature/{{Affinity}}'' by Sarah Waters, the protagonist is the Smart One (and very gay), their sister the better looking, popular one. Both relationships are problematic- Nan's sister Alice never comes to term with her sister being gay, Margaret's jealous of Pris for being so normal (though will never own up to this).
* Creator/TamoraPierce's ''Literature/TrickstersDuet'' has the Balitang sisters: Sarai, the older, beautiful social butterfly, who's by no means stupid (or even BookDumb) but headstrong and somewhat careless; and Dove, the quiet, observant, bookish, oft-overlooked little sister. A prophecy dictates that one of them will end up queen of their country. [[spoiler:Sarai ends up getting well out of the whole plot by running off with a lover, and Dove takes the throne.]]
* [[SubvertedTrope Subversion]]: In the first book of the ''Literature/{{War of the Spider Queen}}'' hexad, Pharaun's sisters Sabal and Greyanna have one of these... except that they're said to be identical in both looks and personality [[InformedAbility (not that Sabal gets much personality given to her)]]. We see the whole thing from Pharaun's perspective, in a flashback.

to:

[[folder:Literature]]
[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* ''Literature/OneHundredYearsOfSolitude'': Amaranta Buendia (Smart) and her adopted sister Rebeca (Popular).
* Meg Cabot's ''Literature/AllAmericanGirl'' has a set of three
OlderThanDirt: In Myth/MesopotamianMythology, ''Literature/InannasDescentToTheNetherworld'' depicts the divine sisters where Ereshkigal and Inanna in this way.
* In Myth/PacificMythology, Pele (the goddess of fire) and Poli'ahu (one of
the protagonist has an inferiority complex four goddesses of snow and ice) are like this. Not only because they are, you know, ''diametrically-opposed {{Elemental}} forces'', but because they often competed over the same mortal men, most memorably a young ''ali'i'' (chief) by the name of Aiwohikupua. They also competed in ''[[https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/holua-sledding-death-defying-sport-hawaiian-chiefs holua]]'' sledding, which (to make a long story short) is [[JustSoStory why there are glaciers on Mauna Kea, and why Mauna Kea is dormant]] (which was said to be Poli'ahu's home, [[DaddysGirl gifted to her by]] [[EveryoneIsRelated her and Pele's father]].)
* In the ''Literature/BookOfGenesis'', Leah and Rachel have this, over their shared husband, Jacob. Jacob fell in LoveAtFirstSight with Rachel, and since he didn't have any money for a proper bride-price (having run away from home after stealing his
older sister is twin brother's inheritance), he worked unpaid for her father Laban for seven years. When the Popular One wedding day ''finally'' arrived, however, the woman under the bridal veil (presumably not see-through like those of today) was ''not'' [[TheBeautifulElite Rachel]], but her HollywoodHomely older sister, Leah...and her Jacob didn't notice this until ''after'' the wedding festivities (and wedding night) were over. [[note]] It was the custom for brides to remain veiled through the entire wedding celebration, and sometimes during the consummation of the marriage. [[/note]] When he confronted Laban about the BrideAndSwitch, Laban nonchalantly replied that it's not acceptable in Padan-Aram to marry off a younger sister is the Smart One. She herself is Artistic. The main rivalry is between the protagonist and her older, popular sister as they are closer in age and the youngest is so smart she considers rivalries petty.
* ''Literature/TheAnderssons'': Ida Sofia is a straight-laced intellectual, while Greta is an impulsive TheFashionista.
* Creator/JaneAusten:
** ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'' examines the trope in some way,
before it [[UnbuiltTrope was even a trope yet]]. The two eldest Bennet daughters Jane an older one...and Lizzie are both smart and pretty, but one trait overshadows that he'll give Jacob the other in each case -- Jane being the pretty one of the family but a little too naive and trusting, while Lizzie's SpiritedYoungLady-like nature preventing her from being thought as pretty and as conventionally lady-like as Jane but her wit and intelligence make up for it. They embody the positive qualities of the smart and pretty sisters, while their three younger sisters embody the negatives. Mary the wannabe smart sister is actually a KnowNothingKnowItAll who cares more about forcing her opinions on others and appearing smart than actually cultivating her mind. Lydia and Kitty are the wannabe pretty sisters but are silly vapid boy-crazy idiots who embarrass the family at every possible interval. They're all single at the beginning story and their air-headed mother considers match-making and husband-hunting a competition.
** Elinor and Marianne Dashwood in ''Literature/SenseAndSensibility'' have some elements of
right girl this (their younger sister barely has a presence to speak of). They're both beautiful, intelligent, well-read time, in exchange for ''another'' seven years of unpaid work. Leah becomes pregnant with Jacob's firstborn son, and proficient artists -- Elinor paints and draws while Marianne sings and plays the piano. They're very close and love each other dearly. However, Elinor Rachel becomes jealous. (Leah is slightly less beautiful and way more reasonable, responsible and levelheaded, while Marianne is considered a more striking beauty, and she's also overly passionate and not prudent enough, especially considering her intelligence.
** ''Literature/{{Persuasion}}'': Anne and Elizabeth Elliot. They have a younger married sister, Mary, who thinks she won, and she did in some ways
overjoyed because of her prosperous marriage at she believes that bearing a young age. Elizabeth is the beautiful sister -- a vain woman, proud of her beauty and her blue blood, dissatisfied only with the family's debts and her still being single when she's almost thirty. Anne is the smart sister -- keenly intelligent, sensitive, selfless and kind to everyone, even to people who don't deserve it. Elizabeth and Anne are very close in age but their position in society is vastly different. Elizabeth is the mistress of their father's house and one of the most prominent ladies of their social circle (she's second only after Lady Russell, their widowed and titled friend). She's also their father's favourite child. Anne is neglected and overlooked by both Elizabeth and their silly father.
** ''Literature/MansfieldPark'': Maria and Julia Bertram. Both are beautiful and bright. Maria is elder and the more beautiful sister. Julia is also attractive, just not as pretty. Also, Maria is coddled more by their aunt Norris. They get on well until Henry Crawford comes to Mansfield. They soon become enamoured with him and compete
son for his attention and love.
* ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'':
** Claudia and Janine, and this is apparently hereditary. Their mother, Rioko, is a librarian, and her sister, nicknamed Peaches, is something of a wild child. (''Their'' mother says she got along beautifully with her sister, however.) Unusually, Claudia (the Popular One) is one of the main characters, whereas Janine (the Smart One) is merely part of the supporting cast.
** Marilyn and Carolyn Arnold, with Marilyn being the Smart One while Carolyn is the Popular One. Although both of them are smart (Carolyn loves science and Marilyn is a talented piano player), but Carolyn is more fashion-conscious and sociable than her sister.
** Dawn and Mary Anne exhibit signs of this in the early days of their stepsisterhood. Their case lacks the Popular/Smart dichotomy, instead having more to do with trying to fit their different lifestyles together.
* A version of this appears in the [[Literature/TheBible Old Testament]] book of Genesis.
Jacob falls in will make him love with Rachel, but on their wedding day, her father substitutes her older, less attractive sister Leah more, as the bride. Jacob subsequently marries Rachel well as well, and for some years the two women try to outdo one another in giving him children (apparently, Leah desperately prayed to God to be appreciated by Jacob, so He took pity on her and made her able to bear children, leaving Rachel barren until the last two); they even get their (slave) maids involved.
* ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'':
** Lucy and Susan -- it's hardly the focus of the books, but there are hints at times. Susan is older and considered more conventionally pretty, often takes a superior TeamMom-type approach to the problems the kids encounter, and of course is the one who ends up "outgrowing" Narnia as a young woman to focus on
elevate her social life. Lucy is the youngest of the four and has the closest relationship with Aslan, which Susan sometimes tries to step on, apparently thinking Lucy is acting spoiled or attention-seeking. And when Lucy is status in the magician's house general.) They end up in ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'', for instance, and reads the spell for making yourself beautiful, one of the things she sees in the illustrations is Susan looking plainer than usual and consumed with envy. The unspecified ages of the Pevensies throughout the books make all this a little harder to pin down, though.
** ''Literature/TheMagiciansNephew'' alludes to it in what little backstory we get concerning Jadis and her unnamed sister. Apparently the two started a war over
"who can have more babies" contest, even [[ChosenConceptionPartner getting their rights to the throne, one that ended with Jadis speaking the Deplorable Word in order to wipe out everything other than herself. Better that than let her sister take the throne, according to her.
* Invoked in ''Literature/CountingToD'' by Lissa Banks
servant-girls Zilpah and her younger sister Kaitlyn. They come from a competitive family, and eventually Bilhah involved]] at times when they decided to stop competing for get slammed by the same title. Lissa is an overachiever with perfect grades and blue hair. Kaitlyn wears cool clothes, hangs out with her GirlPosse of frenemies, and dates only the most popular boys. Kaitlyn is actually smart too, but she doesn't take advanced classes because it would ruin her image.
* ''Literature/{{Deenie}}'':
LawOfInverseFertility. Their mother frequently tells people (including complete strangers) that "Deenie's the beauty, Helen's the brain." At one point Helen tells Deenie she doesn't have to fall into the role their mother has chosen for her.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': The witch Granny Weatherwax is GenreSavvy. She can recognise when a story is happening around her, and as often as not out of sheer bloody-mindedness will seek to derail it. Or, as in the case of ''Literature/WitchesAbroad'', she walks through a trail of classic fairy-tales, recognises a truly evil witch is at work, and makes it her business to derail every story she enters. The reason is a simple one: Granny has a wealth of resentment against her older sister Lily, who became a witch first and got to leave home and do all the interesting things with Witchcraft that Granny longed to do herself. But Esme was then forced into the role of Good Witch, having to stay at home in Lancre and do all the boring and humdrum everyday "good witch" things. Esmerelda takes a long-awaited vengeance on Lilith -- who tries equally hard to thwart and if possible to kill her sister. And does some good as a side-effect.
* In the ''LightNovel/DisgaeaNovels'', this occurs between [[Characters/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness Flonne]] and her sister [[Characters/DisgaeaNovels Ozonne]]. Flonne is the older {{Cloudcuckoolander}} LoveFreak while her little sister is a BrutalHonesty [[OnlyInItForTheMoney Money Freak]].
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** It's revealed in ''Literature/ColdDays'' that [[spoiler:Sarissa]] and [[spoiler:Maeve]] are an epically deranged and bitter version of this.
** ''Literature/ProvenGuilty'': the rivalry between Karrin Murphy and her younger sister makes that look fairly mild -- especially as the younger sister [[spoiler:is about to marry Karrin's ex-husband]].
* A very sad case of this appears in a Swedish RomanceNovel: ''Driver dagg, faller regn'' by Margit Söderholm. Elin is the plain-looking sister, who is clever enough to
sons become the local medicine woman. Gertrud is the beautiful sister, who is more frivolous and sociable than Elin. However, the true conflict only starts when Gertrud runs off with a penniless fiddler and disgraces the family. Elin will never forgive her for this, especially as she's secretly in love with Gertrud's fiancé and sees how he's hurt by her betrayal. It is later revealed that Elin also felt that Gertrud was their mother's favorite even after the scandal, which would make her bitterness if possible even worse. Gertrud meets a tragic death only a year or so after she left with the fiddler, but even that can't make Elin forgive her. And even on her own deathbed years later, Elin is unable to say one positive thing about her sister. And it becomes even sadder when you realize that Gertrud apparently never wanted this poisonous relationship with her sister, but it was all on Elin's side.
* ''Literature/TheFallingKingdomsSeries'': The goddesses Valoria and Cleiona embodied this, with Valoria being strict, devout, and no-nonsense, while Cleiona is frivolous, social, and self-centered. Valoria instructed a life of discipline to her nation Limeros, while Cleiona bequeathed a life of pleasure to her nation Auranos. [[UnreliableNarrator Depending on which you ask]], this rivalry eventually turned lethal, with one sister becoming evil and murdering the other. [[spoiler:The true story is that there were ''three'' sisters, with [[TheAce Eva]] being the object of Valoria and Cleiona's jealousy and that they ''both'' turned evil to murder her, steal [[MacGuffin The Kindred]], and eventually destroyed each other. [[{{Deconstruction}} Sister rivalry isn't nearly as glorious when the sisters fighting are immortals who screw up the world as a result]].]]
* This trope is the reason Literature/HarryPotter grew up with MuggleFosterParents who [[AbusiveParents hated him]] (well, and that whole Voldemort thing). Harry's treatment by his Aunt Petunia was essentially revenge against his mother/her younger sister Lily for being the better sister (it seems Lily got the looks ''and'' the brains ''and'' was a witch to boot -- no wonder Petunia was so jealous). That's not the reason Vernon abused him, of course, but that's a moot point since Petunia wouldn't be married to someone like Vernon if she hadn't chosen to be like that, not to mention that the rivalry is likely the reason Petunia was content to let Vernon mistreat Harry.
* ''Literature/HatingAlisonAshley'': Erica is a smart overachiever who has no friends, while her sister Valjoy is outgoing and boy-crazy, and they never get along. However, neither is portrayed as likable, and Erica herself is an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist, despite being the main character.
* Creator/StephenColbert references this trope in ''Literature/IAmAmericaAndSoCanYou'', in the chapter about family (which is appropriately [[DysfunctionalFamily fraught with]] [[StepfordSuburbia distressing subtext about the nuclear American family]]). Discussing non-immediate relatives, it tells you to find out more about your aunt by determining whether your mother was "the one who 'got the looks' or the one who 'got the brains.' Either way, she resents your aunt for getting the other one!"
* In ''Literature/ICaptureTheCastle'', Rose is the beautiful sister and Cassandra is the smart sister.
* Laura and Mary [[Literature/LittleHouseOnThePrairie Ingalls]] have elements of this. Mary is very pretty and perfectly well-behaved, while Laura is active, energetic, and brave. Some subversion in that they're both pretty smart, though. They laugh about it when they're older. (They also have two younger sisters, Carrie and Grace, but Carrie avoids conflict with Laura and Mary due to them being focused on each other, and the age gap between her and Grace (almost seven years), plus the fact that their personalities don't really lend themselves to a conflict, avert a rivalry there as well.)
* Michelle Magorian's ''A Little Love Song[=/=]Not a Swan'' is about Rose (the smart one) and her big sister Diana (the beautiful one). At first, we only get Rose's side
founders of the story, since she's the main character, which is that everyone likes Diana better because she's prettier, including their [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII recently deceased father]]. When they finally talk about it, it turns out that Diana herself is convinced that their father liked Rose best because Twelve Tribes of her intelligence and that he never took anything Diana said seriously. Diana also feels lonely because girls generally don't like her and boys are so mesmerized by her looks that they can't talk to her.
* ''Literature/LittleWomen'' has four sisters; among them, Jo and Amy fit the trope. Jo is a brash, bookish, outspoken tomboy, while Amy is an aspiring ProperLady who loves beauty and refined society. Their differences, combined with the fact that they're not that different in their fiery tempers, leads them to clash with each other much more often than they do with their other sisters, although they [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther really do love each other]] and learn to disagree more respectfully as they grow up.
** Jo (Smart) and Meg (Beautiful) fit in technically speaking, but end up subverting the trope. Aside from Meg chiding Jo once in a while for being tactless and too outspoken, they get along pretty well and Jo considers Meg her best friend. [[spoiler: Jo even shows jealousy towards John Brooke when he's revealed to have feelings for Meg, as she's afraid that she'll lose Meg's emotional support.]]
* [[spoiler: Lisbeth and her sister Camilla Salander]] in ''Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy'' are so at odds with each other they have been in separate classes their entire life and haven't spoken to each other or even seen each other since they were sixteen when their meeting resulted in a DesignatedGirlFight.
* The entire point of Philippa Gregory's ''Literature/TheOtherBoleynGirl'' is the rivalry between Anne Boleyn and her younger, less famous sister Mary. Interestingly enough, neither of them fit completely into the stereotypes listed. Anne would be the "Popular Sister," yet she is far more intelligent than Mary. Accordingly, Mary would be the "Smart Sister," except she's not as smart as Anne, and is generally considered more beautiful. What it really comes down to is Anne knows how to work the court and has heaping piles of ambition, while Mary just wants to raise her children in the country. The true fit in the types comes in that Anne is far more shallow than Mary.
* ''Literature/ThePerilousGard'''s Kate, the clever, awkward elder sister, has an inferiority complex about her beautiful, silly, lovable younger sister Alicia so deep-rooted it [[ObliviousToLove prevents her from noticing]] that they aren't romantic rivals.
* Spencer and Melissa in ''Literature/PrettyLittleLiars''. Melissa is the smart one and Spencer is the pretty one, though both of them are smart.
** Reversed in the television version: Spencer is the smarter one, while Melissa is the favorite one (and ostensibly the prettier, although YMMV on that), although they are both smart and driven.
* ''Literature/PrettyThings'' by VirginieDespentes is based on this trope, applied to twins. The book plays a lot with the trope, [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructing it]] by showing one of them as nearly autistic and the other as totally depressed by the shallowness of her many social relationships. It also goes to great length to [[JustifiedTrope justify]] it by exposing the girls' [[FreudianExcuse childhood and relationships]] with an abusive father and submissive mother as the root of the situation. However, [[spoiler: one of the sisters dies early in the story, prompting the other to assume her identity and finally understand her dead sister, ending with her personality balanced between the two extremes and some measure of peace]].
* In ''Literature/ProphecyOfTheSisters'', the main conflict is about moral allegiance, but Alice is more interested in looking good, while Lia prefers to be comfortable. The example given is their nightgowns, Alice has one made of silk, while Lia prefers flannel. Alice is a bit bitter about the fact that Lia was always their bookish father's favourite.
* In ''[[Literature/RamonaQuimby Beezus and Ramona]]'', Mrs. Quimby tells Beezus that her childhood relationship with her sister Beatrice (Aunt Bea) has shades of this. Doris is the bookish, indoorsy type, while Beatrice is the more popular, impulsive and outgoing of the two. The two sisters often fight because of this.
* In Charle's Perrault's tale "Riquet with the Tuft", the ugly but witty and kind protagonist Prince Riquet comes across a princess who is a DumbBlonde while her younger sister is ugly but charming. The eldest princess, despite her dimness, is painfully aware of the trope and confides on Riquet how unhappy she is for it. [[spoiler: Riquet befriends this princess and tells her that a fairy told him that he'd be able to make the person he loves smarter, and the girl promises to marry him. She becomes smarter and refuses to marry Riquet... but on the grounds that she made the promise ''before'' becoming wittier, rather than not liking him. It turns out she has a gift of her own -- and which makes Riquet handsome, in return for him giving her the smarts she needed.]]
* Echo and Zoë in ''Literature/SavingZoe'', though it really
Israel. (And Leah's only starts after Zoë's death. Echo is the smart one and Zoë is the pretty one.
* ''Literature/ShadesOfMilkAndHoney'': Jane is plain, but accomplished. She wishes she were as beautiful as her sister Melody. Melody is beautiful. She wishes she were anywhere near as talented in anything as her sister Jane. This causes more than a little conflict between them as they try to settle which one of them is better or worse off in the game of getting a husband.
* Pearl and May in ''Literature/ShanghaiGirls''. Pearl is the smart one and May is the pretty one, and Pearl feels like she is TheUnfavorite.
* ''Literature/TheSisterhoodOfTheTravelingPants'' has Lena and Effie. Lena is the quiet, socially awkward sister and Effie is the popular, stylish, outgoing sister, but in a slight rearrangement of the usual types, ''Lena'' is the one who gets the male attention (at first sight, that is) because of her looks. Lena herself feels that their looks and personalities are mismatched.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': [[LovableAlphaBitch Sansa]] and [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling Arya]] Stark have this going on, with added FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling vibes. According to [[SternNun Septa Mordane]], Sansa is "the responsible one" and Arya is "the difficult one", and they are each treated accordingly, which doesn't help either interact with the other civilly.
** Sansa is seen as being significantly more beautiful, is popular and is accomplished in the airs and graces of high society. She's the more [[{{Bookworm}} indoorsily bookish]] of the two, if ''very'' [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel naïve]] and fairly sweet with it (despite a tendency to find high horses from which to look down on Arya). Her sister's bluntness, lack of standard graces, manners, polish and outright preference for the Heartswood, however, constantly embarrasses her, and she always feels the need to call Arya out on any faux pas she makes.
** Arya is more practically minded and StreetSmart with a rebellious streak. She prefers maths and histories over Sansa's fairytales. She has a comparatively homely appearance and is highly uninterested in learning the social games of court. Arya is ''very'' critical of Sansa's perceived shallowness and unwillingness to get out to smell the wider reality in return for the put-downs Sansa (and her small girl posse) regularly dishes out.
** [[BreakTheCutie Both of them are horribly broken upon their being separated]]. Despite their previous hostility, they [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther actively start missing/ mourning each other greatly]] (neither know that the other is alive).
* ''Literature/SorceryAndCecelia'': Georgy is the pretty one. Kate is the smart one (not that [[MaidenAunt Aunt Charlotte]] acknowledges this). Of course, Kate is perfectly pretty herself, it's only that Georgy is so beautiful as to be the talk of the Ton.
* ''Literature/SouthernSistersMysteries'': Patricia Anne is the quiet, smart one (and a retired schoolteacher!) while Mary Alice is the pretty, popular one. It's made very clear that they actually do care about each other, despite all their differences.
* Appears in Sophie Hannah's "Spilling Series" with [[TomboyandGirlyGirl Charlie and Olivia]] -- they do SnarkToSnarkCombat in almost every installment in the series, but it's clear they do care for each other.
* In ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfTheAlchemistsDaughter'' despite being raised apart for most of their lives, Mary Jekyll and Diana Hyde quickly fall into this.
* ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh'' has twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield who frequently clashed over boyfriends, schoolwork and just about everything else. While both are popular and attractive, Elizabeth is more academically minded while Jessica is more into fashion and celebrity.
* ''Literature/TellTheWolvesImHome'': Shows up with Greta (the pretty, popular older sister who purposely dumbs herself down) and June (plainer, prosaic, critical of Greta's shallowness), although Greta is actually more BookSmart than June (but the latter is more bookish). They used to be extremely close, but grew apart and bitter over the years.
* ''Literature/TheTillermanFamilySeries'' installment ''Sons from Afar'' has a male example in insecure genius James and popular athlete Sammy, which serves as a major plot point for most of the book. Oddly enough, Dicey and Maybeth have the makings of this (the former being a tough tomboy and the latter being sweet and girly), but subvert this as each sister finds the other's opposite trait from hers to be comforting.
* In both ''Literature/TippingTheVelvet'' and ''Literature/{{Affinity}}''
known daughter gets...raped by Sarah Waters, the protagonist is the Smart One (and very gay), their sister the better looking, popular one. Both relationships are problematic- Nan's sister Alice never comes to term with her sister being gay, Margaret's jealous of Pris for being so normal (though will never own up to this).
* Creator/TamoraPierce's ''Literature/TrickstersDuet'' has the Balitang sisters: Sarai, the older, beautiful social butterfly, who's by no means stupid (or even BookDumb) but headstrong and somewhat careless; and Dove, the quiet, observant, bookish, oft-overlooked little sister. A prophecy dictates that one of them will end up queen of their country. [[spoiler:Sarai ends up getting well out of the whole plot by running off with
a lover, and Dove takes the throne.]]
* [[SubvertedTrope Subversion]]: In the first book of the ''Literature/{{War of the Spider Queen}}'' hexad, Pharaun's sisters Sabal and Greyanna have one of these... except that they're said to be identical in both looks and personality [[InformedAbility (not that Sabal gets much personality given to her)]]. We see the whole thing from Pharaun's perspective, in a flashback.
Canaanite prince.)



[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/AmericanDreams'' had Meg (the pretty one) and Patty (the smart one) with Meg as the main character and Patty as an AnnoyingYoungerSibling[=/=]InsufferableGenius type. Meg herself wasn't stupid, just BookDumb.
* Series/{{Arrow}}: The Lance sisters, Sara and Laurel. On top of sharing FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling dynamics, Sara and Laurel have competed for Oliver's affections in the past, with Laurel allegedly sabotaging Sara's chance to start dating Oliver and Sara sleeping with him after he starts dating Laurel. By the present, the rivalry has largely disappeared with Laurel being a CoolBigSis to Sara. [[spoiler:Shame they keep dying on one another.]]
* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': One word, repeated thrice: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" Although [[NeverLiveItDown not as prevalent as most people think]], since aside from this episode, Marcia and Jan generally got along exceedingly well and even moved in together when they grew up. It's played straight in the movies though where Marcia is a [[BrainlessBeauty shallow airhead]] and Jan is an unpopular nerd.
* ''Series/{{Bridgerton}}'': Daphne (pretty) and Eloise (smart). Daphne is the perfect Regency belle and wholeheartedly embraces the feminine standard of being a good lady wife and mother. Eloise abhors the concepts of marriage and high society and would rather go to university and become a writer. Although they love each other, Daphne doesn't understand Eloise's desire to escape the ''ton'', and Eloise resents how Daphne conforms to societal expectations.
* ''Series/BrothersAndSisters'': Downplayed. Both Sarah and Kitty are Smart Sisters, but this being the Walker family...
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Subverted. The rivalry between Buffy and Dawn is short-lived and somewhat one-sided. However, there are some callbacks to this dynamic in later episodes, especially Season 7's "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E6Him Him]]", in which Dawn and Buffy fall under the same guys' love spell.
* ''Series/TheCrown2016 '': Elizabeth and Margaret’s relationship has shades of this with the former being the smart sister and the latter the pretty one. Given that the show is a fairly accurate piece of historical fiction, a lot of it is TruthInTelevision. Elizabeth has had the weight of the world on her shoulders from a very young age and envies that Margaret gets all the perks of being a member of the royal family without the responsibility of being Queen. Margaret envies her sister’s [[HappilyMarried happy marriage]] and sees herself as being her lifelong second fiddle.
* ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'':
** This would have played this straight if [[SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl Darcy]] wasn't [[strike:sent to 90210]] [[LongBusTrip sent to Kenya]]. However, all interactions between Darcy and Clare fit this trope to a T. And when they aren't interacting, the mention of the other falls into this trope.
** Katie and Maya hit this trope, and get to share some actual screentime.
* The antagonism of the Sugarbaker sisters, Suzanne (pretty) and Julia (smart), was a major plot component of ''Series/DesigningWomen'', though they defend each other fiercely from anyone outside their circle.
* Played with a bit in ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' in that older sister Lady Mary is more beautiful, more popular, the favorite of their mother, ''and'' it seems wittier than her HollywoodHomely middle sister, [[TheUnfavorite Lady Edith]]. Not to mention that Mary was in an [[ArrangedMarriage arranged engagement]] with their second cousin, whom Mary didn't even want but Edith was quite in love with. Top it off with Mary bragging that she can drag any man's attention from Edith whenever she wants, and you have Edith's poisonous jealousy approaching CainAndAbel levels.
* ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'': It's basically a [[GenderFlip Glorious War Of Brotherly Rivalry]]. Drake would the "pretty brother" -- as he's a ChickMagnet musician who gets a lot of slack because of his good looks. Josh is the "smart brother" who often resents Drake's special treatment.
* ''Series/EightSimpleRules'': Bridget and Kerry Hennessy. Bridget is the pretty and popular sister, while Kerry is the smart and snarky sister.
* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': It's played with the two brothers differently. Sherlock is the analytical mildly sociopathic brother, whereas Mycroft is a restauranteur with a taste for the good things in life. However, Sherlock is the better-looking one, especially pre-series when Mycroft was overweight.
* ''Series/EmptyNest'': The smart but neurotic Carol and the strong and attractive (but not so bright) Barbara Weston compete for their father's affections.
* ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'': Debra Barone and her older sister Jennifer Whelan: it is strongly hinted their upbringing echoed Ray and Robert, only in this case Debra is made insecure by thinking Jennifer was the favoured one. Home-maker and mother of three Debra is ''certainly'' jealous of childless Jennifer's freewheeling single lifestyle.
* ''Series/FakingIt'': A light-hearted step-sister example -- Amy is the smart {{Tomboy}}, and Lauren is the girly one. Most of the tension between them revolves around Amy's mother's alleged favoritism of Lauren.
* ''Series/GenieInTheHouse'': Emma and Sophie Norton.
* In the BBC sitcom ''Get Back'', the two {{Bratty Teenage Daughter}}s are academic, repressed, snobbish Eleanor and down-to-Earth, promiscuous, ostentatiously working-class Jo.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Sansa and Arya Stark. Sansa fills the role of "the pretty one" as she is popular, courtly, and fashionable, but -- although far from stupid -- is hopelessly naive, ignorant and ThinksLikeARomanceNovel. Meanwhile, Arya fills the role of "the smart one" as she's StreetSmart, perceptive and quick-witted, but lacks manners, polish and is considered plain. You cannot leave them alone without both finding ways to hurt the other — and then feel sorry about it later. As the series continues they downplay this, as Sansa becomes more intelligent and manipulative, and the main contrast in later seasons is more like Sansa as "the smart one" and Arya as "the strong, tough one". In Season 7, Littlefinger tries to use this, making Sansa believe Arya is plotting a coup to become Lady of Winterfell and for Sansa to get rid of her. The problem is [[spoiler: Sansa knows full well Arya couldn’t care less about being Lady and sees through the whole thing. The girls brilliantly let Littlefinger think his plan is working all the way up to starting a trial for Arya's treason...at which point Littlefinger discovers too late; ''he's'' the one on trial with Sansa passing judgement and Arya slicing Baelish's throat herself.]]
* ''Series/HappyEndings'': Mostly averted with Jane and Alex Kerkovich -- Jane is older, smarter and controlling, whereas Alex is the young Ditz. However, both are very attractive, and they have a strong, warm connection. Complications arise in a few episodes -- like in the first season "Why can't you Read me?" where Jane is worried that the more personable Alex will steal focus from her without meaning to, but even when they're fighting for real in "the Incident" -- these issues (who's smarter, who's prettier, etc), don't really come up. Not that it stops them from almost coming to blows (and not hair-pulling, slapping catfighting, either -- Jane broke a pool cue in half and Alex lunged for her) before Brad and Max separated them via OverTheShoulderCarry).
* ''Series/HopeAndFaith'': Hope fills the smart sister role -- as a responsible stay-at-home mom, while Faith fills the pretty sister role -- a fallen SoapOpera actress.
* ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'': Jeannie and her wicked sister, also named Jeannie. Arguably, the pretty one (the blonde Jeannie) is the sympathetic one, and the smart one (the dark-haired Jeannie) is an evil, bitter shrew. The blonde Jeannie may have been less knowing of the modern world, but she does have the excuse of being trapped in a bottle for two millennia, mind you.
* ''Series/TheLegendOfXiaoChuo'': The three Xiao sisters grow increasingly hostile towards each other over the course of the series. Eventually two of them start plotting against their youngest sister, which ends with one dead and the other exiled.
* ''Series/TheLyingGame'':
** The first is the main plot of the series with long lost twins Emma (the smart, kind sister) and Sutton (the superficial, vain sister).
** The second is between Sutton and her adopted sister Laurel (who fulfills the smart sister role).
* ''Series/MadMen'': Played with. Peggy Olson being the pretty younger sister with the hot career in Manhattan, while her older sister Anita is a dowdy and heavy housewife living in Brooklyn with their [[MyBelovedSmother overbearing Mother]], a husband, and young children. Anita seems to be slightly envious of her little sister and would try to cut Peggy to size during Season 2.
* ''Series/McLeodsDaughters'': Claire and Tess. Claire is the experienced farmer who is forever showing Tess how things run. Although in fairness, Tess is not actually dumb or ditzy, more a [[NaiveNewcomer fish out of water]].
* ''Series/MelrosePlace'': {{Deconstructed}} with Jane Mancini and Sydney Andrews Mancini. While both sisters are beautiful and come from a good family, it is glaringly obvious that Jane is the one on a pedestal as a stable fashion designer who is (initially) happily married to a doctor and is, by default, the perfect daughter. On the other hand, Sydney is more troubled, being looked at as the spare to her sister's heir, the obvious [[TheUnfavorite unfavorite]] (although her prositution, rap sheet, and overall sneaky behavior may have something to do with that) and she desires what Jane has, particularly her husband Michael.
* ''Series/ModernFamily'': Haley (the pretty one) and Alex (the smart one). Alex even states at one point that she feels a need to be the smart one to differentiate herself from Haley. For a change though neither is portrayed sympathetically.
* The MTV movie awards spoofed Series/TrueLife with Rebel Wilson playing Catherine, the fat and witless sister of Creator/JenniferLawrence.
* ''Series/MurdochMysteries'': Dr. Julia Ogden is the older smart sister who studied medicine and became a doctor (in late Victorian Canada!) while Ruby is the pretty younger sister who is slightly careless and pursues adventure, travelling and career in journalism. Whenever Ruby visits Toronto, they bicker a bit and Ruby keeps using Julia's tomboyish nickname "Jules" to annoy her. For a while, they are the two sisters in a SiblingTriangle, both flirting with Detective Murdoch at once. To her credit, Ruby stops once she understands how much Julia actually likes him. Julia also believes that her father preferred Ruby and never approved of her decision to become a doctor (false though, he was ''very'' proud of her accomplishments). Despite all of that, the Ogden sisters love each other.
* ''Series/MustangsFC'' has a step-sisters example. Marnie is dark-haired and (mostly) serious, and totally devoted to sport. Lara is a strawberry blonde, beautiful and extremely popular. They continually attempt to one-up one another.
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Regina, [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs the Evil Queen,]] versus her half-sister, Zelena, [[Film/TheWizardOfOz the Wicked Witch of the West.]] Zelena's FatalFlaw is jealousy and from her perspective, Regina had everything she ever wanted and she set out to take everything from her sister. Regina begs to differ because their mother Cora, was an emotionally AbusiveParent who saw her daughters as nothing more than mere tools to cement her own social status and majorly screwed up Regina's life. The sisters still bicker and fight, especially after Zelena tricked Regina's SecondLove, Robin Hood, into impregnating her and Regina herself is trying to break the cycle of hatred and abuse and redeem herself to true happiness. In Zelena's eyes, she is the smart, worthy one, and her sister is the beautiful, not-green undeserving favorite of their mother. By the end of the fifth season, their mother explicitly asks them to make amends and be good sisters.
* ''Series/OneTreeHill'': An odd example exists in the James sisters since there are three of them (technically four, but the oldest is TheGhost) and they're all adults. The older of the three, Taylor, is the party girl troublemaker and the youngest, Haley, is the married HotBlooded mother, leading to some pretty intense fights whenever they are in the same scene. Middle sister Quinn ''tries'' to balance it out when the fight comes to a head in Season 7, but since that episode features Taylor being quite a {{Jerkass}} to Quinn, it quickly devolves. Into an all-out brawl in Haley's swimming pool.
* ''Series/PanAm'': Kate and Laura except its more of the rebel versus the good kid, which eventually results in Laura (the dutiful one) snapping on the eve of her wedding and running away with her sister to join Pan Am as a stewardess. As the sisters spend time together the rivalry generally dies down but does flare up from time to time.
* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': Subverted with April who fights with her sister Natalie because they are so similar types: sullen, DeadpanSnarker and EmotionlessGirl.
* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'': Spencer and Melissa. Both are smart and pretty, but Melissa is the AlwaysSomeoneBetter sister and their parents' favorite, while Spencer is AlwaysSecondBest. They have created ''two'' [[SiblingTriangle sibling triangles]] -- (First with Ian, then with Wren).
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Episode 6 of Season 4 reveals that Chief Vick has a sister named Barbara who is a member of the Coast Guard. Throughout the episode, the two [[JurisdictionFriction butt heads over jurisdiction over a case]] and their dialogue suggests they have been at each other's throats since they were kids.
* ''Series/{{Reba}}'': Kyra (the smart/snarky sister) and Cheyenne (the popular/ditzy sister).
* ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'':
** Becky was the popular GirlyGirl, who was keen on overreacting about small things. Darlene was the snarky {{Tomboy}}, who grew up to be an artistic {{Goth}} as a teenager. Becky was believed to also be the ''smart'' sister, as she would get better grades in school than Darlene. But in the end, Becky decided to get married before finishing High School, so Darlene was the first one in the family to go to college.
** Their mother and aunt, too. Even as adults, Jackie is attractive but flaky while Roseanne is homely but down to earth.
** The show even has a male example with Becky's and Darlene's husbands, who happened to be brothers: Mark was rough-edged, hard-working, and a womanizer, albeit dumb; David was sensitive, artistic, and smarter, but comparatively fickle.
* ''Series/Scoundrels2010'': Heather and Hope have the stereotypical SiblingRivalry, with Heather being the beautiful [[TheDitz ditz]] who Hope doesn't respect, while Hope is the [[BrattyHalfPint rebellious smug brat]] who Heather is annoyed by.
* ''Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack'': Played semi-straight with the Mack sisters. Older sister Annie is the textbook smart one, often called a super-genius, and while Alex is average or CoolLoser rather than pretty or popular, she has several friends while Annie has none. They bicker a lot, and Alex is often jealous of Annie's success, but they can't ever stay on seriously bad terms; Annie is Alex's SecretKeeper and the only one who comes close to understanding how Alex's powers work.
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' The Holmes brothers are another gender-flipped example. Both are extremely intelligent and have similar [[TallDarkAndSnarky good looks]], but older brother Mycroft is the more "serious" one (concerned with the good of England and seeing the practical need for deduction) where younger brother Sherlock is the equivalent of the "pretty" one (self-centered and only concerned with himself and his work). Doesn't stop them from sniping at each other like a couple of schoolgirls:
-->'''Sherlock''': Putting on weight again, Mycroft?
-->'''Mycroft''': Losing it, in fact.
%%*''Series/TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager'': Amy and Ashley.
* ''Series/SeventhHeaven'': An interesting subversion occurs with Mary and Lucy Camden. Mary is The Smart One and a tomboy while Lucy's The Pretty One and loves fashion and boys...yet ''Mary'' is the popular sister while Lucy is insecure and constantly struggling to fit in.
* ''Series/SisterSister'': Tia and Tamara, which thanks to the whole twin thing is also PolarOppositeTwins.
* ''Series/StepByStep'':
** Mostly averted with Dana and Karen, even if they seemingly fit the trope perfectly. Dana is a smart and snarky GoGetterGirl, Karen is a popular and ditzy ProudBeauty but there's no rivalry between them and they usually get along. Played straight, however, in the episode "Sister Act" when they fight over a boy and this trope is lampshaded at the end: Karen is secretly insecure about being less intelligent than Dana, while Dana doesn't consider herself pretty compared to DudeMagnet Karen.
** Also played straight with Karen and her stepsister Al. Al is not particularly book smart (more of a sporty tomboy) but is very witty, snarky and she often teases her overly vain stepsister Karen in early seasons. They stop bickering in later seasons and become good friends.
* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'': Brotherly rivalry example. Cody is a [[InsufferableGenius ridiculously intelligent]], yet socially awkward nerdy bookworm, while Zack is the cooler brother, but BookDumb, [[{{Kidanova}} flirts with females constantly]] and is more street smart than his brother. They always bicker and disagree on everything, including the favor of their single mother.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Genderflipped example in the Winchester boys: Sam is the intelligent College Boy brother who tries to be rational and think things through while Dean is the ruggedly handsome lady killer with a girl in every port (or truck stop) with a habit of rushing into things and having a [[TriggerHappy shoot first then burn and salt it before asking questions]] policy. This is somewhat subverted as Sam gets darker after [[spoiler:dying and being resurrected when Dean makes a DealWithTheDevil in Season 2.]]
* ''Series/That70sShow'': Kitty and her twin sister, Paula. Paula was always the pretty social butterfly and their mother's favorite, while Kitty was the [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling responsible, grounded one.]]
* ''Series/TotalDivas'': The Wrestling/BellaTwins -- with Brie taking the role of the smart sister, and Nikki being the pretty sister. Also a case of PolarOppositeTwins too.
* ''Series/TheTudors'':
** Averted with [[FemmeFatale Anne]] and [[BrainlessBeauty Mary]] Boleyn, [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Catherine]] and [[TheHeretic Anne]] Parr and [[UsefulNotes/MaryTudor Mary]] and [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]] Tudor all getting along very well.
** Male example with the brothers [[MagnificentBastard Edward]] and [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Thomas]] Seymour.
* ''Series/TwoOfAKind'': Mary-Kate and Ashley are PolarOppositeTwins who occasionally argue and are jealous of each other. Ashley is the popular one who loves fashion and boys, while Mary-Kate is a snarky StreetSmart tomboy (though Ashley is the BookSmart one and gets better grades).
* ''Series/UglyBetty'': Hilda (the pretty one) and Betty (the smart one) as two sisters who have grown up and put aside their rivalry to finally become friends.
* ''Series/{{Velvet}}'': While neither sister is the "dumb" one, Clara is the more flirtatious outgoing Montesinos sister while Rita is the dorky Montesinos sister who is insecure about her attractiveness to men.
* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'': The trope is zig-zagged with Tori and her sister Trina. Trina is girly, glamour-obsessed, and confident, while Tori is a smart GirlNextDoor and a bit more passive. However, ''Tori'' is the popular one (loved by everyone except the AlphaBitch), while Trina is a SmallNameBigEgo hated by everyone. Another variation is that ''Trina'' is the one who gets the HollywoodHomely treatment, and is considered unattractive despite being as pretty as her sister.
* ''Series/TheXFiles'': Dana and Melissa Scully, though it was never emphasized very much. Both raised in a Navy household, Dana went to medical school and joined the FBI. She is very straitlaced and fact-oriented. Older sister Melissa, on the other hand, is the opposite; she deals with energies, crystals, and may or may not be empathic.

to:

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''Series/AmericanDreams'' had Meg (the pretty one) Mion and Patty (the smart one) with Meg as the main character and Patty as an AnnoyingYoungerSibling[=/=]InsufferableGenius type. Meg herself wasn't stupid, just BookDumb.
* Series/{{Arrow}}: The Lance sisters, Sara and Laurel. On top
Shion Sonozaki (a TomboyAndGirlyGirl, respectively) of sharing FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling dynamics, Sara and Laurel have competed for Oliver's affections in the past, with Laurel allegedly sabotaging Sara's chance to start dating Oliver and Sara sleeping with him after he starts dating Laurel. By the present, the rivalry has largely disappeared with Laurel being a CoolBigSis to Sara. [[spoiler:Shame they keep dying on one another.]]
* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': One word, repeated thrice: "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!" Although [[NeverLiveItDown not as prevalent as most people think]], since aside from this episode, Marcia and Jan generally got along exceedingly well and even moved in together when they grew up. It's played straight in the movies though where Marcia is a [[BrainlessBeauty shallow airhead]] and Jan is an unpopular nerd.
* ''Series/{{Bridgerton}}'': Daphne (pretty) and Eloise (smart). Daphne is the perfect Regency belle and wholeheartedly embraces the feminine standard of being a good lady wife and mother. Eloise abhors the concepts of marriage and high society and would rather go to university and become a writer. Although they love each other, Daphne doesn't understand Eloise's desire to escape the ''ton'', and Eloise resents how Daphne conforms to societal expectations.
* ''Series/BrothersAndSisters'': Downplayed. Both Sarah and Kitty
''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' are Smart Sisters, but this being the Walker family...
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Subverted. The rivalry between Buffy and Dawn is short-lived and somewhat one-sided. However, there are some callbacks to this dynamic in later episodes, especially Season 7's "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS7E6Him Him]]", in which Dawn and Buffy fall under the same guys' love spell.
* ''Series/TheCrown2016 '': Elizabeth and Margaret’s relationship has shades of this with the former being the smart sister and the latter the pretty one. Given that the show is a fairly accurate piece of historical fiction, a lot of it is TruthInTelevision. Elizabeth has had the weight of the world on her shoulders from a very young age and envies that Margaret gets all the perks of being a member of the royal family without the responsibility of being Queen. Margaret envies her sister’s [[HappilyMarried happy marriage]] and sees herself as being her lifelong second fiddle.
* ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'':
** This would have played this straight if [[SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl Darcy]] wasn't [[strike:sent to 90210]] [[LongBusTrip sent to Kenya]]. However, all interactions between Darcy and Clare fit this trope to a T. And when they aren't interacting, the mention of the other falls into this trope.
** Katie and Maya hit this trope, and get to share some actual screentime.
* The antagonism of the Sugarbaker sisters, Suzanne (pretty) and Julia (smart), was a major plot component of ''Series/DesigningWomen'', though they defend each other fiercely from anyone outside their circle.
* Played with
a bit in ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' in that older sister Lady Mary is more beautiful, more popular, the favorite of their mother, ''and'' it seems wittier than her HollywoodHomely middle sister, [[TheUnfavorite Lady Edith]]. Not to mention that Mary was in an [[ArrangedMarriage arranged engagement]] with their second cousin, whom Mary didn't even want but Edith was quite in love with. Top it off with Mary bragging that she can drag any man's attention from Edith whenever she wants, and you have Edith's poisonous jealousy approaching CainAndAbel levels.
* ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'': It's basically a [[GenderFlip Glorious War Of Brotherly Rivalry]]. Drake would the "pretty brother" -- as he's a ChickMagnet musician who gets a lot of slack because of his good looks. Josh is the "smart brother" who often resents Drake's special treatment.
* ''Series/EightSimpleRules'': Bridget and Kerry Hennessy. Bridget is the pretty and popular sister, while Kerry is the smart and snarky sister.
* ''Series/{{Elementary}}'': It's played with the two brothers differently. Sherlock is the analytical mildly sociopathic brother, whereas Mycroft is a restauranteur with a taste for the good things in life. However, Sherlock is the better-looking one, especially pre-series when Mycroft was overweight.
* ''Series/EmptyNest'': The smart but neurotic Carol and the strong and attractive (but not so bright) Barbara Weston compete for their father's affections.
* ''Series/EverybodyLovesRaymond'': Debra Barone and her older sister Jennifer Whelan: it is strongly hinted their upbringing echoed Ray and Robert, only in this case Debra is made insecure by thinking Jennifer was the favoured one. Home-maker and mother of three Debra is ''certainly'' jealous of childless Jennifer's freewheeling single lifestyle.
* ''Series/FakingIt'': A light-hearted step-sister example -- Amy is the smart {{Tomboy}}, and Lauren is the girly one. Most of the tension between them revolves around Amy's mother's alleged favoritism of Lauren.
* ''Series/GenieInTheHouse'': Emma and Sophie Norton.
* In the BBC sitcom ''Get Back'', the two {{Bratty Teenage Daughter}}s are academic, repressed, snobbish Eleanor and down-to-Earth, promiscuous, ostentatiously working-class Jo.
* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Sansa and Arya Stark. Sansa fills the role of "the pretty one" as she is popular, courtly, and fashionable, but -- although far from stupid -- is hopelessly naive, ignorant and ThinksLikeARomanceNovel. Meanwhile, Arya fills the role of "the smart one" as she's StreetSmart, perceptive and quick-witted, but lacks manners, polish and is considered plain. You cannot leave them alone without both finding ways to hurt the other — and then feel sorry about it later. As the series continues they downplay this, as Sansa becomes more intelligent and manipulative, and the main contrast in later seasons is more
like Sansa as "the smart one" and Arya as "the strong, tough one". In Season 7, Littlefinger tries to use this, making Sansa believe Arya is plotting a coup to become Lady of Winterfell and for Sansa to get rid of her. The problem is [[spoiler: Sansa knows full well Arya couldn’t care less about being Lady and sees through the whole thing. The this. Both girls brilliantly let Littlefinger think his plan is working all the way up to starting a trial for Arya's treason...at which point Littlefinger discovers too late; ''he's'' the one on trial with Sansa passing judgement and Arya slicing Baelish's throat herself.]]
* ''Series/HappyEndings'': Mostly averted with Jane and Alex Kerkovich -- Jane is older, smarter and controlling, whereas Alex is the young Ditz. However, both are very attractive, and they
have a strong, warm connection. Complications arise in a few episodes -- like in the first season "Why can't you Read me?" where Jane is worried that the more personable Alex will steal focus from her without meaning to, but even when they're fighting for real in "the Incident" -- these issues (who's smarter, who's prettier, etc), don't really come up. Not that it stops them from almost coming to blows (and not hair-pulling, slapping catfighting, either -- Jane broke a pool cue in half and Alex lunged for her) before Brad and Max separated them via OverTheShoulderCarry).
* ''Series/HopeAndFaith'': Hope fills the smart sister role -- as a responsible stay-at-home mom, while Faith fills the pretty sister role -- a fallen SoapOpera actress.
* ''Series/IDreamOfJeannie'': Jeannie and her wicked sister, also named Jeannie. Arguably, the pretty one (the blonde Jeannie) is the sympathetic one, and the smart one (the dark-haired Jeannie) is an evil, bitter shrew. The blonde Jeannie may have been less knowing of the modern world, but she does have the excuse of being trapped in a bottle for two millennia, mind you.
* ''Series/TheLegendOfXiaoChuo'': The three Xiao sisters grow increasingly hostile towards each other over the course of the series. Eventually two of them start plotting against their youngest sister, which ends with one dead and the other exiled.
* ''Series/TheLyingGame'':
** The first is the main plot of the series with long lost twins Emma (the smart, kind sister) and Sutton (the superficial, vain sister).
** The second is between Sutton and her adopted sister Laurel (who fulfills the smart sister role).
* ''Series/MadMen'': Played with. Peggy Olson being the pretty younger sister with the hot career in Manhattan, while her older sister Anita is a dowdy and heavy housewife living in Brooklyn with their [[MyBelovedSmother overbearing Mother]], a husband, and young children. Anita seems to be slightly envious of her little sister and would try to cut Peggy to size during Season 2.
* ''Series/McLeodsDaughters'': Claire and Tess. Claire is the experienced farmer who is forever showing Tess how things run. Although in fairness, Tess is not actually dumb or ditzy, more a [[NaiveNewcomer fish out of water]].
* ''Series/MelrosePlace'': {{Deconstructed}} with Jane Mancini and Sydney Andrews Mancini. While both sisters are beautiful and come from a good family, it is glaringly obvious that Jane is the one on a pedestal as a stable fashion designer who is (initially) happily married to a doctor and is, by default, the perfect daughter. On the other hand, Sydney is more troubled, being looked at as the spare to her sister's heir, the obvious [[TheUnfavorite unfavorite]] (although her prositution, rap sheet, and overall sneaky behavior may have something to do with that) and she desires what Jane has, particularly her husband Michael.
* ''Series/ModernFamily'': Haley (the pretty one) and Alex (the smart one). Alex even states at one point that she feels a need to be the smart one to differentiate herself from Haley. For a change though neither is portrayed sympathetically.
* The MTV movie awards spoofed Series/TrueLife with Rebel Wilson playing Catherine, the fat and witless sister of Creator/JenniferLawrence.
* ''Series/MurdochMysteries'': Dr. Julia Ogden is the older smart sister who studied medicine and became a doctor (in late Victorian Canada!) while Ruby is the pretty younger sister who is slightly careless and pursues adventure, travelling and career in journalism. Whenever Ruby visits Toronto, they bicker a bit and Ruby keeps using Julia's tomboyish nickname "Jules" to annoy her. For a while, they are the two sisters in a SiblingTriangle, both flirting with Detective Murdoch at once. To her credit, Ruby stops once she understands how much Julia actually likes him. Julia also believes that her father preferred Ruby and never approved of her decision to become a doctor (false though, he was ''very'' proud of her accomplishments). Despite all of that, the Ogden sisters love each other.
* ''Series/MustangsFC'' has a step-sisters example. Marnie is dark-haired and (mostly) serious, and totally devoted to sport. Lara is a strawberry blonde, beautiful and extremely popular. They continually attempt to one-up one another.
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'': Regina, [[WesternAnimation/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs the Evil Queen,]] versus her half-sister, Zelena, [[Film/TheWizardOfOz the Wicked Witch of the West.]] Zelena's FatalFlaw is jealousy and from her perspective, Regina had everything she ever wanted and she set out to take everything from her sister. Regina begs to differ because their mother Cora, was an emotionally AbusiveParent who saw her daughters as nothing more
depth than mere tools to cement her own social status and majorly screwed up Regina's life. The sisters still bicker and fight, especially after Zelena tricked Regina's SecondLove, Robin Hood, into impregnating her and Regina herself is trying to break the cycle of hatred and abuse and redeem herself to true happiness. In Zelena's eyes, she is the smart, worthy one, and her sister is the beautiful, not-green undeserving favorite of their mother. By the end of the fifth season, their mother explicitly asks them to make amends and be good sisters.
* ''Series/OneTreeHill'': An odd example exists in the James sisters since there are three of them (technically four, but the oldest is TheGhost) and they're all adults. The older of the three, Taylor, is the party girl troublemaker and the youngest, Haley, is the married HotBlooded mother, leading to some pretty intense fights whenever they are in the same scene. Middle sister Quinn ''tries'' to balance
it out when the fight comes to a head in Season 7, but since that episode features Taylor being quite a {{Jerkass}} to Quinn, it quickly devolves. Into an all-out brawl in Haley's swimming pool.
* ''Series/PanAm'': Kate and Laura except its more of the rebel versus the good kid, which eventually results in Laura (the dutiful one) snapping on the eve of her wedding and running away with her sister to join Pan Am as a stewardess. As the sisters spend time together the rivalry generally dies down but does flare up from time to time.
* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': Subverted with April who fights with her sister Natalie because they are so similar types: sullen, DeadpanSnarker and EmotionlessGirl.
* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'': Spencer and Melissa. Both are smart and pretty, but Melissa is the AlwaysSomeoneBetter sister and their parents' favorite, while Spencer is AlwaysSecondBest. They have created ''two'' [[SiblingTriangle sibling triangles]] -- (First with Ian, then with Wren).
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Episode 6 of Season 4 reveals that Chief Vick has a sister named Barbara who is a member of the Coast Guard. Throughout the episode, the two [[JurisdictionFriction butt heads over jurisdiction over a case]] and their dialogue suggests they have been at each other's throats since they were kids.
* ''Series/{{Reba}}'': Kyra (the smart/snarky sister) and Cheyenne (the popular/ditzy sister).
* ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'':
** Becky was the popular GirlyGirl, who was keen on overreacting about small things. Darlene was the snarky {{Tomboy}}, who grew up to be an artistic {{Goth}} as a teenager. Becky was believed to also be the ''smart'' sister, as she would get better grades in school than Darlene. But in the end, Becky decided to get married before finishing High School, so Darlene was the first one in the family to go to college.
** Their mother and aunt, too. Even as adults, Jackie is attractive but flaky while Roseanne is homely but down to earth.
** The show even has a male example with Becky's and Darlene's husbands, who happened to be brothers: Mark was rough-edged, hard-working, and a womanizer, albeit dumb; David was sensitive, artistic, and smarter, but comparatively fickle.
* ''Series/Scoundrels2010'': Heather and Hope have the stereotypical SiblingRivalry, with Heather being the beautiful [[TheDitz ditz]] who Hope doesn't respect, while Hope is the [[BrattyHalfPint rebellious smug brat]] who Heather is annoyed by.
* ''Series/TheSecretWorldOfAlexMack'': Played semi-straight with the Mack sisters. Older sister Annie is the textbook smart one, often called a super-genius, and while Alex is average or CoolLoser rather than pretty or popular, she has several friends while Annie has none. They bicker a lot, and Alex is often jealous of Annie's success, but they can't ever stay on seriously bad terms; Annie is Alex's SecretKeeper and the only one who comes close to understanding how Alex's powers work.
* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' The Holmes brothers are another gender-flipped example. Both are extremely intelligent and have similar [[TallDarkAndSnarky good looks]], but older brother Mycroft is the more "serious" one (concerned with the good of England and seeing the practical need for deduction) where younger brother Sherlock is the equivalent of the "pretty" one (self-centered and only concerned with himself and his work). Doesn't stop them from sniping at each other like a couple of schoolgirls:
-->'''Sherlock''': Putting on weight again, Mycroft?
-->'''Mycroft''': Losing it, in fact.
%%*''Series/TheSecretLifeOfTheAmericanTeenager'': Amy and Ashley.
* ''Series/SeventhHeaven'': An interesting subversion occurs with Mary and Lucy Camden. Mary is The Smart One and a tomboy while Lucy's The Pretty One and loves fashion and boys...yet ''Mary'' is the popular sister while Lucy is insecure and constantly struggling to fit in.
* ''Series/SisterSister'': Tia and Tamara, which thanks to the whole twin thing is also PolarOppositeTwins.
* ''Series/StepByStep'':
** Mostly averted with Dana and Karen, even if they seemingly fit the trope perfectly. Dana is a smart and snarky GoGetterGirl, Karen is a popular and ditzy ProudBeauty but there's no rivalry between them and they usually get along. Played straight, however, in the episode "Sister Act" when they fight over a boy and this trope is lampshaded at the end: Karen is secretly insecure about being less intelligent than Dana, while Dana doesn't consider herself pretty compared to DudeMagnet Karen.
** Also played straight with Karen and her stepsister Al. Al is not particularly book smart (more of a sporty tomboy) but is very witty, snarky and she often teases her overly vain stepsister Karen in early seasons. They stop bickering in later seasons and become good friends.
* ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'': Brotherly rivalry example. Cody is a [[InsufferableGenius ridiculously intelligent]], yet socially awkward nerdy bookworm, while Zack is the cooler brother, but BookDumb, [[{{Kidanova}} flirts with females constantly]] and is more street smart than his brother. They always bicker and disagree on everything, including the favor of their single mother.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Genderflipped example in the Winchester boys: Sam is the intelligent College Boy brother who tries to be rational and think things through while Dean is the ruggedly handsome lady killer with a girl in every port (or truck stop) with a habit of rushing into things and having a [[TriggerHappy shoot first then burn and salt it before asking questions]] policy. This is somewhat subverted as Sam gets darker after [[spoiler:dying and being resurrected when Dean makes a DealWithTheDevil in Season 2.]]
* ''Series/That70sShow'': Kitty and her twin sister, Paula. Paula was always the pretty social butterfly and their mother's favorite, while Kitty was the [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling responsible, grounded one.]]
* ''Series/TotalDivas'': The Wrestling/BellaTwins -- with Brie taking the role of the smart sister, and Nikki being the pretty sister. Also a case of PolarOppositeTwins too.
* ''Series/TheTudors'':
** Averted with [[FemmeFatale Anne]] and [[BrainlessBeauty Mary]] Boleyn, [[TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask Catherine]] and [[TheHeretic Anne]] Parr and [[UsefulNotes/MaryTudor Mary]] and [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]] Tudor all getting along very well.
** Male example with the brothers [[MagnificentBastard Edward]] and [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys Thomas]] Seymour.
* ''Series/TwoOfAKind'': Mary-Kate and Ashley are PolarOppositeTwins who occasionally argue and are jealous of each other. Ashley is the popular one who loves fashion and boys, while Mary-Kate is a snarky StreetSmart tomboy (though Ashley is the BookSmart one and gets better grades).
* ''Series/UglyBetty'': Hilda (the pretty one) and Betty (the smart one) as two sisters who have grown up and put aside their rivalry to finally become friends.
* ''Series/{{Velvet}}'': While neither sister is the "dumb" one, Clara is the more flirtatious outgoing Montesinos sister while Rita is the dorky Montesinos sister who is insecure about her attractiveness to men.
* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'': The trope is zig-zagged with Tori and her sister Trina. Trina is girly, glamour-obsessed, and confident, while Tori is a smart GirlNextDoor and a bit more passive. However, ''Tori'' is the popular one (loved by everyone except the AlphaBitch), while Trina is a SmallNameBigEgo hated by everyone. Another variation is that ''Trina'' is the one who gets the HollywoodHomely treatment, and is considered unattractive despite being as pretty as her sister.
* ''Series/TheXFiles'': Dana and Melissa Scully, though it was never emphasized very much. Both raised in a Navy household, Dana went to medical school and joined the FBI. She is very straitlaced and fact-oriented. Older sister Melissa, on the other hand, is the opposite; she deals with energies, crystals, and may or may not be empathic.
seems, however.



[[folder:Music]]
* Lily Allen has a song ''Back to the Start'' that's all about this trope and Lily reconciling with her sister. Lily apparently was the smart one. (Not that Lily Allen herself is unattractive, but her sister "[was] and always will be/The taller and the prettier one".)
* ''Music/AshleeSimpson'' has a very intense take on this trope in ''Shadow'', written about her difficult, envy-ridden relationship with [[Music/JessicaSimpson her sister]].
* Music/TheKinks' song "Two Sisters" contrasts a beautiful, fashionable jet-setter with her sister who's more of a dowdy housewife-mother. The latter envies the former before finally deciding she's better off.
* In this case, six sisters (or, according to one side's opinion, only four). And it isn't pretty. Seventies/Eighties singing family TheNolanSisters appear to have split into two separate rival factions who are mutually not at home to each other. Let us call these the Provisional and Official wings of the Nolan family, as it does appear to have got this bloody and this Irish. Relations were soured when the oldest sister made abuse allegations against her (now deceased) father that were hotly denied by the horrified rest of her family. It was pointed out that the oldest sister is bankrupt and in desperate need of the money only a shock/horror autobiography could bring in. Offered a lucrative reunion tour and recording deal, the rest of the sisterhood retaliated by cutting the oldest out of the contact. On top of this, a sixth sister who left the band just as they became famous was miffed to discover the sisters were reforming, and she had not been invited. Lawyers have been brandished and opening shots fired. Official family history has been airbrushed to make it look as if there were only ever four Nolan Sisters (Maureen, Linda, Bernadette, and Colleen). Anne and [[ThePeteBest Denise Nolan]] are said to be just a wee fecken' bit offended that they no longer exist, and are seeking to prove their corporeal integrity, to the satisfaction of Church, State and Courts. (If nothing else, they are credited on the first few LP's and an awful lot of TV work the girls did....) Watch this space.
** Family relations have "normalized" somewhat and something of a Good Friday Agreement has been entered into following the tragic and premature death of Bernadette Nolan. However, the youngest and most successful Sister, [[TalkShow TV presenter Colleen]], almost immediately set about getting her retaliation in first, via an autobiography serialised in ''[[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers the Daily Mirror]]''. This could run on for as long as the [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles other Troubles]].

to:

[[folder:Music]]
[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Lily Allen has a song ''Back to the Start'' that's all about this trope ''Webcomic/AMagicalRoommate'': Aylia (Bookworm) and Lily reconciling Alassa (Beautiful) hate each other because of this. Notably, Aylia doesn't want anything to do with her sister. Lily apparently was the smart one. (Not that Lily Allen Alassa, who is so proud of herself is unattractive, but that she HAS to be better than her book-crazy sister "[was] all the time; Alassa used to have Aylia wrapped around her finger until Alassa's prideful abuse broke Aylia's CoolBigSis perspective. Unfortunately, Alassa is so utterly proud and always will be/The taller spoiled that she won't put any real work into anything, not because she's lazy, but because it agitates her to do anything other than compete. The author specifically states that Alassa might have developed some serious talent "if she hadn't put so much work into being ''stupid''".
* ''Webcomic/{{Pacificators}}'' has an interesting case: two of the main characters, Larima
and Taffe, are a pair of [[DeathByOriginStory orphaned sisters]]. They ''usually'' get along reasonably well... but the prettier one".)
* ''Music/AshleeSimpson'' has
entire time, there is constant tension between the two. [[spoiler:Finally, in Chapter 42, they had a huge fight (off-screen), because Taffe was pissed that Larima almost got herself killed.]] [[note]][[spoiler:It makes sense when you recall that they're the only family they've got left. Taffe almost lost her only family.]][[/note]]
** Larima, the older sister, is the stereotypical blonde beauty… and a CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, being an ''[[MakingASplash Elite-ranked]]'' [[MakingASplash Pacificator of Water]], and
a very intense [[{{Ambadassador}} renowned ambassador]]. She's definitely ''not'' [[ObfuscatingStupidity stupid as]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer she looks]]. She's also the [[TheChick compassionate one]].
** Taffe, the younger sister, is the stereotypical DeadpanSnarker and, on rare occasions, the AnnoyingYoungerSibling… and she's ''incredibly'' protective of Larima, a la [[BigBrotherInstinct Little Sister Instinct]], including doing all the fighting for her. She's also BrilliantButLazy and doesn't care one bit for her job. Also, Taffe is the [[EmotionlessGirl cold one]].
* Robin and Roz [=DeSanto=] of ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' are an odd
take on this trope in ''Shadow'', written about her difficult, envy-ridden relationship with [[Music/JessicaSimpson her sister]].
* Music/TheKinks' song "Two Sisters" contrasts
Robin being a beautiful, fashionable jet-setter with her sister who's more of {{Cloudcuckoolander}} ManicPixieDreamGirl and Roz being a dowdy housewife-mother. The latter envies the former before finally deciding she's better off.
DepravedBisexual AnythingThatMoves Nymphomaniac CamWhore.
* In this ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'', Amber and Ruby are a textbook case, six sisters (or, according apart from a moderately substantial age difference. Admittedly, Amber (the pretty one) doesn't want to one side's opinion, only four). And it fight, and sometimes tries to negotiate a truce, but she doesn't seem to have a clue how to talk to her sister, while Ruby (the smart one, a BrokenBird who blames Amber for her condition, with some logic) isn't pretty. Seventies/Eighties singing family TheNolanSisters appear ready to have split into two separate rival factions who are mutually not at home to each other. Let us call these the Provisional stop, and Official wings of the Nolan family, as it does appear to have got this bloody and this Irish. Relations were soured when the oldest sister made abuse allegations against her (now deceased) father that were hotly denied by the horrified rest of her family. It was pointed out that the oldest sister is bankrupt and in desperate need of the money only a shock/horror autobiography could bring in. Offered a lucrative reunion tour and recording deal, the rest of the sisterhood retaliated by cutting the oldest out of the contact. On top of this, a sixth sister who left the band just as they became famous was miffed to discover the sisters were reforming, and she had not been invited. Lawyers have been brandished and opening shots fired. Official family history has been airbrushed to make it look as if there were only ever four Nolan Sisters (Maureen, Linda, Bernadette, and Colleen). Anne and [[ThePeteBest Denise Nolan]] are said to be just a wee fecken' bit offended that they no longer exist, and are seeking to prove their corporeal integrity, to the satisfaction of Church, State and Courts. (If nothing else, they are credited on the first few LP's and an awful lot of TV work the girls did....) Watch this space.
** Family relations have "normalized" somewhat and something of a Good Friday Agreement has been entered into following the tragic and premature death of Bernadette Nolan. However, the youngest and most successful Sister, [[TalkShow TV presenter Colleen]], almost immediately set about getting her retaliation in first, via an autobiography serialised in ''[[UsefulNotes/BritishNewspapers the Daily Mirror]]''. This could run on
keeps finding new grounds for as long as the [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles other Troubles]]. resentment, legitimate or dubious.



[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* OlderThanDirt: In Myth/MesopotamianMythology, ''Literature/InannasDescentToTheNetherworld'' depicts the divine sisters Ereshkigal and Inanna in this way.
* In Myth/PacificMythology, Pele (the goddess of fire) and Poli'ahu (one of the four goddesses of snow and ice) are like this. Not only because they are, you know, ''diametrically-opposed {{Elemental}} forces'', but because they often competed over the same mortal men, most memorably a young ''ali'i'' (chief) by the name of Aiwohikupua. They also competed in ''[[https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/holua-sledding-death-defying-sport-hawaiian-chiefs holua]]'' sledding, which (to make a long story short) is [[JustSoStory why there are glaciers on Mauna Kea, and why Mauna Kea is dormant]] (which was said to be Poli'ahu's home, [[DaddysGirl gifted to her by]] [[EveryoneIsRelated her and Pele's father]].)
* In the ''Literature/BookOfGenesis'', Leah and Rachel have this, over their shared husband, Jacob. Jacob fell in LoveAtFirstSight with Rachel, and since he didn't have any money for a proper bride-price (having run away from home after stealing his older twin brother's inheritance), he worked unpaid for her father Laban for seven years. When the wedding day ''finally'' arrived, however, the woman under the bridal veil (presumably not see-through like those of today) was ''not'' [[TheBeautifulElite Rachel]], but her HollywoodHomely older sister, Leah...and Jacob didn't notice this until ''after'' the wedding festivities (and wedding night) were over. [[note]] It was the custom for brides to remain veiled through the entire wedding celebration, and sometimes during the consummation of the marriage. [[/note]] When he confronted Laban about the BrideAndSwitch, Laban nonchalantly replied that it's not acceptable in Padan-Aram to marry off a younger sister before an older one...and that he'll give Jacob the right girl this time, in exchange for ''another'' seven years of unpaid work. Leah becomes pregnant with Jacob's firstborn son, and Rachel becomes jealous. (Leah is overjoyed because she believes that bearing a son for Jacob will make him love her more, as well as elevate her social status in general.) They end up in a "who can have more babies" contest, even [[ChosenConceptionPartner getting their servant-girls Zilpah and Bilhah involved]] at times when they get slammed by the LawOfInverseFertility. Their sons become the founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. (And Leah's only known daughter gets...raped by a Canaanite prince.)

to:

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* OlderThanDirt: In Myth/MesopotamianMythology, ''Literature/InannasDescentToTheNetherworld'' depicts the divine sisters Ereshkigal Sabriel and Inanna [[spoiler:Lirael]] [=DuLac=] from ''Literature/TheQuestportChronicles'', in this way.
* In Myth/PacificMythology, Pele (the goddess of fire) and Poli'ahu (one of the four goddesses of snow and ice) are like this. Not only because they are, you know, ''diametrically-opposed {{Elemental}} forces'', but because they often competed over the same mortal men, most memorably a young ''ali'i'' (chief) by the name of Aiwohikupua. They also competed in ''[[https://www.hawaiimagazine.com/content/holua-sledding-death-defying-sport-hawaiian-chiefs holua]]'' sledding, which (to make a long story short) is [[JustSoStory why there are glaciers on Mauna Kea, and why Mauna Kea is dormant]] (which was said to be Poli'ahu's home, [[DaddysGirl gifted to her by]] [[EveryoneIsRelated her and Pele's father]].)
* In the ''Literature/BookOfGenesis'', Leah and Rachel have this, over
keeping with their shared husband, Jacob. Jacob fell in LoveAtFirstSight with Rachel, and since he didn't have any money for a proper bride-price (having run away from home after stealing his older twin brother's inheritance), he worked unpaid for her father Laban for seven years. When FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling duality. One's the wedding day ''finally'' arrived, however, [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure leader of]] the woman under biggest CityOfAdventure in the bridal veil (presumably not see-through like those of today) was ''not'' [[TheBeautifulElite Rachel]], but her HollywoodHomely older sister, Leah...and Jacob didn't notice this until ''after'' world, the wedding festivities (and wedding night) were over. [[note]] It was the custom for brides to remain veiled through the entire wedding celebration, and sometimes during the consummation of the marriage. [[/note]] When he confronted Laban about the BrideAndSwitch, Laban nonchalantly replied that it's not acceptable in Padan-Aram to marry off a younger sister before an older one...and that he'll give Jacob the right girl this time, in exchange for ''another'' seven years of unpaid work. Leah becomes pregnant with Jacob's firstborn son, and Rachel becomes jealous. (Leah other is overjoyed because she believes that bearing a son for Jacob will make him love her more, as well as elevate her social status in general.) They end up in a "who can have more babies" contest, even [[ChosenConceptionPartner getting their servant-girls Zilpah and Bilhah involved]] at times when they get slammed by the LawOfInverseFertility. Their sons become the founders of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. (And Leah's only known daughter gets...raped by a Canaanite prince.) treasure-obsessed former pirate.



[[folder:Theatre]]
* PlayedWith in ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}''. Angelica, the eldest Schuyler sister, is intelligent ''and'' attractive, but her younger sister Eliza is evidently more attractive to Alexander, and she is the one whom he marries. However, he clearly has affections for both (he flirts with Angelica in "Satisfied", and they have a ''very'' close relationship in "Take a Break"), and when push comes to shove [[spoiler:after he publicly admits to adultery]], Angelica sides with her sister, thus effectively ending the rivalry.
* ''Theatre/TheLearnedLadies'' has smart older sister Armande and beautiful younger sister Henritte. They snit at each other constantly, in a rare example where the beautiful sister is more sympathetic and the smart one trying to bring the pretty one to her side.
* Eponine and Cosette of ''Theatre/LesMiserables'', although they were only raised as sisters after Cosette's mother Fantine placed her in of Eponine's parents, the Thenardiers. The rivalry, however, doesn't begin after they have long since stopped "being" sisters when Cosette is introduced to Marius, Eponine's love interest. Cosette is the pretty, innocent one who eventually gets the guy while Eponine is more intelligent, snarky, and due to a bad case of CanNotSpitItOut (and Marius's obliviousness) ends up [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy helping Marius and Cosette get together]].
* ''The Love of the Nightingale'' has Procne (the smart, maternal, wiser one) and Philomele (the beautiful naive one). However, they are instead best friends and the main drama of the play begins out of Procne's desperation to see her.
* In ''Theatre/MaryMary'', Mary is smart and snarky to a fault. Her prettier older sister Clara never appears, but Mary discusses growing up in her shadow:
-->"You take two little girls. One of them is pink and round, with curly hair and yards of eyelashes. The other one is pale and bony, with thin, wispy hair and two little ears poking through--like the handles on a sugar bowl... When I was a kid, I mean really a kid, I never worried about the way I looked, because I thought--I ''knew''--I'd grow up to be beautiful just like my sister Clara."
* Aloysia and Constanza in ''Theatre/MozartLOperaRock'', especially when it comes to Mozart. In "six pieds sous la terre" they trade insults back and forth (Constanze calls Aloysia a "little bitch" while Aloysia shoots back that "you blow your mind when you knit!").
* ''Theatre/{{Picnic}}'' has something of this dynamic between Madge (the pretty one) and Millie (the smart one), although Madge is a couple of years older.
* Subverted in ''Theatre/{{Proof}}''. Catherine is portrayed as the smart sister and Claire as the pretty one but both are actually very intelligent and attractive.
* Shakespeare did this one too in ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' -- Katerina, the older sister, is the hotheaded nonconformist who hates the idea of getting married, and her younger sister Bianca is the sweet womanly one who deeply wants a husband.
* ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'':
** Elphaba and Nessarose fit this trope to a certain extent. Ostracised due to her strange appearance, Elphaba has grown up smart, independent and prickly -- not to mention hugely magically talented. Nessa is pretty, somewhat shallow and her father's favourite. She misses out on the popularity she craves due to her disability [[spoiler: and severe mental instability]]. She's often embarrassed by Elphie, laying anything that goes wrong at her door.
** In terms of personality Glinda and Elphaba fit this even better, even though they are roommates/classmates instead of sisters.
* ''Theatre/WonderfulTown'' has Ruth Sherwood as the smart one and her sister Eileen as the pretty one. This was based on ''Theatre/MySisterEileen'', which was VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory by Ruth [=McKenney=].

to:

[[folder:Theatre]]
[[folder:Web Videos]]
* PlayedWith Pleasantly averted in ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}''. Angelica, the eldest Schuyler sister, is intelligent ''and'' attractive, but her younger sister Eliza is evidently more attractive to Alexander, ''WebVideo/TheLizzieBennetDiaries''. Jane and she is the one whom he marries. However, he clearly has affections for both (he flirts with Angelica in "Satisfied", and they have a ''very'' close relationship in "Take a Break"), and when push comes to shove [[spoiler:after he publicly admits to adultery]], Angelica sides with her sister, thus effectively ending the rivalry.
* ''Theatre/TheLearnedLadies'' has smart older sister Armande and beautiful younger sister Henritte. They snit at
Lizzie support each other constantly, in a rare example where and admire the beautiful sister is more sympathetic other, Jane and the smart one trying Lydia esteem and try to bring the pretty correct each other, and Lizzie and Lydia are too busy being sarcastic towards each other and too certain that their way of living is ''the'' good one to her side.
be rivals.
* Eponine Taylor and Cosette Sarah from ''WebVideo/{{lonelygirl15}}'' have elements of ''Theatre/LesMiserables'', this, although they were only raised as sisters after Cosette's mother Fantine placed her in of Eponine's parents, mix and match characteristics from the Thenardiers. The rivalry, however, doesn't begin after they have long since stopped "being" sisters when Cosette types; Sarah is introduced to Marius, Eponine's love interest. Cosette is the pretty, innocent one who eventually gets the guy while Eponine is more attractive, intelligent, snarky, emo, and due to a bad case of CanNotSpitItOut (and Marius's obliviousness) ends up [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy helping Marius and Cosette get together]].
* ''The Love of the Nightingale'' has Procne (the smart, maternal, wiser one) and Philomele (the beautiful naive one). However, they are instead best friends and the main drama of the play begins out of Procne's desperation to see her.
* In ''Theatre/MaryMary'', Mary is smart and snarky to a fault. Her prettier older sister Clara never appears, but Mary discusses growing up in her shadow:
-->"You take two little girls. One of them is pink and round, with curly hair and yards of eyelashes. The other one is pale and bony, with thin, wispy hair and two little ears poking through--like the handles on a sugar bowl... When I was a kid, I mean really a kid, I never worried about the way I looked, because I thought--I ''knew''--I'd grow up to be beautiful just like my sister Clara."
* Aloysia and Constanza in ''Theatre/MozartLOperaRock'', especially when it comes to Mozart. In "six pieds sous la terre" they trade insults back and forth (Constanze calls Aloysia a "little bitch"
DeadpanSnarker, while Aloysia shoots back that "you blow your mind when you knit!").
* ''Theatre/{{Picnic}}'' has something of this dynamic between Madge (the pretty one)
Taylor is more bookish and Millie (the smart one), although Madge is a couple of years older.
* Subverted in ''Theatre/{{Proof}}''. Catherine is portrayed as the smart sister and Claire as the pretty one
computer savvy but both are actually very intelligent and attractive.
* Shakespeare did this one too in ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' -- Katerina, the older sister, is the hotheaded nonconformist who hates the idea of getting married, and her younger sister Bianca is the sweet womanly one who deeply wants a husband.
* ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'':
** Elphaba and Nessarose fit this trope to a certain extent. Ostracised due to her strange appearance, Elphaba has grown up smart, independent and prickly -- not to mention hugely magically talented. Nessa is pretty, somewhat shallow and her father's favourite. She misses out on the popularity she craves due to her disability [[spoiler: and severe mental instability]]. She's often embarrassed by Elphie, laying anything that goes wrong at her door.
** In terms of personality Glinda and Elphaba fit this even better, even though they are roommates/classmates instead of sisters.
* ''Theatre/WonderfulTown'' has Ruth Sherwood as the smart one and her sister Eileen as the pretty one. This was based on ''Theatre/MySisterEileen'', which was VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory by Ruth [=McKenney=].
also sportier.



[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Dota 2}}'', Slayer Lina and Crystal Maiden Rylai are reworked into this. Lina is the smart, guile sister who is favored by their original parents, unlike Rylai who is more naive (and blonde). However, lore-wise, after separation for their mage mastery, Lina didn't make many friends with other heroes in the game, while Rylai actually befriended another hero, Ymir the Tusk.
* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' has [[HalfHumanHybrid Kayle and Morgana]], twin daughters of a mortal man and angelic woman. Each wound up with half their mother's power, with Kayle having taken up their mother's [[KnightTemplar law-enforcing ways]], while Morgana sees far more nuance and is justifiably horrified at [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner her sister's methods]]. Their conflicting views are best summed up with this exchange:
-->'''Kayle''': Why have we wings, sister, if not to fly?\\
'''Morgana''': Why do we have feet, if not to tread upon the soil?
* In ''VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou'', in Another Day, Shoka and Ayano, who had a sister-like relationship in the main story, are actually sisters. They don't seem to get along, and much of their bickering is over who gets to have their iguana Iggy. [[spoiler:Unlike the main story, in which Ayano's Noise form used her ultimate attack to trap everyone besides Shoka and Rindo, Another Day's Ayano starts off the battle by trapping Shoka.]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', twins Lilith and Angela Pleasant in the Pleasantview neighborhood are pre-programmed to hate each other. Angela is the Popular One and Lilith is a Goth.
* Nova and Vera are this in ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2''. Nova is the younger one and is [[GenkiGirl super-upbeat, cheerful]], and always [[PluckyGirl on the go.]] Vera, the older one, is [[TheStoic calm, professional]], and [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling regularly lectures Nova on her job]]. We do find out more about them as the story goes on:
** Nova takes a moment to share some rather embarrassing details about [[spoiler: Vera's disastrous dating life with the party and that her no-nonsense persona is [[NotSoStoic really just a front she puts on for work]]. In reality, she is really [[NoSocialSkills not good with people]] and can't carry on a normal conversation without it turning into awkward silence, which explains why her record for being able to hold on to a boyfriend is only a month (and that this guy lost 30 lbs. trying to put up with Vera), and every time after a breakup she inevitably ends up [[DrowningMySorrows drowning her sorrows]] while complaining to Nova. Oh, and apparently every morning Nova has to put up with Vera's SurvivalMantra before she goes to work: that everyone is just a giant pumpkin, which is apparently her version of how to ImagineTheAudienceNaked.]]
** Later, Vera finds out that Nova's been blabbing about her personal life, so she decides to [[BestServedCold get a little payback]] when she calls the party and tells this is strictly a personal call, which is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness really noteworthy]] since all her previous calls were related to the plot. She then proceeds to [[spoiler: regale the party with the story of how when Nova was still in university, she had a big crush on a certain young man's older brother, and tried to give him a nice gift, but said older brother was out of the apartment at the moment, so the gift ended up in the hands of the younger brother while Nova bolted off, leaving him with a big mistaken impression that Nova was in love with him. Vera then closes the story by letting everyone know that [[TakeThat for having such a big mouth, Nova sure is a big coward when it comes to matters of the heart.]]]] [[PlayerCharacter Ludger]] realizes that story was also a big TakeThat against ''him'' as well.
* Nina and Anna Williams in the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series. It started out with Nina playing mean pranks on Anna (in the endings for the first two games) to the two of them actually trying to kill each other with a variety of lethal weaponry before the most recent titles have had them switch over to being more rivals without the outright murder attempts anymore.
* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': The game's plot pits the Voerman sisters, the cold, intellectual and business-minded Therese and charismatic, manipulative and BookDumb Jeanette, against each other. The whole thing is made more complicated by the fact that both sisters are ancient and extremely powerful vampires with vast networks and resources to draw on.

to:

[[folder:Video Games]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Dota 2}}'', Slayer Lina ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' has Jen as The Smart One and Crystal Maiden Rylai are reworked into this. Lina Courtney as The Beautiful One in "It's Always Courtney, Courtney, Courtney".
* Surprisingly and refreshingly averted in ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingChanAndTheChanClan''. Anne Chan
is the smart, guile Smart One and a {{Bokukko}} while her older sister who Suzie is favored by TheCutie and the Pretty One, but they get along quite well. In fact, a good part of the SiblingRivalry tropes are averted in the cartoon: while the kids ''did'' have their original parents, unlike Rylai who is more naive (and blonde). However, lore-wise, after separation for their mage mastery, Lina disagreements, ''extended'' rivalries didn't make many friends with other heroes in the game, while Rylai actually befriended another hero, Ymir the Tusk.
really happen.
* ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' has [[HalfHumanHybrid Kayle Abigail Lincoln, a.k.a. Numbuh Five, and Morgana]], twin daughters of a mortal man and angelic woman. Each wound up with half their mother's power, with Kayle having taken up their mother's [[KnightTemplar law-enforcing ways]], while Morgana sees far more nuance and is justifiably horrified at [[JudgeJuryAndExecutioner her sister's methods]]. Their conflicting views are best summed up with this exchange:
-->'''Kayle''': Why have we wings,
sister, if not to fly?\\
'''Morgana''': Why do we have feet, if not to tread upon
Cree. This show takes this trope UpToEleven since Cree is a teenager and a sworn enemy of the soil?
* In ''VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou'',
Kids Next Door, in Another Day, Shoka which Numbuh Five is involved. Cree was once a KND operative herself, known as Numbuh 11, and Ayano, who had a sister-like the sisters got along rather well then, but when Cree got older, she was no longer allowed in the KND but escaped being decommissioned. This has also somewhat caused their personal relationship in to sour as well. One scene shows them at the main story, are actually sisters. They don't seem dinner table pretending to get along, when in fact they're secretly aiming weapons at each other under the table.
* Alice Tompkins in ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' has a decades-long rivalry with her SouthernBelle sister, Miranda, who for the most part, is considered to be more attractive,
and much deliberately tries to upstage Alice every chance she gets, even at Alice's wedding. When Miranda finally admits to her sister that she's jealous of their bickering is over who gets to have their iguana Iggy. [[spoiler:Unlike the main story, in which Ayano's Noise form used life that she has with her ultimate attack to trap everyone besides Shoka job, her daughter, and Rindo, Another Day's Ayano starts off her relationship with Jay, Alice takes a brief moment to rejoice.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'':
** Daria Morgendorffer is
the battle by trapping Shoka.]]
* In ''VideoGame/TheSims2'', twins Lilith
titular character and Angela Pleasant the smart one, her sister Quinn is the fashionable, popular one. However, Quinn is shown to be fairly intelligent in her own right (which actually scares her, fearing she'd be kicked out of her clique), and Daria is shown to be attractive when she makes an effort (which scares ''her'', fearing it makes her as shallow as the conformist students she rails against). The sisters do begin to make peace in the Pleasantview neighborhood are pre-programmed final season. In the episode "Quinn the Brain", Quinn embraces a shallow sort of intellectualism because the dimmer wits wandering the school find her crappy poetry profound. Daria finds this even worse than her normal, self-imposed ditziness; she might not ''like'' Quinn's default personality but she'd rather her sister be herself than change who she is to hate please the masses, so [[WeWantOurJerkBack Daria works to restore the status quo]] (even willing to give herself [[BeautifulAllAlong a temporary makeover]]), if only so that their relationship can remain at "rivalry" as opposed to out-and-out holy war.
** Turns out to be GenerationXerox to some extent: their mother, Helen, has an acrimonious relationship with her older sister Rita, and to a lesser extent their younger sister Amy. Rita seems to be the pretty one, Amy the smart one, and Helen the overachiever who's become the most successful. Interestingly,
each other. Angela sister has their own gripes towards the other two. Despite being spoiled the most by their mother, Rita felt that Helen's achievements made Amy and herself look lazy; whereas Amy got out of doing anything for the family by shutting herself in. By comparison, Amy feels that Helen was too high strung/high maintenance (going as far to congratulate Jake for putting up with her) and resented the constant attention that Rita got from their mother which in turn led to Amy constantly withdrawing herself. Witnessing all this leads Daria and Quinn to decide that [[CharacterDevelopment they don't want to feel that kind of resentment toward each other twenty years down the line and start working to get along with each other better]].
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' has Helga, who's a tomboyish {{Tsundere}}, and Olga, who's pretty and brilliant. Of course, the rivalry is only present because of [[ParentalFavoritism their parents showing so much favoritism towards Olga]], who doesn't even want it in the first place and tells Helga that being ignored is ''better'' than being [[StageMom stifled and bound by said attention.]] The girls do generally care for each other.
* An adult example: ''WesternAnimation/AKindOfMagic'' has Willow, a cheerful fairy, and Ferocia, an evil witch.
* In the third season, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' reveals that Lin and Suyin Beifong were this. Lin was a young police officer, soon to rise rapidly through the ranks, and notably lacking when it came to navigating interpersonal relationships; Suyin was outgoing but a [[BrattyTeenageDaughter bratty wild child]] whose friends landed her in trouble. They really don't get on well when they first meet after thirty years but patch things up by the end of the show.
* This trope appears several times in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** First off, we have Celestia and Luna, the [[PhysicalGod embodiements of day and night]]. Older sister Celestia is the Popular One -- the [[GodEmperor God Empress]] of Equestria who brings daylight to the land, beloved by all of her people -- while the younger Luna shows traces of the Smart One (she has PsychicPowers including being a DreamWalker) and, in her opinion, isn't as well-liked, because everypony is asleep when she delivers nighttime to the world. Luna's jealousy of Celestia's popularity eventually [[GreenEyedMonster transforms her into the monstrous Nightmare Moon]], which in turn forces Celestia to banish her to the moon for a thousand years. By the end of the pilot, Luna has been healed, and the two sisters mend their relationship (though a few later episodes, and the tie-in comics, hint that they're still rivals, though to a far lesser extent). This is the central conflict in the Season 7 episode "A Royal Problem", with both sisters being upset with each other because they believe that the other has the easier job. Luna thinks Celestia has it easy basking in the love and adoration of her subjects. Celestia thinks Luna has it easy dealing with dreams instead of being a SlaveToPR.
** Among the Mane Six, we have Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Like Celestia, Rarity
is the Popular One and Lilith is older of the two, a Goth.
* Nova
prim-and-proper pony who works as a seamstress/fashion designer and Vera are this in ''VideoGame/TalesOfXillia2''. Nova loves high society. Like Luna, Sweetie Belle is younger, and while not the polar opposite of her sister, she's far more energetic and playful, which contrasts with Rarity's posh attitude. Both Sweetie Belle-centric episodes ("Sisterhooves Social" and "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls") focus on the contrast between the sisters, with Sweetie becoming particularly jealous of Rarity and either declaring that she doesn't want to be her sister or intentionally sabotaging one of Rarity's important clients. Rarity and Sweetie Belle's relationship has been expressly compared to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's ''by Luna herself!''
** The trope is downplayed with Pinkie and Maud Pie. Pinkie
is the younger one sister and is [[GenkiGirl super-upbeat, cheerful]], Popular One -- she's quite literally the embodiment of fun and always [[PluckyGirl on the go.]] Vera, the older one, is [[TheStoic calm, professional]], laughter, has a bright pink color, and [[FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling regularly lectures Nova on her job]]. We do find out more about them works as the story goes on:
** Nova takes
a moment to share some rather embarrassing details about [[spoiler: Vera's disastrous dating life with the party planner and that her no-nonsense persona apprentice baker in Ponyville. Older sister Maud is [[NotSoStoic really just a front she puts on for work]]. In reality, she is really [[NoSocialSkills not good with people]] and can't carry on a normal conversation without it turning into awkward silence, which explains why her record for being able to hold on to a boyfriend is only a month (and that this guy lost 30 lbs. trying to put up with Vera), and every time after a breakup she inevitably ends up [[DrowningMySorrows drowning her sorrows]] while complaining to Nova. Oh, and apparently every morning Nova has to put up with Vera's SurvivalMantra before she goes to work: that everyone is just a giant pumpkin, which is apparently her version of how to ImagineTheAudienceNaked.]]
** Later, Vera finds out that Nova's been blabbing about her personal life, so she decides to [[BestServedCold get a little payback]] when she calls
the party and tells this Smart One -- she's an expert on rocks who is strictly receiving a personal call, which is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness really noteworthy]] since all her previous calls were related to the plot. She then proceeds to [[spoiler: regale the party with the story of how when Nova was still in university, she had a big crush on a certain young man's older brother, and tried to give him a nice gift, but said older brother was out of the apartment at the moment, so the gift ended up doctorate in the hands of the younger brother while Nova bolted off, leaving him with a big mistaken impression that Nova was in love with him. Vera then closes the story by letting everyone know that [[TakeThat for having such a big mouth, Nova sure field, is a big coward when it comes to matters of the heart.]]]] [[PlayerCharacter Ludger]] realizes that story was also a big TakeThat against ''him'' as well.
* Nina
dull gray, and Anna Williams in the ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' series. It started out with Nina playing mean pranks on Anna (in the endings for the first two games) to the two of them actually trying to kill each other with has a variety of lethal weaponry before the most recent titles have had them switch over to being more rivals without the outright murder attempts anymore.
* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': The game's plot pits the Voerman sisters, the cold, intellectual and business-minded Therese and charismatic, manipulative and BookDumb Jeanette, against each other. The whole thing is made more complicated by the fact that both
single friend (a small pebble). Both sisters are ancient well aware of their severe contrast but don't try to change for one another and never ask each other to. This is perhaps best symbolized by the Pies' tradition of exchanging rock candy necklaces whenever they see each other -- Pinkie loves sugar and always devours hers right away, while Maud doesn't care for sweets and keeps them in a small box. But [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther despite their differences, they love each other dearly]].
** Finally, the trope is largely averted with Applejack and Apple Bloom. Both have pretty much the same personality -- headstrong, hard-working, and compassionate -- and get along
extremely powerful vampires with vast networks well. The only tension in their relationship was a [[CompressedVice single incident]] in "Somepony to Watch Over Me" where Applejack thought that Apple Bloom needed to be kept safe and resources babied her to draw on.an absurd degree.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'', Rapunzel's mother Arianna is a [[TheHighQueen reserved and responsible queen]] while her aunt Willow is [[BlitheSpirit fun-loving and outgoing]].
* Starfire and Blackfire on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. Starfire is the sweet, beautiful, GenkiGirl while Blackfire is a smart, evil, DarkChick.



[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* Mion and Shion Sonozaki (a TomboyAndGirlyGirl, respectively) of ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' are a bit like this. Both girls have more depth than it seems, however.

to:

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
[[folder:Real Life]]
* Mion Creator/JKRowling, the writer of ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', and Shion Sonozaki (a TomboyAndGirlyGirl, respectively) her sister Dianne. They seem to get along pretty well, but growing up, everybody decided that Rowling was "the smart one" and Dianne was "the pretty one," and neither was particularly happy with their role. (For the record, Dianne is now a lawyer.)
* Authors A.S. Byatt and Margaret Drabble. If Byatt's "The Game" is to be taken as autobiographical, Byatt was the Smart Sister and Drabble was the Popular One.
* Going by her autobiography, Jessica Mitford spent a certain amount
of ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'' are her adolescence in an extraordinarily black-comedic variant on this; she was developing into a bit lifelong socialist at precisely the same time as her sister Unity was becoming an [[NaziNobleman extremely dedicated British Fascist]] (and personal friends with most of the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi high command]]). Furthermore, there was a definite pretty one/smart one element to it; while neither was ugly, Unity was considered prettier (once he met her, Hitler -- with whom she may or may not have had an affair -- called her "a perfect specimen of Aryan womanhood"), while Jessica was famous for being crazy-smart (she wrote a lot of articles and books later in life). Until the international situation [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII began to get really dire]], they behaved almost ''exactly'' like this. Both girls every other pair of arguing teenagers. Did we mention they shared a room? Well, they shared a room -- which, as soon as their politics were cemented, they [[ThisIsMySide split down the middle with a chalk line]] and decorated on each side in the symbols of their ideologies (Unity in swastikas and pictures of Hitler, 'Decca' in hammers and sickles and pictures of Lenin).
** What makes this really sad is that there's evidence that when they were children Unity and 'Decca' were very close and shared a secret society and language, among other examples.
* [[Literature/TheDiaryOfAYoungGirl Anne Frank's diary]] is full of this kind of thing about her older sister Margot, who she claimed was prettier, nicer, smarter, more mature, and just "better," in contrast to Anne's adolescent awkwardness and mood swings. She also wrote about times she thought her parents were favoring Margot over her.
* This was the relationship between the Tudor Queens of England, [[UsefulNotes/MaryTudor "Bloody" Mary I]] and her younger half-sister [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]]. Mary's happy childhood as the only surviving child of UsefulNotes/HenryVIII came to a crashing halt when Henry took up with UsefulNotes/AnneBoleyn, for whom he divorced Mary's mother Catherine of Aragon. Anne was [[WickedStepmother infamously cruel to Mary]], persuading Henry to strip his daughter of her rightful title of 'Princess' and even forcing her to be a nursemaid to the infant who supplanted her as heir to the throne. Nevertheless, the much-older Mary was fond of her little sister and also their mutual half-brother Edward (later Edward VI). As Elizabeth grew older, however, Mary began to see her as a rival, a fact which was cemented during Mary's queenship. Their opposing religions did not help; Mary was a steadfast Catholic (under the influence of her devout Spanish mother) while Elizabeth had been reared in the (Protestant) Church of England. When Mary became Queen, Protestant plots to depose her and place Elizabeth on the throne resulted in Elizabeth being arrested and imprisoned several times. Elizabeth was much younger, prettier, and much, much smarter than poor Mary; she was unhappy, aging badly, despised by her subjects, unable to
have children, and eventually died of a tumor. Against her inclination, she had no choice but to leave the throne to the sister she resented.
** It has been speculated that the current [[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen Queen Elizabeth]] was not immune to this effect. Princess Elizabeth was never intended to be a contender to the throne: her father George, after all, was merely the younger brother of King Edward VIII, a man who, barring accident or the unthinkable act -- abdication -- was set to be King until well into the twentieth century. But events conspired, her father ascended a tarnished throne as King George VI, led a country through [=WW2=], and died young in 1952, so the eldest of his two daughters became Queen Elizabeth II. The ongoing calculated bad behaviour and imperious hauteur of her younger sister, Princess Margaret Rose, was out in public for all to see: Margaret lived in perpetual jealousy of Elizabeth's role as Queen, [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling and her antics were designed to embarrass the reign.]] Elizabeth is said to have felt like the dowdy and plain one next to her sister, a woman who regularly figured in lists of the world's most beautiful women and who was known for her grand living. While Margaret had some love and affection for her sister, she pushed the boundaries of acceptable behaviour and caused Elizabeth constant dread and embarrassment: her affairs were legion, not especially discreet, and included Peter Sellers and (according to legend) Mick Jagger, among many others. As the sisters entered middle age, however, Elizabeth asserted greater control as Margaret's looks faded and died; lacking the looks to keep rich lovers, Margaret now depended on her sister's dole and had to toe the Windsor party line -- effectively, the Queen was taking her revenge for the put-downs and exquisite embarrassments of earlier years.
* Creator/JoanFontaine and Creator/OliviaDeHavilland. One of the most famous feuds in Old Hollywood, and was STILL ongoing at this entry's original inclusion in 2012. By the time of Joan's death in 2013[[note]]Ironically, Joan had joked that if she were to die first, Olivia would probably be annoyed because she'd beaten her at something[[/note]], both sisters were just a little under 100 and hadn't spoken to each other in the 30 years after their mother died. The rivalry was all the
more depth than intense because both of them were A-list actresses back in the day, each winning Oscars for Best Actress. Rivalry compounded by the fact Joan had been ''forbidden'' by her parents to use her family name for acting -- she had to settle for their stepdad’s name, "Fontaine”.
-->'''Olivia''': Imagine what we could have done if we had gotten together. We could have selected the right scripts, the right directors, the right producers -- we could have built our own empire. But
it seems, however.was not to be.
* Chinese empress [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Yanyan Xiao Yan Yan]] had two older sisters and hated both of them. One of them tried to poison her, so Xiao Yan Yan forced her to commit suicide. The other one was imprisoned and executed on Xiao Yan Yan's orders.




[[folder:Web Comics]]
* ''Webcomic/AMagicalRoommate'': Aylia (Bookworm) and Alassa (Beautiful) hate each other because of this. Notably, Aylia doesn't want anything to do with Alassa, who is so proud of herself that she HAS to be better than her book-crazy sister all the time; Alassa used to have Aylia wrapped around her finger until Alassa's prideful abuse broke Aylia's CoolBigSis perspective. Unfortunately, Alassa is so utterly proud and spoiled that she won't put any real work into anything, not because she's lazy, but because it agitates her to do anything other than compete. The author specifically states that Alassa might have developed some serious talent "if she hadn't put so much work into being ''stupid''".
* ''Webcomic/{{Pacificators}}'' has an interesting case: two of the main characters, Larima and Taffe, are a pair of [[DeathByOriginStory orphaned sisters]]. They ''usually'' get along reasonably well... but the entire time, there is constant tension between the two. [[spoiler:Finally, in Chapter 42, they had a huge fight (off-screen), because Taffe was pissed that Larima almost got herself killed.]] [[note]][[spoiler:It makes sense when you recall that they're the only family they've got left. Taffe almost lost her only family.]][[/note]]
** Larima, the older sister, is the stereotypical blonde beauty… and a CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass, being an ''[[MakingASplash Elite-ranked]]'' [[MakingASplash Pacificator of Water]], and a very [[{{Ambadassador}} renowned ambassador]]. She's definitely ''not'' [[ObfuscatingStupidity stupid as]] [[BunnyEarsLawyer she looks]]. She's also the [[TheChick compassionate one]].
** Taffe, the younger sister, is the stereotypical DeadpanSnarker and, on rare occasions, the AnnoyingYoungerSibling… and she's ''incredibly'' protective of Larima, a la [[BigBrotherInstinct Little Sister Instinct]], including doing all the fighting for her. She's also BrilliantButLazy and doesn't care one bit for her job. Also, Taffe is the [[EmotionlessGirl cold one]].
* Robin and Roz [=DeSanto=] of ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}'' are an odd take on this with Robin being a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} ManicPixieDreamGirl and Roz being a DepravedBisexual AnythingThatMoves Nymphomaniac CamWhore.
* In ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'', Amber and Ruby are a textbook case, apart from a moderately substantial age difference. Admittedly, Amber (the pretty one) doesn't want to fight, and sometimes tries to negotiate a truce, but she doesn't seem to have a clue how to talk to her sister, while Ruby (the smart one, a BrokenBird who blames Amber for her condition, with some logic) isn't ready to stop, and keeps finding new grounds for resentment, legitimate or dubious.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Sabriel and [[spoiler:Lirael]] [=DuLac=] from ''Literature/TheQuestportChronicles'', in keeping with their FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling duality. One's the [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure leader of]] the biggest CityOfAdventure in the world, the other is a treasure-obsessed former pirate.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* Pleasantly averted in ''WebVideo/TheLizzieBennetDiaries''. Jane and Lizzie support each other and admire the other, Jane and Lydia esteem and try to correct each other, and Lizzie and Lydia are too busy being sarcastic towards each other and too certain that their way of living is ''the'' good one to be rivals.
* Taylor and Sarah from ''WebVideo/{{lonelygirl15}}'' have elements of this, although they mix and match characteristics from the types; Sarah is attractive, intelligent, emo, and a DeadpanSnarker, while Taylor is more bookish and computer savvy but also sportier.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' has Jen as The Smart One and Courtney as The Beautiful One in "It's Always Courtney, Courtney, Courtney".
* Surprisingly and refreshingly averted in ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingChanAndTheChanClan''. Anne Chan is the Smart One and a {{Bokukko}} while her older sister Suzie is TheCutie and the Pretty One, but they get along quite well. In fact, a good part of the SiblingRivalry tropes are averted in the cartoon: while the kids ''did'' have their disagreements, ''extended'' rivalries didn't really happen.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' has Abigail Lincoln, a.k.a. Numbuh Five, and her sister, Cree. This show takes this trope UpToEleven since Cree is a teenager and a sworn enemy of the Kids Next Door, in which Numbuh Five is involved. Cree was once a KND operative herself, known as Numbuh 11, and the sisters got along rather well then, but when Cree got older, she was no longer allowed in the KND but escaped being decommissioned. This has also somewhat caused their personal relationship to sour as well. One scene shows them at the dinner table pretending to get along, when in fact they're secretly aiming weapons at each other under the table.
* Alice Tompkins in ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'' has a decades-long rivalry with her SouthernBelle sister, Miranda, who for the most part, is considered to be more attractive, and deliberately tries to upstage Alice every chance she gets, even at Alice's wedding. When Miranda finally admits to her sister that she's jealous of the life that she has with her job, her daughter, and her relationship with Jay, Alice takes a brief moment to rejoice.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'':
** Daria Morgendorffer is the titular character and the smart one, her sister Quinn is the fashionable, popular one. However, Quinn is shown to be fairly intelligent in her own right (which actually scares her, fearing she'd be kicked out of her clique), and Daria is shown to be attractive when she makes an effort (which scares ''her'', fearing it makes her as shallow as the conformist students she rails against). The sisters do begin to make peace in the final season. In the episode "Quinn the Brain", Quinn embraces a shallow sort of intellectualism because the dimmer wits wandering the school find her crappy poetry profound. Daria finds this even worse than her normal, self-imposed ditziness; she might not ''like'' Quinn's default personality but she'd rather her sister be herself than change who she is to please the masses, so [[WeWantOurJerkBack Daria works to restore the status quo]] (even willing to give herself [[BeautifulAllAlong a temporary makeover]]), if only so that their relationship can remain at "rivalry" as opposed to out-and-out holy war.
** Turns out to be GenerationXerox to some extent: their mother, Helen, has an acrimonious relationship with her older sister Rita, and to a lesser extent their younger sister Amy. Rita seems to be the pretty one, Amy the smart one, and Helen the overachiever who's become the most successful. Interestingly, each sister has their own gripes towards the other two. Despite being spoiled the most by their mother, Rita felt that Helen's achievements made Amy and herself look lazy; whereas Amy got out of doing anything for the family by shutting herself in. By comparison, Amy feels that Helen was too high strung/high maintenance (going as far to congratulate Jake for putting up with her) and resented the constant attention that Rita got from their mother which in turn led to Amy constantly withdrawing herself. Witnessing all this leads Daria and Quinn to decide that [[CharacterDevelopment they don't want to feel that kind of resentment toward each other twenty years down the line and start working to get along with each other better]].
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' has Helga, who's a tomboyish {{Tsundere}}, and Olga, who's pretty and brilliant. Of course, the rivalry is only present because of [[ParentalFavoritism their parents showing so much favoritism towards Olga]], who doesn't even want it in the first place and tells Helga that being ignored is ''better'' than being [[StageMom stifled and bound by said attention.]] The girls do generally care for each other.
* An adult example: ''WesternAnimation/AKindOfMagic'' has Willow, a cheerful fairy, and Ferocia, an evil witch.
* In the third season, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' reveals that Lin and Suyin Beifong were this. Lin was a young police officer, soon to rise rapidly through the ranks, and notably lacking when it came to navigating interpersonal relationships; Suyin was outgoing but a [[BrattyTeenageDaughter bratty wild child]] whose friends landed her in trouble. They really don't get on well when they first meet after thirty years but patch things up by the end of the show.
* This trope appears several times in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** First off, we have Celestia and Luna, the [[PhysicalGod embodiements of day and night]]. Older sister Celestia is the Popular One -- the [[GodEmperor God Empress]] of Equestria who brings daylight to the land, beloved by all of her people -- while the younger Luna shows traces of the Smart One (she has PsychicPowers including being a DreamWalker) and, in her opinion, isn't as well-liked, because everypony is asleep when she delivers nighttime to the world. Luna's jealousy of Celestia's popularity eventually [[GreenEyedMonster transforms her into the monstrous Nightmare Moon]], which in turn forces Celestia to banish her to the moon for a thousand years. By the end of the pilot, Luna has been healed, and the two sisters mend their relationship (though a few later episodes, and the tie-in comics, hint that they're still rivals, though to a far lesser extent). This is the central conflict in the Season 7 episode "A Royal Problem", with both sisters being upset with each other because they believe that the other has the easier job. Luna thinks Celestia has it easy basking in the love and adoration of her subjects. Celestia thinks Luna has it easy dealing with dreams instead of being a SlaveToPR.
** Among the Mane Six, we have Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Like Celestia, Rarity is the Popular One and older of the two, a prim-and-proper pony who works as a seamstress/fashion designer and loves high society. Like Luna, Sweetie Belle is younger, and while not the polar opposite of her sister, she's far more energetic and playful, which contrasts with Rarity's posh attitude. Both Sweetie Belle-centric episodes ("Sisterhooves Social" and "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls") focus on the contrast between the sisters, with Sweetie becoming particularly jealous of Rarity and either declaring that she doesn't want to be her sister or intentionally sabotaging one of Rarity's important clients. Rarity and Sweetie Belle's relationship has been expressly compared to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's ''by Luna herself!''
** The trope is downplayed with Pinkie and Maud Pie. Pinkie is the younger sister and Popular One -- she's quite literally the embodiment of fun and laughter, has a bright pink color, and works as a party planner and apprentice baker in Ponyville. Older sister Maud is the Smart One -- she's an expert on rocks who is receiving a doctorate in the field, is dull gray, and has a single friend (a small pebble). Both sisters are well aware of their severe contrast but don't try to change for one another and never ask each other to. This is perhaps best symbolized by the Pies' tradition of exchanging rock candy necklaces whenever they see each other -- Pinkie loves sugar and always devours hers right away, while Maud doesn't care for sweets and keeps them in a small box. But [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther despite their differences, they love each other dearly]].
** Finally, the trope is largely averted with Applejack and Apple Bloom. Both have pretty much the same personality -- headstrong, hard-working, and compassionate -- and get along extremely well. The only tension in their relationship was a [[CompressedVice single incident]] in "Somepony to Watch Over Me" where Applejack thought that Apple Bloom needed to be kept safe and babied her to an absurd degree.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'', Rapunzel's mother Arianna is a [[TheHighQueen reserved and responsible queen]] while her aunt Willow is [[BlitheSpirit fun-loving and outgoing]].
* Starfire and Blackfire on ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. Starfire is the sweet, beautiful, GenkiGirl while Blackfire is a smart, evil, DarkChick.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* Creator/JKRowling, the writer of ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', and her sister Dianne. They seem to get along pretty well, but growing up, everybody decided that Rowling was "the smart one" and Dianne was "the pretty one," and neither was particularly happy with their role. (For the record, Dianne is now a lawyer.)
* Authors A.S. Byatt and Margaret Drabble. If Byatt's "The Game" is to be taken as autobiographical, Byatt was the Smart Sister and Drabble was the Popular One.
* Going by her autobiography, Jessica Mitford spent a certain amount of her adolescence in an extraordinarily black-comedic variant on this; she was developing into a lifelong socialist at precisely the same time as her sister Unity was becoming an [[NaziNobleman extremely dedicated British Fascist]] (and personal friends with most of the [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi high command]]). Furthermore, there was a definite pretty one/smart one element to it; while neither was ugly, Unity was considered prettier (once he met her, Hitler -- with whom she may or may not have had an affair -- called her "a perfect specimen of Aryan womanhood"), while Jessica was famous for being crazy-smart (she wrote a lot of articles and books later in life). Until the international situation [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII began to get really dire]], they behaved almost ''exactly'' like every other pair of arguing teenagers. Did we mention they shared a room? Well, they shared a room -- which, as soon as their politics were cemented, they [[ThisIsMySide split down the middle with a chalk line]] and decorated on each side in the symbols of their ideologies (Unity in swastikas and pictures of Hitler, 'Decca' in hammers and sickles and pictures of Lenin).
** What makes this really sad is that there's evidence that when they were children Unity and 'Decca' were very close and shared a secret society and language, among other examples.
* [[Literature/TheDiaryOfAYoungGirl Anne Frank's diary]] is full of this kind of thing about her older sister Margot, who she claimed was prettier, nicer, smarter, more mature, and just "better," in contrast to Anne's adolescent awkwardness and mood swings. She also wrote about times she thought her parents were favoring Margot over her.
* This was the relationship between the Tudor Queens of England, [[UsefulNotes/MaryTudor "Bloody" Mary I]] and her younger half-sister [[UsefulNotes/ElizabethI Elizabeth I]]. Mary's happy childhood as the only surviving child of UsefulNotes/HenryVIII came to a crashing halt when Henry took up with UsefulNotes/AnneBoleyn, for whom he divorced Mary's mother Catherine of Aragon. Anne was [[WickedStepmother infamously cruel to Mary]], persuading Henry to strip his daughter of her rightful title of 'Princess' and even forcing her to be a nursemaid to the infant who supplanted her as heir to the throne. Nevertheless, the much-older Mary was fond of her little sister and also their mutual half-brother Edward (later Edward VI). As Elizabeth grew older, however, Mary began to see her as a rival, a fact which was cemented during Mary's queenship. Their opposing religions did not help; Mary was a steadfast Catholic (under the influence of her devout Spanish mother) while Elizabeth had been reared in the (Protestant) Church of England. When Mary became Queen, Protestant plots to depose her and place Elizabeth on the throne resulted in Elizabeth being arrested and imprisoned several times. Elizabeth was much younger, prettier, and much, much smarter than poor Mary; she was unhappy, aging badly, despised by her subjects, unable to have children, and eventually died of a tumor. Against her inclination, she had no choice but to leave the throne to the sister she resented.
** It has been speculated that the current [[UsefulNotes/HMTheQueen Queen Elizabeth]] was not immune to this effect. Princess Elizabeth was never intended to be a contender to the throne: her father George, after all, was merely the younger brother of King Edward VIII, a man who, barring accident or the unthinkable act -- abdication -- was set to be King until well into the twentieth century. But events conspired, her father ascended a tarnished throne as King George VI, led a country through [=WW2=], and died young in 1952, so the eldest of his two daughters became Queen Elizabeth II. The ongoing calculated bad behaviour and imperious hauteur of her younger sister, Princess Margaret Rose, was out in public for all to see: Margaret lived in perpetual jealousy of Elizabeth's role as Queen, [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling and her antics were designed to embarrass the reign.]] Elizabeth is said to have felt like the dowdy and plain one next to her sister, a woman who regularly figured in lists of the world's most beautiful women and who was known for her grand living. While Margaret had some love and affection for her sister, she pushed the boundaries of acceptable behaviour and caused Elizabeth constant dread and embarrassment: her affairs were legion, not especially discreet, and included Peter Sellers and (according to legend) Mick Jagger, among many others. As the sisters entered middle age, however, Elizabeth asserted greater control as Margaret's looks faded and died; lacking the looks to keep rich lovers, Margaret now depended on her sister's dole and had to toe the Windsor party line -- effectively, the Queen was taking her revenge for the put-downs and exquisite embarrassments of earlier years.
* Creator/JoanFontaine and Creator/OliviaDeHavilland. One of the most famous feuds in Old Hollywood, and was STILL ongoing at this entry's original inclusion in 2012. By the time of Joan's death in 2013[[note]]Ironically, Joan had joked that if she were to die first, Olivia would probably be annoyed because she'd beaten her at something[[/note]], both sisters were just a little under 100 and hadn't spoken to each other in the 30 years after their mother died. The rivalry was all the more intense because both of them were A-list actresses back in the day, each winning Oscars for Best Actress. Rivalry compounded by the fact Joan had been ''forbidden'' by her parents to use her family name for acting -- she had to settle for their stepdad’s name, "Fontaine”.
-->'''Olivia''': Imagine what we could have done if we had gotten together. We could have selected the right scripts, the right directors, the right producers -- we could have built our own empire. But it was not to be.
* Chinese empress [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_Yanyan Xiao Yan Yan]] had two older sisters and hated both of them. One of them tried to poison her, so Xiao Yan Yan forced her to commit suicide. The other one was imprisoned and executed on Xiao Yan Yan's orders.
[[/folder]]
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* ''Series/TheLegendOfXiaoChuo'': The three Xiao sisters grow increasingly hostile towards each other over the course of the series. Eventually two of them start plotting against their youngest sister, which ends with one dead and the other exiled.
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* ''Film/SaveTheDate'': Sarah and Beth care about each other, but constantly clash over their very different personalities. For her part, Sarah's more humble, laidback and quiet. Beth's far more intense, slightly arrogant and outgoing. Sarah feels unable to talk with Beth after getting pregnant, although she really needs a caring ear. Beth for her part complains that Sarah always ignores what she tells her. After learning she's about to have an abortion, Beth does speak with and offer unconditional support no matter what. She even postpones her wedding (which she'd obsessed over) so it won't fall the same time as when Beth is due (this had been the main reason behind Beth's planning the abortion, not wanting to detract from her sister's big day).

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* ''Film/SaveTheDate'': ''Film/SaveTheDate2012'': Sarah and Beth care about each other, but constantly clash over their very different personalities. For her part, Sarah's more humble, laidback and quiet. Beth's far more intense, slightly arrogant and outgoing. Sarah feels unable to talk with Beth after getting pregnant, although she really needs a caring ear. Beth for her part complains that Sarah always ignores what she tells her. After learning she's about to have an abortion, Beth does speak with and offer unconditional support no matter what. She even postpones her wedding (which she'd obsessed over) so it won't fall the same time as when Beth is due (this had been the main reason behind Beth's planning the abortion, not wanting to detract from her sister's big day).

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* Invoked in ''Literature/CountingToD'' by Lissa Banks and her younger sister Kaitlyn. They come from a competitive family, and eventually they decided to stop competing for the same title. Lissa is an overachiever with perfect grades and blue hair. Kaitlyn wears cool clothes, hangs out with her GirlPosse of frenemies, and dates only the most popular boys. Kaitlyn is actually smart too, but she doesn't take advanced classes because it would ruin her image.



* ''Literature/HatingAlisonAshley'': Erica is a smart overachiever who has no friends, while her sister Valjoy is outgoing and boy-crazy, and they never get along. However, neither is portrayed as likable, and Erica herself is an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist, despite being the main character.



* ''Literature/HatingAlisonAshley'': Erica is a smart overachiever who has no friends, while her sister Valjoy is outgoing and boy-crazy, and they never get along. However, neither is portrayed as likable, and Erica herself is an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist, despite being the main character.
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Hollywood Nerd is now a disambiguation. Zero Context Examples will be removed


** This would have played this straight if [[SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl Darcy]] wasn't [[strike:sent to 90210]] [[LongBusTrip sent to Kenya]]. However, all interactions between Darcy and [[HollywoodNerd Clare]] fit this trope to a T. And when they aren't interacting, the mention of the other falls into this trope.

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** This would have played this straight if [[SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl Darcy]] wasn't [[strike:sent to 90210]] [[LongBusTrip sent to Kenya]]. However, all interactions between Darcy and [[HollywoodNerd Clare]] and Clare fit this trope to a T. And when they aren't interacting, the mention of the other falls into this trope.
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* Mirabel and Isabela from WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} are this for most of the film with Isabela playing The Beautiful Sister. [[spoiler: they become closer towards the end of the film when Isabela confesses her unhappiness and lack of desire to marry Mariano and Mirabel realizes they're not so different.]]

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* Mirabel and Isabela from WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} are this for most of the film with Isabela playing The Beautiful Sister. [[spoiler: they They become closer towards the end of the film when Isabela confesses her unhappiness and lack of desire to marry Mariano and Mirabel realizes they're not so different.]]
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* In ''VideoGame/NeoTheWorldEndsWithYou'', in Another Day, Shoka and Ayano, who had a sister-like relationship in the main story, are actually sisters. They don't seem to get along, and much of their bickering is over who gets to have their iguana Iggy. [[spoiler:Unlike the main story, in which Ayano's Noise form used her ultimate attack to trap everyone besides Shoka and Rindo, Another Day's Ayano starts off the battle by trapping Shoka.]]

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* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Sansa and Arya Stark. Sansa fills the role of "the pretty one" as she is popular, courtly, and fashionable, but -- although far from stupid -- is hopelessly naive, ignorant and ThinksLikeARomanceNovel. Meanwhile, Arya fills the role of "the smart one" as she's StreetSmart, perceptive and quick-witted, but lacks manners, polish and is considered plain. You cannot leave them alone without both finding ways to hurt the other — and then feel sorry about it later. As the series continues they downplay this, as Sansa becomes more intelligent and manipulative, and the main contrast in later seasons is more like Sansa as "the smart one" and Arya as "the strong, tough one".
** In Season 7, Littlefinger tries to use this, making Sansa believe Arya is plotting a coup to become Lady of Winterfell and for Sansa to get rid of her. The problem is [[spoiler: Sansa knows full well Arya couldn’t care less about being Lady and sees through the whole thing. The girls brilliantly let Littlefinger think his plan is working all the way up to starting a trial for Arya's treason...at which point Littlefinger discovers too late; ''he's'' the one on trial with Sansa passing judgement and Arya slicing Baelish's throat herself.]]

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* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Sansa and Arya Stark. Sansa fills the role of "the pretty one" as she is popular, courtly, and fashionable, but -- although far from stupid -- is hopelessly naive, ignorant and ThinksLikeARomanceNovel. Meanwhile, Arya fills the role of "the smart one" as she's StreetSmart, perceptive and quick-witted, but lacks manners, polish and is considered plain. You cannot leave them alone without both finding ways to hurt the other — and then feel sorry about it later. As the series continues they downplay this, as Sansa becomes more intelligent and manipulative, and the main contrast in later seasons is more like Sansa as "the smart one" and Arya as "the strong, tough one".
**
one". In Season 7, Littlefinger tries to use this, making Sansa believe Arya is plotting a coup to become Lady of Winterfell and for Sansa to get rid of her. The problem is [[spoiler: Sansa knows full well Arya couldn’t care less about being Lady and sees through the whole thing. The girls brilliantly let Littlefinger think his plan is working all the way up to starting a trial for Arya's treason...at which point Littlefinger discovers too late; ''he's'' the one on trial with Sansa passing judgement and Arya slicing Baelish's throat herself.]]


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* ''Series/Scoundrels2010'': Heather and Hope have the stereotypical SiblingRivalry, with Heather being the beautiful [[TheDitz ditz]] who Hope doesn't respect, while Hope is the [[BrattyHalfPint rebellious smug brat]] who Heather is annoyed by.
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* ''Film/SaveTheDate'': Sarah and Beth care about each other, but constantly clash over their very different personalities. For her part, Sarah's more humble, laidback and quiet. Beth's far more intense, slightly arrogant and outgoing. Sarah feels unable to talk with Beth after getting pregnant, although she really needs a caring ear. Beth for her part complains that Sarah always ignores what she tells her. After learning she's about to have an abortion, Beth does speak with and offer unconditional support no matter what. She even postpones her wedding (which she'd obsessed over) so it won't fall the same time as when Beth is due (this had been the main reason behind Beth's planning the abortion, not wanting to detract from her sister's big day).
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page was moved to the Darth Wiki


* Trisha and Stephanie on ''WebOriginal/TheWarComms'' are this to a T: Stephanie is sweet, quirky, intelligent, a proud geek and cute in a more offbeat way; Trisha is vain, shallow, stuck-up, self-centered and works her butt off to look fashion-model pretty. In a perhaps unsurprising twist, ''Stephanie'' is actually The Popular One for personality reasons.
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* ''VideoGame/VampireTheMasqueradeBloodlines'': The game's plot pits the Voerman sisters, the cold, intellectual and business-minded Therese and charismatic, manipulative and BookDumb Jeanette, against each other. The whole thing is made more complicated by the fact that both sisters are ancient and extremely powerful vampires with vast networks and resources to draw on.
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* ''[[Film/AMaSoeur Fat Girl]]''. An overweight 13-year-old girl is jealous of her beautiful 15-year-old sister because she gets to have sex (she longs to have sex herself); and has an affair with a boy right in front of her, no less.

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* ''[[Film/AMaSoeur Fat Girl]]''. An overweight 13-year-old girl is jealous of her beautiful 15-year-old sister because she gets to have sex (she longs to have sex herself); and herself) ''and'' has an affair with a boy right in front of her, no less.
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* The plot of ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'' centers on the growing rivalry between sisters Dottie and Kit Hinson. Scouts are unimpressed by Kit’s batting and will only allow her a tryout if the more skilled Dottie agrees to try out as well. Knowing how much Kit wants to escape their small town, Dottie agrees to try out for her sister’s sake.
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Defunct Trope


* Mirabel and Isabela from WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} are this for most of the film with Isabela playing The Beautiful Sister. [[spoiler: they become closer towards the end of the film when Isabela confesses her unhappiness and lack of desire to marry Mariano and Mirabel realizes they are NotSoDifferent.]]

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* Mirabel and Isabela from WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} are this for most of the film with Isabela playing The Beautiful Sister. [[spoiler: they become closer towards the end of the film when Isabela confesses her unhappiness and lack of desire to marry Mariano and Mirabel realizes they are NotSoDifferent.they're not so different.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* Mirabel and Isabela from WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} are this for most of the film with Isabela playing the pretty one. [[spoiler: they become closer towards the end of the film when Isabela confesses her unhappiness and lack of desire to marry Mariano and Mirabel realizes they are NotSoDifferent.]]

to:

* Mirabel and Isabela from WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}} are this for most of the film with Isabela playing the pretty one.The Beautiful Sister. [[spoiler: they become closer towards the end of the film when Isabela confesses her unhappiness and lack of desire to marry Mariano and Mirabel realizes they are NotSoDifferent.]]

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