History Main / TheSmurfettePrinciple

* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': Cleo was the only feminine-leaning member of the server during 3rd Life. Later averted with the addition of Pearl and Lizzie in Last Life, and then Gem in Secret Life.

[[folder:Pinballs]]

* Alison Bechdel's ''ComicStrip/DykesToWatchOutFor'' was made as a response to the Smurfette principle (as discussed in ''The Indelible Alison Bechdel''), to force male readers to identify with the female characters, as women often have to identify with male characters. Over the last several years, more male characters have appeared; one of the main characters, Sparrow, had a long-term relationship and a child with a man named Stuart. This may have also been her accommodating what has become to be known as UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest in her own work.

* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': Cleo was the only female member of the server during Season 1. Later averted in Season 2 with the addition of Pearl and Lizzie; though Lizzie doesn't return for Season 3, Pearl remains.

[[AC:No RealLife examples, please!]]

[[caption-width-right:350:TheSmartGuy, the PluckyComicRelief, TheBigGuy and... [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers the girl]].[[note]]Ironically, the movie which this image is from particularly deconstructs this trope.[[/note]]]]

Compare UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest, TwoGirlsToATeam, and TwoGuysAndAGirl for similar critiques of female:male proportions in fiction. AffirmativeActionGirl is a common way of averting the trope, sometime preemptively, sometimes as a reaction to the aforementioned criticism. See ChromosomeCasting when there's zero members of the opposite sex present not only amongst the main characters but in the work itself (maybe except for in the background). This is also DistaffCounterpart to TheOneGuy. Subtropes include NeverASelfMadeWoman (women cannot achieve anything without a male mentor or counterpart), SmurfetteBreakout (the Smurfette character becomes popular on her own), StarringSmurfette (Smurfette is the protagonist), and TerritorialSmurfette (another female is added to the show and the original Smurfette reacts negatively). [[GratuitousPrincess Often, the one girl is a princess]] for economy's sake. Contrast GenderEqualEnsemble and ImprobablyFemaleCast. For the music equivalent, you would have MaleBandFemaleSinger or FemaleRockersPlayBass.

[[noreallife]]

* ''LetsPlay/LifeSMP'': Cleo was the only female member of the server during Season 1. Later averted in Season 2 with the addition of Pearl and Lizzie; though Lizzie doesn't return for Season 3, Pearl remains.

* Literature/TheBible: [[Literature/BookOfGenesis Jacob]] fathered thirteen children, of which Dinah was his only daughter.

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': Downplayed. Each of the core kaiju groups sent to Equestria only has one female. Mothra Lea for the Terra Defenders, Destroyah for the Mutations, and the albino Hyper Gyaos later called Irys for the Dark Hunters. However, they're far from the only female kaiju in the story, as Biollante, Megaguirus, Legion, Otachi, Orka, Raiga, and a [[GenderFlip genderflipped]] Manda, Varan, and Titanosaurus all have cameo appearances or minor roles (with said gender flipping explicitly being for the aversion of this trope).

Compare UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest, TwoGirlsToATeam, and TwoGuysAndAGirl for similar critiques of female:male proportions in fiction. AffirmativeActionGirl is a common way of averting the trope, sometime preemptively, sometimes as a reaction to the aforementioned criticism. See ChromosomeCasting when there's zero members of the opposite sex present not only amongst the main characters but in the work itself (maybe except for in the background). This is also DistaffCounterpart to TheOneGuy. Subtropes include NeverASelfMadeWoman (women cannot achieve anything without a male mentor or counterpart), SmurfetteBreakout (the Smurfette character becomes popular on her own), StarringSmurfette (Smurfette is the protagonist), and TerritorialSmurfette (another female is added to the show and the original Smurfette reacts negatively). [[GratuitousPrincess Often, the one girl is a princess]] for economy's sake. Contrast GenderEqualEnsemble and ImprobablyFemaleCast. For the {{Music}} equivalent, you would have MaleBandFemaleSinger or FemaleRockersPlayBass.

[[folder:Other]]
* Helen Henny from Creator/ChuckECheese became one after the Pizza Time Theatre era.
* If a heterosexual couple only has sons, the woman in the relationship becomes this to her immediate nuclear family.
* The Super Bowl LVI lineup of performers fit the classical depiction of this trope. Music/MaryJBlige was the only headlining woman. The rest of the performers consisted of Music/DrDre, Music/KendrickLamar, Music/{{Eminem}}, Music/SnoopDogg, and a surprise appearance by Music/FiftyCent.
* 4 of the United States presidential elections fit this trope.
** In 1984, former Vice President UsefulNotes/WalterMondale selected congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. His selection of Ferraro made her the first woman on a major party ticket. The duo suffered one of the [[LandslideElection worst electoral losses in American history]].
** In 2008 UsefulNotes/JohnMcCain selected the Governor of Alaska, UsefulNotes/SarahPalin as his running mate. Palin was the subject of jest from both liberals and mainstream conservatives for her quirky personality.
** 2016 had former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton. Clinton became the first woman to be a runner-up in a major parties nomination in 2008. By 2016 she became the first woman to win a major party nomination for president and the first woman to win the popular vote for president. (Despite losing the election)
** In 2020 UsefulNotes/JoeBiden selected California Senator UsefulNotes/KamalaHarris as his running mate. Harris is the only woman to ever be on a winning ticket. She is the first female [[UsefulNotes/TheVicePresidentsOfTheUnitedStates vice president]] and the second vice president of color after Charles Curtis. She’s also only the second person of color to be on a major ticket after UsefulNotes/BarackObama as well as the first Asian to be either VP or President.
* In Canada, Kim Campbell is the only woman to have been Prime Minister. She only held the position for a number of months in 1993. She was also the first woman to serve as minister of justice in Canadian history and the first woman to become minister of defense in a NATO member state.
* American politician Nancy Pelosi is the only woman to have been Speaker of the House as well as the first woman to lead a party caucus in either chamber of Congress.
[[/folder]]

** In 2008 UsefulNotes/JohnMcCain selected the Governor of Alaska, UsefulNotes/SarahPalin as his running mate. Palin was the subject of jest from both liberals and mainstream conservatives, for her quirky personality.

** In 2020 UsefulNotes/JoeBiden selected California Senator UsefulNotes/KamalaHarris. Harris is the only woman to ever be on a winning ticket. She is the first female [[UsefulNotes/TheVicePresidentsOfTheUnitedStates vice president]] and the second vice president of color after Charles Curtis. She’s also only the second person of color to be on a major ticket after UsefulNotes/BarackObama as well as the first Asian to be either VP or President.

[[caption-width-right:350:TheSmartGuy, the PluckyComicRelief, TheBigGuy and... [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers the girl]].]]

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': Downplayed. Each of the core kaiju groups sent to Equestria only has one female. Mothra Lea for the Terra Defenders, Destroyah for the Mutations, and the albino Hyper Gyaos later called Irys for the Dark Hunters. However, they're far from the only female kaiju in the story, as Biollante, Legion, Otachi, and a [[GenderFlip genderflipped]] Manda and Titanosaurus all have cameo appearances or minor roles.

Interestingly, [[ThisIndexIsNotAnExample this trope does not actually apply]] to Franchise/TheSmurfs, as a second female smurf was added to the cast in 1985 and more have been added since.

* The planets in our solar system are traditionally named after deities in the Roman pantheon, and it zigzags between this trope and TwoGirlsToATeam (at least depending on whether you want to count our planet, as UsefulNotes/{{Earth}} is classified as female in many world religions, including the Roman Terra, which is occasionally used as the "proper" name of Earth): Originally, the six planets were Sun/Sol (male), Moon/Luna (female), UsefulNotes/{{Mercury}}, UsefulNotes/{{Venus}}, UsefulNotes/{{Mars}}, UsefulNotes/{{Jupiter}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Saturn}}. The moon and sun of course aren't planets, so that changed to the nine planets at some point (adding in UsefulNotes/{{Uranus}}, UsefulNotes/{{Neptune}} and UsefulNotes/{{Pluto}}, which was later demoted from planet status), with Venus being the only one left named after a goddess. The next planet discovered was named Ceres, also female, upping the count to two... but Ceres was later demoted into an asteroid, returning to this Principle.

* ''Fanfic/PokemonCrossingFlyMeToTheMoon'': Holly's Pokemon team consists of five guys (Blaziken, Gyarados, Manectric, Lairon, Swablu) and one girl (a Gyarados).

* ''Fanfic/TheBridge'': Each of the core kaiju groups sent to Equestria only has one female. Mothra Lea for the Terra Defenders, Destroyah for the Mutations, the albino Hyper Gyaos later called Irys for the Dark Hunters, and Otachi for the Anteversers (though she only gets a few mentions so far).

* Before becoming an animated series, the ''Franchise/MastersOfTheUniverse'' toy line debuted with a single female character (Teela), and after the debut, added a female villain to the team (Evil Lynn). It eventually spun off an entire DistaffCounterpart franchise, ''Franchise/SheRaPrincessOfPower'', which featured only three MALE characters amongst an otherwise all-female cast.

** In ''Toys/{{BIONICLE}}'':

* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'': As the name implies, "Ms. Sweetie" is the only female included in the "Little Misters" lineup of Dr. Wondertainment-brand anomalies.