Line #23 Main/AcceptableFeminineGoalsAndTraits


1	->''"This movie has done for feminism what ''Film/{{The Birth of a Nation\|1915}}'' did for equal rights."''
2	-->-- ''WebVideo/BestOfTheWorst'' watches ''Film/{{Supergirl\|1984}}''
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4	In our culture, there are certain careers, goals, and traits that are considered "feminine". This naturally bleeds into fiction, where we expect a female character to have at least one of these traits or goals. If she doesn't have any of them, she may be criticized as being too masculine or because NoGuyWantsAnAmazon. If she has too many, she may come under fire from the RealWomenDontWearDresses crowd. Similarly if a male character has these traits or goals in a restrictive setting it may seem unmanly, unless someone makes a point that RealMenWearPink.
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6	Note that while this can be gender stereotyping, [[AndThatsTerrible which is a bad thing]], it [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools can also be a way of rounding out a character]]. Real people, even an ActionGirl or a WrenchWench, can have interests outside kicking ass or fixing machines. A strong female character isn't any less strong if she's also a SupremeChef.
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8	----
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10	!!Tropes:
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12	[[index]]
13	* AbhorrentAdmirer: Trying to seduce an attractive man is a pathetically laughable move from an ugly woman. Ugly women ''must'' accept the fact that they can only be suitable mates for men who are just as unattractive as they are or even uglier AND obese.
14	* AllGirlsLikePonies
15	* AllLesbiansWantKids: Every woman wants children, even if she has no interest in men.
16	* AllWomenLoveShoes
17	* BeautyIsBest: A woman can want to be good at anything, as long as looking good is top of that list.
18	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: A woman can be an ActionGirl, but only as long as she stays attractive.
19	* BehindEveryGreatMan: A woman should be content to stay in the shadows and support a man's career, even if he is claiming all of her accomplishments as his own.
20	* CareerVersusMan: A woman can be forced to choose between getting her man or keeping her career. It never comes up that she could conceivably have both, and she will lose the audience's sympathy if she does not choose the man.
21	* CaretakingIsFeminine: Women are naturally caring, so caretaking jobs like nursing or nannying are women's duties.
22	* ChickFlick: Women love these! The ones who claim otherwise are lying or they have something wrong with them.
23	* DefiledForever: A woman who loses her virginity before marriage, [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes even if it wasn't consensual]], is forever "dirty," and unfit for marriage.
24	* FamilyVersusCareer: A female character cannot have both a career and a family; she ''must'' choose to give one up. It's going to be family that wins if you want her to be a "good" character.
25	* FemalesAreMoreInnocent: Men do evil because [[ForTheEvulz they enjoy it]] or because [[AmbitionIsEvil they want something that can only be obtained that way]]. Women are coerced into doing evil by evil men. A woman who chooses evil of her own volition ''without'' being coerced into it by a man is a traitress to the female sex and must be destroyed.
26	* FeminineWomenCanCook: She can't cook? Clearly this is [[PlayedForLaughs meant to be funny]], a chance to get in a TakeThat at some group, or a sign of her insufficient femininity.
27	* GirlShowGhetto: Any media geared towards a primarily-female audience is inevitably vapid, and almost always romance-oriented.
28	* GirlsLoveChocolate: The ultimate feminine food.
29	* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals: A girl with a collection of soft, squishy teddy bears looks simultaneously childlike and nurturing.
30	* HarpOfFemininity: If a woman wishes to play an instrument, playing the harp is an acceptable choice.
31	* HigherEducationIsForWomen: College is mostly for women so they can heighten their desirability and avoid unfeminine manual tasks that require physical strength and action.
32	** MRSDegree: Consequence of the above. Women only go to college to find husbands.
33	* HighPoweredCareerWoman: Being ambitious and striving against sexist workplaces is admirable...right until it starts conflicting with gender expecations of becoming a wife and mother.
34	* {{Housewife}}: The epitome of honorable femininity is domesticity.
35	* IJustWantToBeBeautiful: There's nothing more important to a woman than her physical appearance.
36	* LadyOfWar: An ActionGirl should still be ladylike about it, and use properly "elegant" weapons and fighting styles.
37	** KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Wearing highly impractical clothes such as stilettos, ballgowns, skirts and/or jewelry makes a woman feminine enough to partake in action scenes.
38	* LieBackAndThinkOfEngland: [[AllWomenArePrudes Women]] aren't supposed to ''enjoy'' sex, initiate it, or seek it out. Sex is something men ''[[MenActWomenAre do to]]'' women, not that both partners equally share. If a "good" woman has any sex InUniverse, it's only either a) to please her husband or long-term boyfriend (and thus, at least in theory, [[ImAManICantHelpIt keep him from cheating or leaving]]), or b) to make babies, never for her own pleasure or enjoyment. A woman who enjoys sex, has too much of it, or expresses sexuality or sexual desire [[MyGirlIsNotASlut will lose audience sympathy]] and be [[SlutShaming called a whore]].
39	* LineageComesFromTheFather[=/=]HeirClubForMen: Royal women should not expect to rule in their own right. A queen's job is to produce the sons for the man's SingleLineOfDescent.
40	* LongHairIsFeminine: Hair wore long (and preferably loose) is the only womanly style. Even if a shorter cut would be more practical and/or fit her personality better, she keeps it long because short hair is 'unfeminine.'
41	* MadonnaWhoreComplex: A female character's value is based entirely on whether or not she's a virgin. If she is, she's pure and virtuous and potential wife material. If she isn't, she's a dirty whore who should be disposed of accordingly.
42	* MaidenAunt: A spinster can be valued if she fosters the education of her sister's/brother's children or acts as a nanny or a mentor/chaperone for her inexperienced young nieces.
43	* MakeupIsEvil: While looking good is supposed to be high on her priority list, using makeup/plastic surgery/hair dye/colored contacts/figure-enhancing undergarments/fake nails/hair extensions/etc. is cheating; beauty must be natural and effortless.
44	* MandatoryMotherhood: Even if you don't want children, cosmic forces will ensure that you ''[[ButThouMust must]]'' conceive a baby.
45	** GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Consequence of the above.
46	** MotherhoodIsSuperior: A perk of being a mother (in contrast to being a father) is that it somehow gives you the moral high ground in all situations: anything is permitted as long as you are doing it for your children. Aggression is inappropriate for a single woman but perfectly respectable in a MamaBear.
47	* MenActWomenAre: Men take active roles in the story, and are defined by their achievements and character. Women are passive, and defined by passive things like how they look, or their sexual history, or relationships to men, or status as mothers, not by achievements. (Unless those "achievements" are something related, like being the WorldsMostBeautifulWoman, [[NatureAdoresAVirgin being a virgin]], or somehow being NotLikeOtherGirls, or being the mother of TheHero.)
48	* MenAreStrongWomenArePretty: Men must be physically strong and can strive to become so, which will make them more attractive. A woman is born beautiful and attractive but if she's not, then she will never be a real woman and needs to disappear or get plastic surgery.
49	* MenGetOldWomenGetReplaced: After the characters have aged up, the male characters seem to be still around and active in the story, while women have moved on, settled down, or have simply died/disappeared.
50	* MenUseViolenceWomenUseCommunication: Physical violence can only be the fact of strong, tough and determined men to deal with conflict. Delicate and defenceless women must use their feminine wiles and look for compromise.
51	* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: Every woman wants a baby as she approaches menopause, even if she never did before.
52	* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Women's morality is measured entirely and exclusively on their attitude towards sex. Nothing else matters.
53	* NeverASelfMadeWoman: Female characters in positions of power got there through their connections to more important men. If Alice is the captain, no one will fail to mention that her father is the general.
54	* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: If a woman ''does'' violate these gender norms through tough and physical activity, men won't want her.
55	* NothingNiceAboutSugarAndSpice: When a woman/girl exploits at least one (and usually several) of these tropes while being depraved and/or violent.
56	* NotWantingKidsIsWeird: If she's not interested in becoming a mother, that's a sign of a severe character flaw.
57	* PhoneaholicTeenager: Girls and women use the phone for gossip, and ''only'' gossip, and waste time doing that instead of anything "productive" or "valuable." And in the modern age, they are prone to taking selfies even in inappropriate or life-threatening situations.
58	* ProperLady: The "ideal" woman as defined (usually) by a patriarchal society: nurturing, caring, soft-spoken, and effortlessly beautiful.
59	* PrincessPhase: When little girls dream of political power, it's only so they can wear pretty dresses and get handsome prince husbands.
60	* QuittingToGetMarried: If she has a job (typically something traditionally feminine such as teaching or nursing, although this isn't required), she must put in her two weeks' notice before her wedding day.
61	* RealWomenDontWearDresses: A female character can be strong and assertive or pretty and feminine, but rarely can she be both.
62	** PowerHair: To that end, women in power ''must'' cut and keep their hair short, or else be seen as weak, vain, and vapid.
63	* RetailTherapy: There are no worries or concerns on a woman's mind that a trip to the mall can't solve.
64	** Related: MenBuyFromMarsWomenBuyFromVenus.
65	* {{Socialite}}: An acceptable feminine occupation, especially for a kept woman, since it's a passive PR "job" that wages zero revenue and is often entirely beneficial for her man/family.
66	* StayInTheKitchen: When a character or the narrative insists that women should be barred from action and stay on the sidelines.
67	* TextileWorkIsFeminine: Working with fabrics, weaving, sewing and knitting is an acceptable career path for a woman who wishes to work.
68	* VanityIsFeminine: Femininity means being shallow, envious, and obsessed with beauty.
69	* WetBlanketWife: Maintaining the peace and stability of her relationship and home is a woman's top priority, whether or not the husband agrees.
70	* WinHerAPrize: Women want to be impressed by men winning a prize (or trying to) in a carnival or amusement park.
71	* WomenAreDelicate: Women are as fragile and dainty as a satin ribbon.
72	* YamatoNadeshiko: The Japanese ProperLady.
73	[[/index]]
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