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| 3 | %% Image selected via crowner in the Image Suggestion thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=yo280m3e |
| 4 | %% https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1452266899092104700 |
| 5 | %% Please don't change or remove without starting a new thread. |
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| 7 | [[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/PepperAnn https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tundrawomanpepperann.png]]]] |
| 8 | [[caption-width-right:350:Even [[ShowWithinAShow shows within shows]] aren't immune.]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | ->''"That little firecracker wife turned out to be a real school marm, didn't she?"'' |
| 11 | -->-- '''Master Roshi''' to '''Goku''' about '''Chi-Chi''', ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' |
| 12 | |
| 13 | You have an ActionGirl, who may also be OneOfTheBoys. She rocks. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | But she's probably [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the only female in the main cast]], or at very least, [[TomBoy the most openly tomboyish]] in the female cast. And it doesn't seem to be playing well with the 18-35 male demographic. |
| 16 | So the writers, either on their own or because of ExecutiveMeddling, soften her tough edge. Gradually, the Action Girl starts seeing significantly less ''action''. She exchanges her armor for outfits that show off her figure. Her plotlines become increasingly centered around romance, dating, and fears that she isn't married yet. She gets easily turned into a DamselInDistress by the same villains she would have handily thwarted previously just so the male characters can save her. The character who was once comfortable and competent has been Chickified. |
| 17 | |
| 18 | This trope is not merely an ActionGirl who shows "female" emotions or [[RealWomenDontWearDresses likes girly-girl dresses]]; there is no rule that a heroine [[EmotionalBruiser cannot have feelings and express them]] and neither is there a rule against [[KickingAssInAllHerFinery kicking ass in a skirt]] or partaking in [[GirlyBruiser girlish pastimes]]. This trope is where a character becomes more stereotypically feminine ''and also'' becomes less action oriented at the same time. The character doesn't just start wearing dresses, but adjusts to female stereotypes totally at odds from her previous behavior, warping our sense of who the character is and what we've seen her do throughout the rest of the book. This is about maturity being equated with ''passivity'', with "girls/women can't", rather than just learning to make wise choices or cope with challenges. |
| 19 | |
| 20 | If the heroine changes as the result of physical and/or emotional trauma, but maintains a strong presence in the narrative, it's more a case of BrokenBird, BreakTheCutie, HeartbrokenBadass, etc. Remember, ''Administrivia/TropesAreTools'', and this is not a part of the ComplainingIndex either. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | Compare with GirlinessUpgrade, in which a woman becomes more feminine but doesn't lose her edge. Remember, '''there is absolutely no overlap between these two tropes.''' It's a question of balance, and there is often a very, very fine line between them, depending on the skill of the writer/creator. Readers don't always take kindly to a girliness upgrade and may ''perceive'' it to be chickification. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | If this is done to a male character in a SlashFic, it may be part of {{Ukefication}} or AggressiveSubmissive. |
| 25 | |
| 26 | If the girl used to be an active character but now is just ''there,'' the trope is MenActWomenAre. For girls that are both badass and feminine, see GirlyBruiser. For a tomboyish woman who still has a more girlish side, see TomboyWithAGirlyStreak. For a girly girl who enjoys a rough pastime, see GirlyGirlWithATomboyStreak. See FauxActionGirl if the supposed female badass character never performed any such actions to begin with. When a female character wants to be more of an action girl but ends up being defied or discouraged from doing so, then it's StayInTheKitchen. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | Contrast with {{Xenafication}}, which is the exact opposite. Not to be confused with [[Comicbook/ChickTracts Jack Chickification]]. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | |
| 31 | ---- |
| 32 | !!Examples |
| 33 | |
| 34 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 35 | |
| 36 | [[folder:Anime and Manga]] |
| 37 | %% Please don't re-add Cagalli from GundamSEED here. Her case has already been discussed and ruled as NOT fitting this trope.%% |
| 38 | * Miki Makimura in pretty much every anime, OVA and several manga other than the original ''Manga/{{Devilman}}'' manga. In the original manga, she is shown kicking ass at times (although she ends up trying to hide her tomboyishness thinking that NoGuyWantsAnAmazon) but in most adaptations, and even in the ''Amon'' manga where she keeps her original personality, her aggressive part is gone or heavily toned down to the point of only berating bad boys instead of showing why she was called 'Miki the hands', and she is instead shown in a more pure light, disliking Akira's new Bad Boy attitude. |
| 39 | * ''Franchise/DragonBall'': |
| 40 | ** The page quote references Goku's wife Chichi, although she's actually a {{subver|tedTrope}}sion. It's mentioned that she ''always'' [[IJustWantToBeNormal wanted to live a peaceful life away from war and fighting]], despite her being a rather skilled CuteBruiser. She's the one who started training Goten how to fight. Furthermore, she does ''not'' lose her backbone. A common joke says that she's the only character who can "[[HenpeckedHusband defeat]]" Goku. She does however come to see the Z Fighters as a gang of jobless thugs rather than an intergalactic superhero team, pushes Gohan to focus more on his studies than running off training to save the world, and desperately tries to force Goku into settling down and getting a job with a stable income. (Which he eventually does by becoming a radish farmer after the Buu Saga... sometimes) |
| 41 | ** The only character who more or less plays this straight is Videl. In both ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' and ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' she more or less completely drops the combative tomboy elements of her character after marrying Gohan, though it's more understandable than usual: her and Gohan's daughter Pan was conceived almost ''immediately'' after their marriage. [[spoiler: Somewhat lessened in episodes 73 and 74 of ''Super'', which shows that she's still a SpiritedYoungLady when confronted by a {{Jerkass}} celebrity, although she still hasn't been involved in any actual fights like she used to, and in the ''Super Hero'' movie, we learn that she has a dojo. And in ''GT'', there are two episodes showing that she still has her old superhero uniform and is willing to put it back on and fight if need be.]] |
| 42 | * [[OfficeLady Retsuko]] seems to have suffered this in the Netflix adaptation of ''Anime/{{Aggretsuko}}'', going from a woman who always strives to do her best at her job to one who wants to get married so she can quit her job. Later CharacterDevelopment puts her back on her original characterization, as she decides she wants to MarryForLove and does her best with what she's been given. |
| 43 | * In {{the anime of|TheGame}} ''VideoGame/BlueDragon'', Kluke is changed from a self-confident, mature girl who's virtually raised herself since the deaths of her parents to basically someone who cooks and encourages Shu without explanation. She doesn't even get her powers until a quarter of the way in the series. After that point, however, she joins Shu in combat and plays a critical role in defeating General Logi. |
| 44 | * The second season of ''Anime/CorrectorYui'' has both a straight example and a subversion. |
| 45 | ** Played straight with Freeze, the [[TheSmurfettePrinciple only female of the Corruptor team]], who was an extremely efficient DarkActionGirl with ice-based powers. When she switched sides for the second season, she walked the thin wire between ActionGirl and FauxActionGirl, with more emphasis given to her [[CuteClumsyGirl clumsiness outside of the battlefield]] and [[TheChewToy comical inability to keep a stable work in the Com.Net]], [[spoiler:which ultimately makes her liable to be manipulated by her more stable boss... who was working for the BigBad]]. |
| 46 | ** Subverted; in the first season, [[ShrinkingViolet Haruna Kisaragi]] [[spoiler:became a Corrector like her best friend Yui, but due to ending up BrainwashedAndCrazy, she ultimately returned to the sidelines and act as [[MissionControl Dr. Inukai's assistant]] during the season finale]]. Cue to second season and having Yui being [[TakenForGranite turned into rock in the Net.com]] and [[ConvenientComa rendered comatose in the real world]]: without any ounce of hesitation, Haruna [[JumpedAtTheCall returns to be a Corrector]], [[spoiler: and in her ''first'' real fight she uses the ''four'' Elemental suits ''perfectly'' and teams up with the morally ambiguous Corrector Ai to save Yui, Freeze and other victims]]. She's remained a Corrector ever since and was there for Yui, Ai and the other Correctors in the GrandFinale. |
| 47 | * Mai Shiranui of ''VideoGame/FatalFury'' has always been sort-of TheDitz, but she's a pretty competent ActionGirl otherwise and proud of her skills. In the OVA and TheMovie, however, the poor girl's primary purpose is to get kidnapped so Andy can save her. (She wins ''one'' fight [[DesignatedGirlFight and it's with another girl]].) |
| 48 | * Hikaru Hazama of ''Anime/MetalFightBeyblade'' goes from ActionGirl to Secretary in the second season. Justified in that after [[CurbstompBattle suffering a brutal defeat]] from [[DrunkOnTheDarkSide Ryuga]] she becomes too traumatized from the experience to battle again, nearly having a mental breakdown when Tsubasa unleashed the same dark power Ryuga had used, resigning herself to this role to help forget what happened and recover, until she resumed her action girl status late in the season as the climax began. |
| 49 | * ''Anime/IsabelleOfParis'': In-universe example. The series starts when Isabelle grows out of her {{Tomboy}} phase into being a gorgeous, traditional French lady. Many characters praise this change and say it's about time she grew up. |
| 50 | * In the anime adaptation of ''VideoGame/MagiaRecordPuellaMagiMadokaMagicaSideStory'', Iroha is significantly weaker than in the game. While in the game she starts off weak and becomes stronger and more self-assured over time, she can barely defeat any foes by herself in the anime and either relies completely on her Doppel or on Yachiyo to get her out of trouble. Even worse, when she would at least ''try'' to fight early on in the game, she spends that time either staring in terror or incapacitated in the anime. Many fans are hoping that season 2 will address this and make Iroha stand out more. |
| 51 | * Sakura Haruno in ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' [[ZigZaggingTrope zigzags in and out of this.]] On one hand she starts out as a FauxActionGirl because she's a graduate like Naruto and Sasuke and the show talks up her great ninja intelligence, but doesn't bring as much to the table as her teammates. She TookALevelInBadass during the TimeSkip and defeats a member of Akatsuki, but is then quickly left OutofFocus for half the series one arc later. The few times she does shake this off, the results are genuinely impressive: like how before the TimeSkip, she managed to hold off the Sound Genin [[PluckyGirl with only her basic ninja training fall back on]] and [[ManBitesMan resorted to biting]] to protect Lee, Naruto and Sasuke; how during the Fourth Shinobi War she discovered the Zetsu clone spies and had captured one alive; and in Chapter 632, when after perfecting one of Tsunade's best techniques she wreaks havoc among the Ten-Tails's clones - which [[AmazonChaser impresses Sasuke]] but [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon terrifies Naruto]]. |
| 52 | * ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' started doing this after the ending of the Black & White saga, in regards to female traveling companions: |
| 53 | ** Serena can't seem to ever have a serious battle where she doesn't win or she ''calls it off'' for the sake of making Ash shine in them. She can't even handle Team Rocket by herself! |
| 54 | ** The female Alolan classmates suffer from this to various degrees, mainly being unable to own more than one Pokémon: |
| 55 | *** Lillie is a mess of emotions because of a traumatic incident that left her unable to touch Pokémon. Though she eventually gets over this and she makes an effort to become a battler with her Alolan Vulpix, she always needs to be bailed out by Ash or someone else to win. |
| 56 | *** Mallow has almost no interest in battles, though that didn't stop her Bounsweet from evolving all the way to Tsareena, except with the least amount of effort possible. |
| 57 | *** Averted with Lana for the most part, despite the fact the reason behind helping out Popplio was to help it make bigger balloons. |
| 58 | ** ''Journeys'' isn't even subtle with the trope by completely removing a real traveling female companion from Ash and Goh's worldwide trips. There is Chloe, who rarely joins with their trips, though she is very unenthusiastic about battling and prefers to pamper her Eevee by meeting every Eeveelution possible. |
| 59 | *** Iris's return averts her from suffering from Chickification, but only because her game counterpart [[spoiler:eventually becomes the Unova Champion and allowed this incarnation to become one as well, albeit with a rather lacking explanation]]. |
| 60 | *** Dawn's return isn't as kind as Iris's, however. Unlike how she was an ActionGirl, she can't seem to solve problems without having to call Ash and Goh for help. Especially jarring during the Winter Arc, where she doesn't even think about using any other Pokémon other than her lost Piplup despite the fact she had them all out at the beginning. |
| 61 | *** Korrina's return starts off with her as a PWC opponent, but her Mienshao and Mega Lucario are thoroughly steamrolled by Ash's Dragonite, whom he had just captured. It gets progressively worse for her when Ash learns Bea manhandled her better than he did. Later on, she joins Ash in finding his Lucario's Lucarionite, but notably, she never does let her own Lucario help in anything during the perilous quest and behaves more like hitchhiker more than anything. And when Ash gets to see [[OhCrap Korrina showing up to see Bea]] prior his match with her, [[spoiler:the scene fakes a mood of tension that is quickly replaced by Korrina [[TheKnightsWhoSaySquee squeeing over Bea]] and giving her sweets]]. |
| 62 | * Deedlit the elf in the original ''Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar'' OVA series underwent this, going from a feisty, highly competent ActionGirl whose pining for TheHero Parn didn't stop her from kicking ass and taking names in the first half to a helpless DamselInDistress completely at the mercy of [[EvilSorcerer Wagnard]]'s attempt to sacrifice her to resurrect the [[GodOfEvil goddess of destruction]] Kardis in the second half; this is due to a case of CompressedAdaptation abridging and merging plot points making her a CompositeCharacter, as in the original novels and the ''Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' TV series [[spoiler: the role of ApocalypseMaiden went to Little Neese]], so Deedlit never lost her badass elf woman warrior cred there; there's a ''reason'' she's the playable character in the Lodoss War {{Metroidvania}} video game ''Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth'' ([[CaptainObvious the title should clue you in]]). |
| 63 | %%* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': Kaoru Kamiya is accused of this, but technically speaking her case is OvershadowedByAwesome or ''at most'' FauxActionGirl: with few exceptions, she still joins the guys in fights no matter what the results for her are. The '''only''' case in this anime/manga where this trope is played straight is [[spoiler: Misanagi from the Black Knights arc]]. %%How do these characters become less action oriented and more stereotypically feminine? |
| 64 | * The ''Manga/SandsOfDestruction'' manga had a problem with this at the end. Morte is shown to be a hyper-competent DarkActionGirl at the start of the story, capable of superhuman feats of athleticism and totally a gung-ho BloodKnight. However, as soon as she learns [[spoiler:that she's the Princess of Guidance, the one who wished for the world and accidentally screwed it up ''big time'']], she forgets all about her fighting abilities ''and'' her strong-willed, sharp-tongued demeanor. She has to be rescued from atop a ship, despite the fact that she'd been shown jumping similar distances with ease before, and while she does ''try'' to join Kyrie's fight against Vreveil, [[spoiler:she just ends up shot through the heart before she can do anything to really help - aside from giving Kyrie precisely the motivation he needs to make Swiss cheese of Vreveil, of course]]. The [[VideoGame/SandsOfDestruction game and anime it was based on]] is a notable example of this trope averted: while Morte does [[TookALevelInKindness Take A Level In Kindness]] by the end, she ''doesn't'' lose either her fighting ability ''or'' her personality, and while Kyrie eventually grows into his role as TheHero, they become a BattleCouple instead of relegating her to the sidelines so he can shine. |
| 65 | * ''Anime/{{Shirobako}}'': InUniverse, this is what happened to the adaptation of ''Sailor Suits and [=F3s=]'', an earlier work of Takezou Nogame (author of ''Third Aerial Girls' Squad'', which [=MusAni=] adapted in the second half of this series). The otherwise fairly serious sports manga was [[AdaptationDecay retooled into a]] GagSeries, with its battle-hardened ActionGirl protagonist being turned into a vapid moeblob. |
| 66 | * Arcee and Carly Witwicky in ''Anime/TransformersHeadmasters''. [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers In the previous series]] the former was a bona fide ActionGirl who was every bit as capable in a fight as the rest of the Autobots and wasn't above snarking with Hot Rod that she was there to protect him from danger and not the other way around. The latter was an incredibly smart, MIT educated robotics WrenchWench who could understand and operate Cybertronian technology and also eventually became a sort of human ambassador for the Autobots. Come this series (which was treated as a ''direct continuation'' of ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers''), both are essentially relegated to being little more than over-emotional, weeping, wailing nervous wrecks who can't handle the slightest bit of adversity without breaking down into histrionics and whose entire job is to StayInTheKitchen at the Autobot Base and serve as nursemaid to Daniel and Wheelie. Worse yet, the other characters enforce this character change by chastising Arcee any time she thinks of doing anything aggressive or action-oriented. Because if she goes to help Rodimus find a new home planet for the Autobots, who's going to look after Daniel? (apparently the idea that '''his actual parents''' might do it never occurs to them. Nope, Arcee's just being selfish.) |
| 67 | * In ''Anime/YashahimePrincessHalfDemon'' has the ActionGirl Towa Higurashi start off as a loner who often got into fights with bullies, constantly transferring schools as a result. The moment she goes back to the feudal era, she slowly (or quickly) but surely starts to lose her lone wolf tendencies and replaces them entirely with a sweeter attitude next to her long-lost younger sister Setsuna, who basically takes over Towa's previous attitude while reducing Towa to a sweet if ''very'' naive girl incapable of not getting her head cut in two in the old era, often needing aid from Setsuna (and sometimes Moroha) to remain alive. To make matters worse, Towa didn't even make any friends in the present era, but she is more than willing to make friends with just about ''anyone'' she meets in the feudal era to the point she [[spoiler:completely trusts Riku so much after learning he is basically Kirinmaru's henchman and gives him her rainbow pearl with no questions asked]]. Setsuna and even ''Moroha'' scold her for doing something so dumb, which she later comes to regret the next second when she realizes how stupid that was. |
| 68 | [[/folder]] |
| 69 | |
| 70 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 71 | * Most of the female ComicBook/XMen were temporarily hit hard by this when Creator/ChrisClaremont left for the first time. |
| 72 | ** [[Characters/MarvelComicsStorm Storm]] was relegated to background scenery and occasional artillery when the romantic/heartbreak subplot got dumped. |
| 73 | ** [[Characters/MarvelComicsPsylocke Psylocke]] was mostly just [[TheWorfEffect Worfed]], but it's worth noting that the villain who eventually gutted her was someone she'd previously defeated even before she'd learned martial arts. |
| 74 | ** [[Characters/MarvelComicsRogue Rogue]], despite being [[SuperStrength strong enough to bench-press tanks]] and capable of [[{{Flight}} outflying]] almost any weapons she cannot [[NighInvulnerability laugh off]], was repeatedly pummeled by far less formidable foes, and at least once screamed for help from a boyfriend that was barely a step above BadassNormal. Her psychological fortitude went down the tubes to boot. |
| 75 | * Characters/BlackCanary is still capable, but not in her own book. While a leader in both ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' and ''ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica'' which feature her kicking ass, ''Comicbook/GreenArrow/Black Canary'' treats her as a perpetual DamselInDistress for Green Arrow to rescue. |
| 76 | * Similarly, [[Characters/AntManHeroes The Wasp]]'s intelligence, combat effectiveness, levelheadedness, and leadership abilities seem to vary inversely with the degree to which the writer plays up her relationship with her ex-husband [[Comicbook/AntMan Henry Pym]]. |
| 77 | * ComicStrip/PrinceValiant stories: {{Parodied|Trope}} a couple of times, and {{lampshade|Hanging}}d at other times (but by no means {{averted|Trope}}) where competent, resourceful girls deliberately make themselves out to be [[DecoyDamsel less so]] in order to be more appealing to the men. |
| 78 | * ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]] was depicted as a reckless and fiery reporter throughout the late 1930s and 1940s, and then she was watered down into a comic relief who constantly needed saving in the mid 50s'. Fortunately, the late Silver Age/[[MediaNotes/TheBronzeAgeOfComicBooks early Bronze Age]] restored her opinionated, smart and resourceful persona. |
| 79 | * A ''lot'' of the female characters in ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'' are hit with this, especially the love interests for the various heroes: |
| 80 | ** Princess Sally and Bunnie Rabbot are hit pretty hard post-time skip, Sally more than Bunnie[[note]]Thanks to ExecutiveMeddling, Sonic couldn't have a steady love interest, so Sally ended up breaking up with him. Bunnie, however, had Antoine replaced with an EvilTwin, didn't know about it, and spent most of her time moping or trying to win back his heart.[[/note]]. It wasn't until the previous writing team left and Creator/IanFlynn took their place that both of them were returned to their ActionGirl roots (and Bunnie got DemotedToExtra, sadly). |
| 81 | ** Mina Mongoose, on the other hand, wasn't hit with this until after the writers changed. Since her introduction around the ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' era, she had been played up as a budding Freedom Fighter and a perfectly competent ActionGirl in her own right. Once Karl Bollers (her creator) left and Ian Flynn stepped in, she was hit with DeusAngstMachina over a failed mission[[note]]Back in the early #100s, she had failed to save a group of civilians during an attack and had almost gotten them killed. However, she had long since gotten over this thanks to some peer support from the others, and one of the last issues before Flynn took over had made her an official full-time Freedom Fighter.[[/note]] and retired to a life as a pop singer where she contributed nothing of value (save for [[WhatTheHellHero turning the citizens of New Mobotropolis against Nicole after the whole Iron Dominion debacle]]). |
| 82 | * ComicBook/WonderGirl Cassie Sandsmark's character did a complete one-eighty with the dissolution of ComicBook/YoungJustice and her move to ComicBook/TeenTitans under different writers. She ''was'' a compassionate geeky tomboy who was eager to jump into fights and help people, and became a moody flat character whose defining trait was her obsession with her boyfriend. It's no wonder ''ComicBook/YoungJustice2019'' [[spoiler:sank that ship]] given the connotations Teen Titans left for the relationship. |
| 83 | * ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': When Creator/RobertKanigher took over as writer after Marston's death most of BoisterousBruiser [[Characters/WonderWomanAllies Etta Candy]]'s "non womanly" strengths were either downplayed or portrayed as flaws. When H. G. Peter also died Kanigher took the chance to {{retool}} Wonder Woman entirely (into what became her Earth-1 incarnation) and made Etta a conventionally 50's feminine (in both appearance and mannerism) DamselInDistress whose only remaining character trait was liking candy. |
| 84 | [[/folder]] |
| 85 | |
| 86 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 87 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' fandom gets in on the act with ''Fanfic/AbuseCycle'', which does for Korra what ''Fanfic/TheLastWar'' does for Hermione. |
| 88 | * Cori Falls ''loves'' doing this to poor Jessie in her ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' fics. Sure, the girl's still allowed to kick some ass, but more often than not, she's crying or swooning in James's arms or needing to be rescued from perverts. |
| 89 | * The infamous ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fic ''Fanfic/AllHeEverWanted'' pulls this on almost all the female characters: |
| 90 | ** Hungary, who in canon is a {{tomboy}} who grew into a NinjaMaid and GirlyBruiser. In the chapter "The Seventh Door", Prussia brutally tortures and rapes Hungary to both force her into a FaceHeelTurn ''and'' "teach a lesson" to her beloved ex-husband Austria, whom Prussia is holding hostage -- and who is ForcedToWatch the brutal torture/rape session. |
| 91 | ** Vietnam was hit with this too. In UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vietnam#20th_century Vietnam the country]] had already started fighting for its independence from France. In Hetalia canon, Vietnam the MoeAnthropomorphism is mentioned to be a PluckyGirl who follows the example of the many emotionally/physically strong women in her history. In the fic, said MoeAnthropomorphism is... BoundAndGagged. |
| 92 | * Some ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'' fanfiction pulls this on the Mistress, in order to make her more "suitable" as a love interest for the Warden and not be any threat. Suddenly, the Mistress is all about angstily pining for her true love, portrayed as a submissive wife who will do anything and everything to please him, [[RapeAsBackstory having her earlier cruelty explained away as her father sexually abusing her from childhood]] or [[DomesticAbuse having been otherwise physically abused by lovers]] and the Warden being the ''only'' one who can heal her. Oddly, some of these writers decry the "Hippie Mistress" twist in season 3 for making her "less strong", as well as her overall ''canon'' case of personality change in "Stingstress" beforehand, but don't seem to mind their own alterations. There's a reason why the canon change wasn't looked so fondly upon by these writers, though, considering '''what''' lead to Mistress going hippie: [[spoiler: The Warden didn't know how to have sex with the Mistress, so Alice slept with her instead and Mistress decided she didn't need ANY men. Which kind of put a hold on the thought of pairing those two]]. |
| 93 | * Very common in ''Literature/LesMiserables'' fics that focus on Eponine. In-canon she's street-smart, [[ClingyJealousGirl more than a little vindictive]], [[YouShallNotPass known to stand up to gangs of armed criminals each twice her size]], and is implied to have connections in the Paris underworld via ex-boyfriend Montparnasse. In fanfic, she's a weepy victim of said Paris underworld ripe for being rescued Disney Princess style by [[AllLoveIsUnrequited Marius]] or [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight Enjolras]]. Though in a weird bit of meta, this is actually how the canon Eponine perceives ''herself''. |
| 94 | * ''Franchise/FairyTail'': |
| 95 | ** Lucy Heartfilia gets this often in all sorts of fics. In canon she's a determined PluckyGirl serving as the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] on her team while growing into a talented Celestial Spirit Mage. She had no problem CallingTheOldManOut for his actions and holds her own well. While she does have insecurities about her lack of power next to her teammates, she never gives up and has manged to survive against improbable odds while acomplishing some impressive feats. Fics turn her into a weepy mess and ExtremeDoormat who needs [[LoveInterests Natsu/Loke/Laxus/Cana/Cobra/whoever the author ships]] to save her from being abused and/or raped by [[RonTheDeathEater her father/Natsu/Lisanna/Team Natsu/Fairy Tail/whoever the writer doesn't like]]/the actual villains. A really weird genre is the fics that initially chickify her in the FandomSpecificPlot of Lucy getting kicked off her team than have her [[TookALevelInBadass take a level in badass]] and/or [[TookALevelInJerkass jerkass]] to reverse it. |
| 96 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' fanworks: |
| 97 | ** Fanfics pairing [[IncestYayShipping Elsa and Anna]] tend to do this to Anna. In the film, she's a strong character who's quick to take action, keeps a clear head whilst being pursued by wolves and [[{{Snowlems}} giant snowmen]], doesn't hesitate to come to the rescue of others, and never cries during the entire film, despite suffering an intensive TraumaCongaLine. Fanfiction tends to morph her into a tortured soul who managed to bottle up her grief during the events of the film, and, once everything is back to normal, quickly breaks down and pours her heart out to whatever soul will listen, usually Elsa. The wimpiness of Anna in fanfiction is usually proportional to the strength of Elsa; the more resilient Elsa is in any particular fic, the more chickified Anna becomes. Generally, Anna's sudden chickification is explained by the shock of having her sister back, and the years of loneliness she endured during the film's prologue. |
| 98 | ** Elsa herself can also qualify; although she is far more emotionally vulnerable than Anna and breaks down several times during the film, her tendencies tend to be exaggerated in fanfic, making her a wreck incapable of human contact as a result of isolation (despite it being ''her'' who first reached out to Anna at the party in the film and also the one who open her arms for their shared hug once Anna defrosts back to life) and constantly suffering nightmarish flashbacks to the events of the film and its climax. |
| 99 | * In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' canon, Princess Celestia is a competent and wise ruler. In ''Fanfic/MyBravePonyStarfleetMagic'', she clings to the DistressBall with a firm grip and runs with it. |
| 100 | ** Other canon characters in the fic, such as [[CowardlyLion Fluttershy]], [[LadyOfWar Rarity]], and [[HeelFaceTurn Sunset]] [[TheHero Shimmer]], end up undergoing this and being reduced to one-note love interests whose only defining characteristics are that they're in love with one of the {{Original Character}}s. If you want to get technical, the entire Mane Six group constantly get upstaged by the (mostly male) Starfleet team, while [[TheOneGuy Spike]] is [[CreatorsFavorite the only one of the canon group who's ever given any plot importance]]. |
| 101 | * Deliberately invoked in FanFic/DividedRainbow. Rainbow Dash suffers from Chickification as a result of a magical curse. Specifically, the same one that {{swapped|Roles}} her with Fluttershy in the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E13MagicalMysteryCure Magical Mystery Cure episode.]] |
| 102 | * ''Franchise/SailorMoon'' fanworks: |
| 103 | ** It rarely happens nowadays, but in the heyday of this fandom, it was common for writers of the Zoycite/Malachite pairing to turn the headstrong, bitchy Zoycite into a blushing prissy princess (''literally'' in some cases) who needed Malachite to hold her hand and rescue her from Neflyte and Jedite's bullying. Other times she would tremble and cower at the mercy of Queen Beryl, who randomly had it out for her despite the two having a rather cordial professional relationship before Zoycite angered her by disobeying a direct order. |
| 104 | ** Also happened to Minako in fics that paired her with Kunzite or even [[{{Yuri}} Makoto]], dialing her canon angst [[ExaggeratedTrope Up to Eleven]]. |
| 105 | ** Usagi herself gets hit with this hard in shipper 'fics despite developing into something of a CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass in canon. Either she becomes the victim of a [[RonTheDeathEater suddenly abusive Mamoru]] for Rei or Seiya to rescue, or a cowering submissive to the dangerously masculine Mamoru as he charms his way into her pants in mundane AU fics. |
| 106 | ** Some Haruka/Michiru fics have Michiru attacked by a rapist so Haruka can either rescue her or play nurse while she suffers from [=PTSD=] for many chapters. Haruka herself also gets this treatment in some Seiya/Haruka fics. |
| 107 | * ''Manga/SoulEater'': |
| 108 | ** Maka Albarn frequently receives this in fanfics. In Canon she is a confidant and powerful Meister who has no problem fighting dangerous enemies and refuses to give up even when the odds seem impossible. Fics often turn her into either a helpless DamselInDistress who needs to be rescued from her [[RonTheDeathEater violent and abusive parents]] or a ShrinkingViolet who is wooed by the charming Soul/Kid/Crona/whoever her designated love interest is. |
| 109 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': |
| 110 | ** Sheik gets an odd variant of this in fan-works. Sheik in canon is a SweetPollyOliver and is a disguise for Zelda. Sheik in most fanfics and fanart is [[GenderBender a man]] and is often [[DecompositeCharacter completely unrelated to Zelda]]. These depictions of Sheik usually have Sheik in their canonical aloof 'self. In the few works that have Sheik as a crossdressing woman, this trope gets applied big time. "Female Sheik" fan-art always ultra-feminize her. Fan-works also downplay her strengths and ActionGirl qualities to instead have Link be her "cool and mature" love interest (note, in male!Sheik/Link works, Sheik is instead often a stereotypical {{seme}} and Link gets the {{ukefication}}). Strangely, this ''only'' affects ''Zelda'' fan-works. ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' works almost always depict Sheik as a SweetPollyOliver[=/=]{{bifauxnen}} and an [[TheStoic aloof]] ActionGirl. |
| 111 | ** In more than a few incarnations, Zelda is shown to be a capable fighter and in all incarnations she is strong-willed. Many fan-works tone her down into a generic PrincessClassic with Link as her knight in shining armor. |
| 112 | * In many ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' doujins and fanworks, [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak Kagura]] gets hit with this whenever she's paired up with her Shinsengumi rival Sougo Okita. While she does have feminine interests and has her cute and soft sides, nearly all of her fire and crassness gets taken out and replaced with a more standard feisty girl whenever they want her to swoon over Sougo, and her squabbling with him always ends with him coming out on top or making her weak in the knees. |
| 113 | * This happened so often to VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} that her ''creator'' spoke out against it. Specifically, he protested the RuleThirtyFour works that showed her as submissive (with the implication that he would be totally fine with NSFW works that portrayed her as dominant). Perhaps in response, later fanwork swung away from this. |
| 114 | * ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11878092/1/Corrin-in-Peril Corrin in Peril]]'' turns the ActionHeroine main character of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' into a weepy DamselInDistress who offers little to no resistance when the Nohrians hold her captive and turn her into their personal maid/[[RapeAsDrama sex toy]]. |
| 115 | * Much like her husband who gets {{ukefication}}, Kim Wexler in canon ''Series/BetterCallSaul'' is emotionally constipated, the only time she ''is'' held hostage she's very willing to shoot a man, and has a PowerDynamicsKink with Jimmy where she's on top. While most fic at least tries for this portrayal, there's a good chunk that turns her into a helpless damsel, the 'emotionally open moral centre', or secretly a sub who wants to be ravaged. |
| 116 | [[/folder]] |
| 117 | |
| 118 | [[folder:Films -- Animated]] |
| 119 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansTroubleInTokyo'' shows Starfire being rescued by Robin much, ''much'' more than in the series, and doing less to contribute to the group's success. At the same time, ''Robin himself'' contributes the least success, rather, the most damage - his hunt for Brushogun leads to disaster, getting himself thrown in prison for all the wrong reasons. After his escape, he has to parade around as an average Joe to avoid drawing attention, which brings him down from a costumed hero to an unnerved, edgy BadassNormal. PlayedForDrama - it's to help make her look and feel more vulnerable, draw closer to Robin, make him draw closer to her, and at last, bring them together for [[spoiler:TheBigDamnKiss]]. |
| 120 | [[/folder]] |
| 121 | |
| 122 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 123 | * Sonya Blade is chickified about half-way through ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie''. For the first half she's tough, cold, efficient, and mercilessly kills Kano in the ring. Then [[BigBad Shang Tsung]] sneaks up, puts her in a hammerlock, and she turns into a screaming DamselInDistress. It's implied that she doesn't fight him off because [[spoiler:doing so would mean accepting Shang Tsung's challenge to final Kombat]], but this is not made explicit in the film. |
| 124 | * ''Film/GodsOfEgypt'': Some of the goddesses shown are victims of this: |
| 125 | ** Isis, goddess of magic, ActionMom who fended off Set multiple times in the Osirian cycle and one of the most powerful deities of the Egyptian pantheon, is reduced to a whimpering mess the second Osiris is shanked by Set, and then kills herself, instead of searching for her husband's body parts and ressurrecting him like in the myths. |
| 126 | ** Serqet, a primordial protection and healing goddess considered among the most powerful, is reduced to a weak minion of Set (and is a generic skimpy-dressed human rather than having scorpion-like traits). |
| 127 | * ''Film/GoneBabyGone'' shamelessly Chickifies Angie, who was much tougher in [[Literature/GoneBabyGone the novel]]. |
| 128 | * Jane in ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'' isn't exactly weak, but she's not nearly as hard-assed as her counterpart Molly in the original story. |
| 129 | * Katara spends most of the film adaptation of ''Film/TheLastAirbender'' looking like she's about to cry. It's instructive to compare the different versions of her fight with Zuko - in [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender the original]], she technically wins the actual fight, only for Zuko to get a villainous HeroicSecondWind thanks to the rising sun and pull a sneak attack; whereas in the movie, Zuko hardly had to put in any effort to beat her. |
| 130 | * Creator/GregRucka, the author of ''ComicBook/{{Whiteout}}'', complained about Carrie Stetko being made weaker in the [[Film/{{Whiteout}} film adaptation]] so as to prop up the male characters. "At least they got rid of the scene in the script where she - a U.S. Marshall - hears someone following her and ''runs away''. What's she gonna do, call the cops?" |
| 131 | * [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]] in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' suffers from a special case of this. The Phoenix storyline is major NeverLiveItDown material for her, so she got some major movements of power-spiking leading up to her Phoenix debut... but the rest of the time, she suffers as mentioned down in WesternAnimation. So she spends [[Film/XMen1 movie one]] as love interest and gets beaten by the Toad. [[Film/X2XMenUnited Movie two]], she uses her powers to hold back Scott's EyeBeams. [[Film/XMenTheLastStand Movie three]], she ascends into full Phoenix mode... and though she does kill Xavier, she otherwise does nothing but be the MacGuffin of the story because her StoryBreakerPower means she can solve any problem she likes in an instant. |
| 132 | * ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' featured Courtney "Cover Girl" Krieger, who in comic-continuity is a former high-fashion model who enlisted and became a missile-tank driver. Who is fond of doing all the [[WrenchWench upkeep and repair work on her own tank]]. In the movie, she's Hawk's GirlFriday. This is a JustifiedTrope though, as it's explained in the prequel novel that sometime prior to then, she was critically injured during a mission and is no longer physically capable of serving combat duty. |
| 133 | * ''Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' turned BadassBookworm and ActionGirl Annabeth Chase from an incredibly intelligent girl and highly skilled fighter (she was once called the best fighter in the whole camp) into a [[TheLoad borderline-useless]] young woman who only seems to accompany the group because she did so in the books. In particular, she gets her ass kicked by Percy, who has been training in swordsmanship for a few hours tops. |
| 134 | * ''Film/{{Female}}'' offers an ending that even for 1933 was pretty damn sexist. Allison Drake, owner and CEO of Drake Automobiles, is not only a badass, take-no-prisoners corporate executive, she also likes to indulge in consequence-free casual sex with the men in her headquarters, [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassigning them to the Montreal office]] when they get too emotional and clingy. But when she finally falls in love with Jim, the handsome new-hire engineer, she falls apart, no longer able to deal with the pressures of business. The film ends with her ''giving Jim the company'' while declaring she will stay home and have babies. |
| 135 | * Arya in ''{{Film/Eragon}}''. While she does need to be rescued in [[Literature/{{Eragon}} the book]], there when she is poisoned by Durza, she's in a self-inflicted coma to slow the effects of the poison. In the film this isn't there, and she just appears to be a DamselInDistress. What's more is that her book counterpart is an AloofDarkHairedGirl, covered in cuts and bruises from her torture, and is respectful to Eragon but nothing else - her film counterpart is more conventionally feminine and attractive, warm and caring to Eragon and hinting she's been PromotedToLoveInterest. |
| 136 | * Among the many problems of ''Film/Saw3D'' is this happening to John Kramer/Jigsaw's wife, Jill Tuck. In previous installment ''Film/SawVI'', she ends the film by [[spoiler: [[TookALevelInBadass outsmarting the newest Jigsaw Mark Hoffman and placing him in a seemingly inescapable Reverse Bear Trap and leaving him to die.]]]] Here? She's seen [[spoiler:running around and screaming bloody murder for help after Hoffman frees himself and turns into a one-man killing army just to gain access to her, [[DownerEnding which he ultimately does.]]]] |
| 137 | [[/folder]] |
| 138 | |
| 139 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 140 | * ''Literature/{{Circe}}'': InUniverse. Circe is disgruntled to note that this happened to her in retellings of the Odyssey, with the poets talking in detail about how she was humbled by the great Odysseus rather than them reaching an agreement like shown in the book. |
| 141 | * Feyre starts ''Literature/ACourtOfThornsAndRoses'' as a badass hunter who treks through the forest in winter to keep her family alive, sets up snares in her room every night, can handle herself against monsters like the naga and confronts [[BigBad Amarantha]] [[TheDreaded herself]] to save her boyfriend and his court. And this is ''[[BadassNormal before]]'' she gets magic powers. By the later books, though, she does little but hang around at home painting, shopping or being [[spoiler:barefoot and pregnant]], letting everyone else do important stuff and barely even trying to get involved in politics despite being [[spoiler:High Lady of the Night Court. Although her pregnancy in ''A Court of Silver Flames'' is high-risk and would prevent her from being too physically active, it doesn't mean she can't do other useful things, but the story doesn't seem too concerned with this]]. |
| 142 | * [[{{Tomboy}} Patience]], by the end of her role in ''{{Literature/Dinoverse}}''. She starts as TheLeader, more decisive and certain of herself than the others, proactive and abrasive, completely willing to plunge into the unknown. But her motivation starts to change and revolve around a pair of boys. A classmate starts telling her how she can be more feminine - don't swear, don't fight or be physical, laugh at everything a boy says, don't disagree with him, don't show him up - and ''follows it''. A book which has CharacterDevelopment for the male characters learning about self-confidence, self-assurance, and self-reliance ends with Patience going along with the BeautifulAllAlong scheme that she'd found utterly insulting at the start. In her last appearance she finds that the [[SharingABody boy(s)]] she loves is TrappedInAnotherWorld and in need of rescue, and is content to sit back and let two guys she doesn't even know go after him while she babysits a third character she doesn't know. |
| 143 | * ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': This is mentioned in ''The Mark of Athena'', where Athena, who has been hit the hardest by the SplitPersonality issues most of the gods are having regarding their Greek and Roman selves, goes on a rather unnerving rant about the Romans because, as is mentioned by another character as well, they did this to her InUniverse by not making Minerva a goddess of war. |
| 144 | * ''Literature/TheHost2008'': |
| 145 | ** Wanderer is a [[spoiler:strong, intelligent Soul who has been on more worlds than most and is held in high regard among the Souls. She once defeated a Claw Beast on the planet of the Bears, transplanted a friend into it on the spot, and rode it into the city. At the end of the book, she's implanted in the body of a petite young blonde girl and can't even carry her own sleeping mat without the help of her man]]. |
| 146 | ** Melanie gets it as well. She starts out as a strong survivor who [[spoiler:opted to jump down an elevator shaft to save herself from being assimilated. Any time her boyfriend appears onscreen though, or comes to her mind, she makes some pretty stupid decisions, including letting Wanderer know where her colony of "wild" humans are hiding (keep in mind that Wanderer's job is to ''find and assimilate them as well'')]]. Her decision is justified. Melanie sends Wanderer her memories and emotions and shows the "wild" human colony's location ''only'' when she is sure that Wanderer cares deeply about her boyfriend and brother. Wanderer wouldn't be able to betray them, which Melanie knew, having constant connection with her mind. That said, Melanie is still heavily dependent on Jared, to the extent that she only bothers trying to "talk" when he is around. He even has to pull off a subverted DamselInDistress rescue when she's not responding in Wanderer's head. |
| 147 | * This is a significant portion of why ''Literature/PersonaXDetectiveNaoto'' is so disliked. In ''VideoGame/Persona4'', Naoto Shirogane is a strong, self-composed woman whose CharacterDevelopment is based around realizing that being a woman doesn't mean having to abandon who she wants to be (and that this in turn means she can ditch the SweetPollyOliver). In this book... she spends most of the story being ''heavily'' objectified and forced through debasement to make her more of a GirlyGirl, and most of the combat abilities she had in the game are flushed down the toilet. Few fans mourned when ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' and its sequel effectively erased the book from continuity. |
| 148 | * Adaptations of ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' tend to turn Christine from a stubborn, outspoken girl who's a bit of a jerk into a passive [[TheIngenue ingenue]]. The musical version in particular makes her more like the original novel's DecoyProtagonist than like her original self. |
| 149 | * In ''Literature/ThePrioryOfTheOrangeTree'', this happened in-universe to the warrior-mage Cleolind. In her homeland she is still revered as "the Mother" who sealed away the Nameless One. In Inys and the rest of Virtudom, she is referred to as "the Damsel" and is seen instead as the wife of Saint Galian Berethnet, and ''he'' defeated the Nameless One. The irreconcilable nature of the two versions of Cleolind is eventually given a concrete explanation: [[spoiler:Kalyba, Galian's adopted mother, hypnotized him into thinking she was Cleolind so that he would marry her]]. |
| 150 | * ''Literature/ThroneOfGlass'': The spirit of Elena Galathynius states that this happened to her InUniverse. |
| 151 | -->"There are many things history has forgotten about me. I fought on the battlefields during the demon wars against Erawan — [[BattleCouple at Gavin's side]]. That's how we fell in love. But your legends portray me as a damsel who waited in a tower with a magic necklace that would help the heroic prince." |
| 152 | * ''Literature/TortallUniverse'': ''[[Literature/TheNumairChronicles Tempests and Slaughter]]'': |
| 153 | ** It's explicitly stated that the Cult of the Gentle Mother from ''Literature/BekaCooper'' did this to the Great Mother Goddess InUniverse. The Goddess is one of the Great Gods, and alongside her brother Mithros is the leader of the pantheon of the Eastern and Southern Lands, and it's made clear she is a warrior and is a known patron of {{Action Girl}}s and [[LadyOfWar Ladies of War]]. Master Ramasu speculates that TimeDissonance is the reason she doesn't appear to have noticed yet, after nearly two hundred years, but states that when she ''does'', she will definitely do something about it. [[DramaticIrony As readers should know]], she already has — Alanna, heroine of ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'', which ''Tempests and Slaughter'' overlaps, is the Goddess' answer. |
| 154 | ** Ramasu also mentions that priests in Carthak tried to do this to the empire's patron goddess, the Graveyard Hag. The Hag put a stop to it by punishing any priest who tried to preach the chickified version. As she's a minor [[TheTrickster trickster]] goddess, you may imagine what kind of things she did. |
| 155 | * At the start of ''Universums öde'' by GeorgeJohansson, Amalthea is introduced as Len's equal. However, in the third book, she and Len have barely landed on New Earth when she is attacked by a predator bird and develops a phobia of violence that means that she has to [[StayInTheKitchen Stay in the Hut]] while Len does the hunting. |
| 156 | * Poppyfrost from ''Literature/WarriorCats'' is initially portrayed in ''Literature/WarriorCatsPowerOfThree'' as a fearless warrior. By the next series, she's an anxious wreck who stays in the nursery taking care of her kits and fretting over them. |
| 157 | * Happens to Mina in many movie adaptations of the ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'' novel. In the novel, she was a well-educated assistant schoolmistress who took care of Lucy early on and kept her from sleepwalking, nursed Jonathan back to health when he was sick and functioned as the secretary of the group, organizing the notes on Dracula. After being attacked, she uses her new-found psychic link to help the males keep track of what the BigBad was doing. All this changed in [[Film/Dracula1931 the 1931 movie adaptation]] and many later versions in which she was turned into a weeping, hysterical DamselInDistress who is on one occasion in love with Dracula. |
| 158 | * Jane Layton's ''The Boyhood Of Grace Jones'' takes place in the 1930s. Grace feels completely male at this point in the series. [[PluckyMiddie She wants to be a sailor]] and live as masculine a life as possible, and strenuously exercises to keep up with the strength of guys her age (eleven or so). Her parents have this whole worried conversation [[NoGuyWantsAnAmazon about her getting muscular]]. [[SarcasmMode Fortunately]], the first time she actually goes out in a boat, she gets embarrassingly seasick and the malady returns when she climbs her favorite tree, which previously she enjoyed its swaying in the wind. Nobody bothers to tell her that many [[TheCaptain salty old sea dogs]] began by spending most of their time leaning over the side and there's a reason sailors like crackers, ginger, corned beef and pickles. Now a HeartbrokenBadass, she undergoes full Chickification and by the end of the novel [[EsotericHappyEnding is deeply into clothes, makeup and giggling over film stars]], disappointing her music instructor, for one, who's enjoyed seeing her swagger into the room like [[Literature/TheBountyTrilogy Captain Bligh]]. Readers still complain about the way Layton "sold Grace out" although the end chapter suggests that she intended Grace to have more like a GirlinessUpgrade. |
| 159 | * Princess Alyssa Targaryen in ''Literature/FireAndBlood'' starts out as a bold, sporty TomboyPrincess, who dresses like a man, duels with wooden swords, and is described as having the heart of a warrior. Notable actions of hers include pouring a jug of wine onto her brother Vaegon after he insults their little sister, and later dressing up in mail to beat him up at the training grounds. Marriage and family doesn't even slow her down at first; she openly brags about having ribald sex with her [[BrotherSisterIncest husband/brother]] Baelon, [[DragonRider claims the dragon Meleys,]] and takes her infant sons on dragon rides in the sky. However, the chickification occurs near the end of her life; after giving birth to her third child, she tells her husband "You were made for battles, and I was [[BabyFactory made for this]]." and goes on about how she wants to give him twenty more sons. This would end up being her last recorded words, as she [[DeathByChildbirth died soon after the birth.]] While high maternity rates are common in the pseudo-medieval setting of Westeros, it does leave a bad taste in one's mouth to have such a spirited and willful character leave the world (and therefore the narrative) expressing her greatest desire to make babies for her beloved husband. Alyssa began as a woman who defied convention, only to end her life happily embracing the gender roles society imposed upon her. |
| 160 | [[/folder]] |
| 161 | |
| 162 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 163 | * ''Series/AmericanGothic1995'': This happened to [[PluckyGirl Gail Emory]]. At the start of the show, while not exactly an ActionGirl, she was certainly a female {{Determinator}} who, as an IntrepidReporter, was determined to find out the truth of her parents' deaths and bring their murderer to justice. But as soon as she learned her parents were not [[BrokenPedestal the paragons of virtue she thought them to be]], her Backstory was dropped and she seemed to flounder about with nothing to do. By the end of the series, she's morphed almost completely into a DamselInDistress, having to rely on Buck himself for protection, and in her last scene is left in a hospital bed, crying piteously over the baby she's lost--even though she didn't want it in the first place, seeing as it was the son of Satan (as depicted graphically via ultrasound--or maybe not). At least some of this may be due to ExecutiveMeddling in order to pair up the major male and female leads, or a result of the show being ScrewedByTheNetwork so that Shaun Cassidy had to wrap everything up far too quickly and nonsensically. But some surely isn't. |
| 164 | * ''Series/BlakesSeven'': |
| 165 | ** Jenna (smuggler) and Cally (guerilla fighter) would be left [[BridgeBunnies operating the teleport]] while the men went down to the planet. Eventually both actresses left the series because they felt their characters were underutilized. However their replacements were both {{Action Girl}}s. |
| 166 | ** There's a bizarre example that happens within a single episode. In "City At The Edge of the World", Kerril starts as a snarky, leather-clad ActionGirl with a QuickDraw and [[YouNeedABreathMint bad hygiene]] who regards Vila with disdain. A shower and a [[SheCleansUpNicely dress]] makes her [[ScreamingWoman shriek at cobwebs and skeletons]], [[SecurityCling clutching at Vila]] like a DamselInDistress and [[FauxActionGirl even letting him handle her gun]] in the final confrontation with the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Villain of the Week]]. Either behaviour isn't out of place in ''Blakes 7'', but putting both in the same character just doesn't work. |
| 167 | * ''Series/{{Cheers}}'' did it to Ms. Rebecca Howe who went from [[IceQueen cold, efficient manager]] in her first appearances to blundering, {{gold digg|er}}ing crybaby by the end of the series. |
| 168 | * ''[[Series/Charmed1998 Charmed]]'': Phoebe Halliwell was always very feminine and showed interest in traditionally "girly" things (especially romance), but she was also the most enthusiastic about exploring her magic abilities, often the one who'd involve the Charmed Ones with the plot of the week, and the first sister to [[CuteBruiser learn martial arts]] to make up for her passive power set. Come Season Six, she went from being badass enough to engage the freaking [[BigBad Source of All Evil]] in physical combat to focussing exclusively on her search for a man who would father her foretold child(ren), with barely any involvement in the magical plotlines if not as a plus-one to her sisters. |
| 169 | * ''Series/CriminalMinds'': One of Garcia's exes accuses Derek (who he's mistaken for her new lover) and then Garcia herself of doing this to herself, when comparing her [[PlayfulHacker present personality]] to her former persona as [[TheCracker The Black Queen]]. Subverted as Garcia explains her present personality was ''always'' her real personality even back then and her Black Queen persona was just an act she put on for his benefit/to keep him with her and she allowed the FBI to catch her because she was tired of keeping up the act. |
| 170 | * ''Series/DaysOfOurLives'': Stephanie Johnson is one of the most blatant cases. When the character first returned to the show as an adult she was played by redhead Shayna Rose and appeared as a [[WrenchWench tough girl race car driver]]. After Rose was fired, the character was recast with brunette former beauty queen Shelley Hennig as a rather uninteresting fashion plate character with little or no real character. |
| 171 | * ''Series/DoctorWho'': |
| 172 | ** Some fans think this happened to Sarah Jane in ''Series/DoctorWho'' for CastSpeciation reasons. While the companion of the Third Doctor, she was intended as a tough feminist career girl who saw herself as the Doctor's equal (or even superior) no matter how condescending he was to her, and her relationship with him was quite prickly, serving as TheLancer. The Third Doctor had been nearing the end of his tenure around the time of her introduction, and the original plan was to regenerate him into a physically feeble but mentally formidable old man character; so a male companion, Harry, was introduced to serve as a NerdActionHero character and fight for the Doctor when required. However, the decision was instead made to cast a young, strong man as the Fourth Doctor, who was more than capable of doing the action scenes intended for Harry, and so to rebalance the dynamic Harry took over the role of TheLancer and Sarah Jane was relegated to DamselInDistress. This also coincided with her relationship with the Doctor taking on a romantic tinge — her relationship with the Third Doctor had felt paternal due to the big physical age gap and the power dynamic, but her relationship with the Fourth Doctor, who [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld looked younger]] and saw himself as equal to her, oozed UnresolvedSexualTension to ImpliedLoveInterest levels. Once Harry left and Sarah Jane was the sole companion, she returned closer to her original characterisation again, finding a kind of middle ground of badass and added romantic dimension (not to mention respectful treatment from her Doctor) that many fans feel is the most entertaining version of her character. |
| 173 | ** Another victim of this for reasons of CastSpeciation was the First Doctor companion Barbara. While she spends most of her time being confused and screaming in her first episode, this is {{Justified}} by the circumstances of her companionship, and she soon gets some CharacterDevelopment and becomes TheHero of several stories (notably Part 2 and 3 of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E5TheKeysOfMarinus The Keys of Marinus]]" and "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E6TheAztecs The Aztecs]]"). In stories where she has a more backseat role, it tends to be a more dynamic one (such as journeying with a Thal war band in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks The Daleks]]", and going on an expedition to defeat the Daleks in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]"). In both "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" and "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E3TheRescue The Rescue]]" she is shown to be willing to kill in order to protect younger female characters with her. However, after Susan, the DamselInDistress in most of her stories, leaves, she's replaced with SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute surrogate-granddaughter Vicki, a more energetic and optimistic character who tended to be paired off with the Doctor so they could go on VagabondBuddies-type adventures as a comical [[TwoLinesNoWaiting B Story]]. Since Vicki was ineligible to be the Damsel, the role got handed over to Barbara, who then started getting captured, hypnotised, sold into slavery, and threatened with rape a lot more often. A plot point in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E6TheCrusade The Crusade]]" even centres around her supposed unwillingness to kill, even to protect a young female character with her. |
| 174 | ** When Rose was the Ninth Doctor's companion, there was definitely an element of romance in their dynamic, but she still contributed to a number of storylines. After his regeneration into the Tenth Doctor, though, the romance angle was dialed all the way [[ExaggeratedTrope Up to Eleven]] (no pun intended) and she rarely accomplished anything important during their adventures. |
| 175 | * ''Series/HawaiiFive0'': Kono seems to be going this route. In season 1, she kicked ass in almost every episode. Now, she spends much of her time back in MissionControl or off doing grunt work while the new action girl gets screen time. Actress Grace Park had a child during production of S3, so that may have affected her role. |
| 176 | * ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'': Saeko went from stoic villainess to ClingyJealousGirl as soon as her love interest Isaka appeared on the scene, with bonus UnnecessaryMakeover to boot. Some would also argue that Akiko underwent this after her LastMinuteHookUp with [[SixthRanger Terui]]. |
| 177 | * ''{{Series/Merlin 2008}}'''s Guinevere in the BBC version. She kicks some serious ass for the first season, teaching Merlin how to put Arthur's armour on properly, going into battle to defend Ealdor, facing her own execution bravely; but the moment Arthur notices in season two that he might just fancy her, she gets kidnapped and can do nothing but trip over her own feet and foul up two attempts to rescue her. She does get her [[BadassNormal normal badassery]] back in Series 3. |
| 178 | * ''Series/TheNewAvengers'' has Purdy capable of taking on the best and winning. Unless that week's episode calls for her to cry and phone Steed for rescue. The episode where important figures, including apparently Steed and Gambit, are being replaced by imposters, is a case in point. |
| 179 | * ''Franchise/PowerRangers'': Both of Tommy's girlfriends. Kimberly single-handedly defeated monsters such as the Terror Toad and the Snizard, and Kat(herine) was instrumental in nearly ''bringing down the Rangers themselves'' while under Rita's spell. When they started dating Tommy, it seemed that not one episode could go by without one of them screaming "TOMMY!" at the top of their lungs. (On the other hand, given how often Tommy [[TheWorfEffect wound up]] [[BadassInDistress in need of rescue]]...). |
| 180 | * ''Series/RobinHood'': Happened to both Marian and Djaq to some extent. Marian is shown to be a capable fighter throughout most of the show, but towards the end of season two she is hit in the face with the DistressBall and ends up as the DamselInDistress on numerous occasions. In her final appearance, just before Gisborne [[spoiler:stabs her to death]] the writers ensure that our intrepid heroine is denied the opportunity to wield a sword in her defense of the king, and she's reduced to simply flailing her arms around. Djaq kicks ass right to the end, but many were put off by her abrupt declarations of love for Will Scarlett, and the fact that she spent the rest of the finale behaving like a gooey-eyed teenager [[StrangledByTheRedString before opting to stay in the Holy Land to raise pigeons with him]]. Conversely, the two women who were brought in to [[ReplacementScrappy replace Marian and Djaq]] were Isabella and Kate: the former starts off as a DamselInDistress before [[TookALevelInBadass Taking a Level In Badass]], but the latter is a bona fide FauxActionGirl right from the start. |
| 181 | * ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'' has an unusual male version of this, not surprising, since the show likes to [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld genderflip]] [[BadassLongcoat tropes]]. Will starts out as a BadassBookworm and ends up the DesignatedVictim. In later seasons, the only time Will shows some badassery is in the BadFuture vision when a ZombieApocalypse has forced him to [[TookALevelInBadass Take a Level in Badass]]. |
| 182 | * ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. Creator/MarinaSirtis [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJXvWZhVY4Q noted]] that [[Characters/StarTrekTheNextGenerationMainCharacters Deanna Troi]]'s intelligence and general effectiveness seemed to vary in inverse proportion to the amount of cleavage she was made to display. In later seasons, when they put the character in a Starfleet uniform like everyone else, covering her up to the neck, Troi suddenly started getting better storylines. |
| 183 | -->'''Marina Sirtis''': My cleavage had gone. My gray matter came flooding back. I was on away teams! I was the leader of one away team! I had a medical tricorder! And unlike Beverly, I seemed to know what was wrong with people. |
| 184 | * Happens to Rei at the end of ''Series/TomicaHeroRescueFire'', when her brash and [[TheLadette Lad-ette]] personality is greatly toned down and she falls for a much older man, with the implication that she will eventually quit to marry him and take care of his son. |
| 185 | * ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' has Andrea. She initially was a GirlNextDoor trying desperately to be an ActionGirl in season 1. In season 2, she sort of made it by the end, yet was still making bad decisions. However, in season 3, she ends up [[spoiler: basically becoming the [[BigBad Governor's]] personal slut. She slowly lets him take away her gun and her freedom. Lets him. She has plenty of outs, including leaving with Michonne, the girl who SAVED HER FREAKING LIFE on multiple occasions. What's worse, she defends the Governor despite all of the horrible crap he does]]. |
| 186 | [[/folder]] |
| 187 | |
| 188 | [[folder:Myths & Religion]] |
| 189 | * Myth/ClassicalMythology: |
| 190 | ** The Romans identified Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, with Minerva, a considerably more domestic goddess of crafts. She was already the goddess of weaving in Greek myth, but that was a considerably minor part of her. [[note]]This was at least in part because the closest equivalent was Mars, and they'd already linked him with Ares. The Romans also disliked more defensive forms of war, which is what Athena excelled in.[[/note]] |
| 191 | ** In contrast, Aphrodite was based on the Phoenician Goddess Astarte, Goddess of Love, Fertility, Beauty, and oh yeah, ''[[WarGod War]]''. The Spartans, being [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy The Spartans]], fully approved. The rest of Greece did not and redefined her there as purely being the goddess of love and beauty (In ''Literature/TheIliad'', Zeus explicitly tells her she doesn't belong on the battlefield, with the fact that it needed to be stated at all implying [[WriterOnBoard it may have been a debate at the time]])[[note]]It should be noted, however, that Aphrodite played a rather active role in the events of the poem[[/note]]. She was later ''un''-chickified by the same Romans, who rechristened her Venus, and added victory (in battle/war) tot her portfolio. |
| 192 | * Myth/MesopotamianMythology: Observed by looking at the oldest Sumerian myths to its later derivatives. One example is Nammu, who went from the sole creator goddess in Sumerian myths to her more well-known Babylonian version Tiamat, a co-creator who after the death of her husband became a tyrant who is probably the UrExample of GodSaveUsFromTheQueen. Sumerian Ereshkigal was the sole ruler of the underworld, but in later Assyro-Babylonian myths she was subdued by Nergal and forced to share her power with him. Several other goddesses are known to us mainly as [[SatelliteLoveInterest Shallow Love Interests]] are also believed to have held more prominent roles in prehistory. |
| 193 | * The earliest Welsh Myth/ArthurianLegend portrays Guinevere as a badass warrior queen and/or spellcaster. In later retellings, her main achievement is to bonk Lancelot behind her husband's back, and modern retellings can use either as the author prefers. |
| 194 | * Maid Marian from the Myth/RobinHood legends is an odd case. She was an ActionGirl in some of her original appearances (fighting Robin to a standstill while disguised as a boy in one ballad). [[{{Bowdlerise}} Victorian writers]] turned her into a DamselInDistress. Modern writers tend to [[{{Xenafication}} make her the]] ActionGirl again, with ''Series/TheNewAdventuresOfRobinHood'' turning her into a Xena clone. ''Literature/TheOutlawsOfSherwood'', the novel, has Marian and Robin sharing the public role of Robin Hood, with Marian being the better archer of the pair. |
| 195 | [[/folder]] |
| 196 | |
| 197 | [[folder:Professional Wrestling]] |
| 198 | * In the 1930s and 1940s, not only did the top women's wrestlers draw just as much and sometimes more than their male counterparts in the USA, but the very best were considered equals. Over the course of five years, the top woman draw in the country, Mildred Burke, wrestled 200 men and only lost to one of them. After Mildred Burke and promoter Billy Wolfe got divorced though, Wolfe got Burke banned from the Wrestling/NationalWrestlingAlliance in 1952, which resulted in interest for women's wrestling declining and subsequently, [[SelfFulfillingProphecy fewer instances of women defeating men or main eventing shows.]] |
| 199 | * '''[[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon DIVING CROSSBODY?! NAH, JUST SPANK HER A COUPLE TIMES AND YELL!]]''' |
| 200 | ** Once regarded as a high peak for a woman wrestler to climb, perhaps the highest, helping usher in Wrestling/WrestleMania, the reputation of the Wrestling/{{WWE}} women's division started to deteriorate around 1995, though the causes behind it went back further. From women's champions not allowed to use any moves men were doing, to women's champions who don't bump, to Divas champions who can't run the ropes it became disturbingly common to use the very idea of WWE divas in a serious context as a punchline. Proven talents being repeatedly passed over for unproven counterparts based on presumed sex appeal, [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished efforts to hide aesthetic injuries]] that would have allowed matches to be taken more seriuously and reduced match time itself also being contributing factors. |
| 201 | ** Introducing first, from some kind of place, weighing in at so many pounds, wrestler's name! That used to be the standard entrance for any wrestler, but at some point the WWF decided to stop giving the weight of women wrestlers. ([[Wrestling/SherriMartel Sensational Sherri]] usually weighed in at 144 lbs, for example, but [[Wrestling/{{Madusa}} Alundra Blayze's]] was conspicuously ignored) While plenty of other companies still recognize why listing a wrestler's weight might be important, such as Ice Ribbon eliminating the 60 KG limit on the [=ICEx=]∞ so Wrestling/ManamiToyota could challenge for the belt, more than a few seem to have taken the WWF's example. |
| 202 | ** Burial by creative direction. Wrestling/MickieJames, Wrestling/BethPhoenix, {{Wrestling/Melina}}, Wrestling/{{Natalya|Neidhart}}, and Wrestling/{{Michelle McCool}} were all excellent workers - probably better in the ring than Wrestling/{{Trish|Stratus}} & {{Wrestling/Lita}}, but didn't have character depth beyond "evil cheerleaders" or time for a feud. They also didn't get to mix it up in angles involving main-eventers like Trish & Lita did. It's almost as though WWE doesn't believe more than 4 wrestlers can be stars at a time. |
| 203 | ** If you've ever sat through ''Series/TotalDivas'' at all you've seen the women taking instruction from Mark Carrano, oozing visible slime as WWE's "talent relations" exec. All Carrano cares about is the Divas' image and not if they can actually entertain or not. They all speak as if they have to maintain approval under Daddy Carrano's watchful eye, like a pimp convening with his hos. |
| 204 | ** Women such as Wrestling/SaraDelRey, known for her 60 minute time limit draw against PGWA champion Nikki Roxx, Traci Brooks, whose feud with Trinity brought women's wrestling to new venues and April Hunter, whose matches had fans around the world asking for WWE to sign her, were all passed up for WWE's women division. Body building legend Lenda Murray failed to get a developmental deal. There was only one title to wrestle for, but presumptions that the roster was simply full were disproved when it was cleaned out for the sake of untrained talent who were then pushed as wrestlers. [[Wrestling/TerriPoch Tori]], Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}}, Wrestling/{{Ivory}}, it happened slowly at first but then in a move that somehow went unnoticed by the NAACP, Wrestling/{{Nidia}}, Wrestling/GailKim and [[Wrestling/CarleneMoore Jazz]] were simultaneously released with failed contestants from the 2004 Wrestling/WWEDivaSearch put in their place. While WWE somehow avoided a discrimination lawsuit for replacing all its remaining nonwhite women at once with inferior workers, it would take twelve years before their division's reputation began to recover. |
| 205 | ** Both Monster Ripper and Wrestling/JillianHall went into WWF/E with fearsome reputations that had to be rebuilt upon leaving. The former was given a goofy trailer park gimmick, which still managed to work until she was told [[ExecutiveMeddling not to use her slams and throws]]. The latter became more girly, then got saddled with many ridiculous gimmicks, which still managed to work until she became stuck [[{{Jobber}} doing the job]] for years on end. |
| 206 | ** Wrestling/{{Chyna}}, although hers was more [[ExecutiveMeddling enforced from above]]. She came in as a bodyguard (not valet, Bodyguard) to Wrestling/TripleH. She then went on to feuding with the male wrestlers, had absolutely no interest in the Women's Championship, and was the first woman to hold a man's wrestling title (not counting the Hardcore Title, but that's another story.) Toward the end, after she ended up the hypotenuse in the Chyna / Triple H / Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon triangle, she was pushed into the Women's Division before being quietly pushed out the door in May 2001. |
| 207 | ** While WWE declined to sign Traci Brooks until she retired, they did sign her rival Trinity to its Wrestling/{{ECW}} {{revival}} brand. Rather than her trademark death defying stunts or the hardcore violence old ECW was known for, all Trinity did was provide fanservice. Not her usual flexing of "the [[AmazonianBeauty best biceps]] in the business", not even ECW style "{{cat fight}}s", but parading around virtually naked aside from "caution" tape reminiscent of Orlando Jordan. |
| 208 | ** Wrestling/{{Natalya|Neidhart}} debuted as a powerful heel and was put into contention for the new Divas' Championship but was quickly dropped from that and eventually became a manager for the Hart Dynasty where the most she usually did was slap her guys' opponents a little. This got reversed when they brought in Wrestling/TheUsos to feud with them who had [[Wrestling/TaminaSnuka a woman]] as their valet. When they split, Natalya became a prominent part of the women's division and won the title. But when that was done Natalya became little more than a joke, paired with Wrestling/TheGreatKhali and Wrestling/{{Hornswoggle}} and often losing to other girls like [[Wrestling/BellaTwins The Bella Twins]]. |
| 209 | ** Once ranked among the top wrestlers in the USA, USWA boasting that she was ''the'' very top woman in the country, Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} debuted in the WWF as Wrestling/MarcMero's valet Although she won the reinstated Women's Championship, Jacqueline was booked rather weakly and lumped together with the non-wrestler divas such as Wrestling/TerriRunnels and Wrestling/{{Sable}}. Fast forward a year and [[HiddenDepths she gets to show off the full extent of her wrestling ability]], even competing in intergender matches. She defeats Wrestling/ChavoGuerreroJr for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wwe/wwe-c.html WWE Cruiserweight Title]] in 2004 before losing it back and being pushed out the door to make room for those who did not win the diva search. |
| 210 | ** WWE's {{revival}} of Florida Championship Wrestling seemed to be pushing Wrestling/AngelaFong as the next coming of Trish Stratus. When she debuted on the main television shows it was as backstage interviewer "Savannah". The only physical activity Savannah took part in was arm wrestling Beth Phoenix in WWE magazine before being let go. |
| 211 | ** [[OptOut Upon leaving WWE for the second time]], Wrestling/GailKim claimed, among other things, that WWE wants the division to be more "girly" and have barred the Divas from things like punching and kicking. That obviously cuts out a lot but still leaves pretty of moves to do right? No, even go to stuff like the DDT apparently got divas reprimanded to the point they had to sneak spots past the agents. Possibly as a result, these "rules" would change week to week. Whatever WWE's case may be, the chickification of this once great women's division is obvious. |
| 212 | ** Many of the contestants from the Diva search, even the runner ups, had real life credentials that could have logically been transcribed into matches. Wrestling/{{Maryse}} was a black belt in karate but she rarely showed it, mostly slapping, running away and hitting the occasional back breaker. Wrestling/EveTorres, a blue belt in Brazilian jujitsu, was taken somewhat seriously at first but if you heard anything about her background, it was probably her cheer leading and then she was reduced to a panicky mess whenever Wrestling/{{Kane}} appeared. So he's akin to a slasher villain she logically shouldn't have a chance against? Fine, but she does not have to stand there "Frozen in fear" as Michael Cole describes instead of making an effort to run away during his slow walk to the ring. |
| 213 | ** Frozen in fear also applies to Wrestling/{{Aksana}}, who would fight for what she wanted on WWE's version of FCW and [[VillainExitStageLeft duck out of the arena]] to avoid what she didn't want. On the main roster, she passively hung around general manager [[Wrestling/TeddyLong Theodore Long]] for no reason and became a nervous wreck just thinking about Kane. |
| 214 | ** Wrestling/{{Kara|Drew}} Slice was a persistent rival of independent wrestling star Alexis Laree. Since Laree got hit with this as Mickie James it was expected that Slice would follow, but she got an especially harsh case as Deuce and Domino's valet "Cherry". At first Cherry couldn't even defend herself or even run away well on her rollerskates. Cherry "progressed" to the underdog in a feud with Maryse, to a protege of Michelle [=McCool=] and to bullying victim of Natalya. Cherry did get to show some of her wrestling ability in the latter case but was never allowed to win. |
| 215 | ** [[Wrestling/RubyRiott Heidi Lovelace]]'s selling and angles were turning heads in TNA's then developmental partner Ohio Valley Wrestling. Promotions across four countries on two continents were bidding to book Wrestling/KimberLee. Lee had an undefeated streak in Beyond revolving around outsmarting even the male wrestlers, Lovelace was A-1 Alpha Male champion. They were competed with each other to be the top wrestler of CHIKARA. In WWE both were not only restricted to women's divisions, but were [[BadassDecay jobbers in those divisions]]. |
| 216 | * Nickla Roberts, who was best known as Baby Doll, a valet in Wrestling/{{WCW}}'s predecessor [=JCP=], started out as a female wrestler in [=WCCW=] with a metalhead gimmick who beat both female ''and'' male wrestlers in the ring. Once [=JCP=] hired her as a valet, though, that was the end of her actually wrestling. |
| 217 | * In the late 1980s up to about 2000, many of the top women wrestlers from the continental United States Of America, such as Reggie Bennett, Bionic J, and Debbie Malenko were not known to fans in the continental USA because so many wrestled almost exclusively outside of it, often in Japan, Mexico or a territory such as Puerto Rico. It didn't help that the Wrestling/{{A|merican Wrestling Association}}WA after the nineties and WCW for almost their entire existence had nearly the entirety of their women's title defenses in Japan. Before foreigners, particularly Japanese, would often have to migrate overseas because [[Wrestling/{{A|llJapanWomensProWrestling}} Zenjo]] didn't [[OldMaid want anyone over 25]]. |
| 218 | * This trope was one of the motivations behind the founding of the PGWA in 1992. Since most "major" promotions in the USA were giving women five minute matches, Tom Randolph and Penny Banner decide to give them a place where most of the matches were between fifteen and thirty minutes, in order to let women show a wider range of what they could do and use the footage to increase their standings. This in particular helped Lita, who mostly worked as a valet in USA until then, get to wrestle on TV. However, it also ''resulted'' in some chickification when women they showcased got signed by a major promotion but were not pushed as strongly, such as the Heidi Lovelace mention above. |
| 219 | * Wrestling/DaizeeHaze [[DiscussedTrope accused]] Wrestling/{{Chikara}} of trying to downplay her worth and skills, which lead Sara Del Rey to suggest they take [[Wrestling/DieBruderschaftDesKreuzes The BDK's]] side in its war on the promotion, which they did. Since its starting year the promotion had been playing around with what the roll for women would be in it exactly before just throwing its hands up and deciding as far wrestling went [[GenderIsNoObject there was no difference between men and women]]. |
| 220 | * Whatever you want to say about TNA's indy years (crass, dumb, offensive) they had several good points, such as recognizing the tough women on their roster and making use of their talents. [[Wrestling/MickieJames Alexis Laree]] and Trinity in particular were likely to be competitive no matter who they were in the ring with and Traci Brooks was not too far behind them. Then Wrestling/JimCornette (Spike TV was the real culprit, but that was off screen) made it illegal for men to fight women and the girls ended up having a much more passive role as a result. At least until they got their own division, but see below. |
| 221 | * The Knockout Division in [[Wrestling/ImpactWrestling TNA]] was chickified when Wrestling/HulkHogan appeared. Before there were all sorts of women with different styles, after Hogan came and the firing of [[Wrestling/KiaStevens Awesome Kong]] and other women being released the division suffered. Not to the extent of "The Divas", a decent match could usually be expected at least every other show but the division was hardly taken as seriously as before, by the commentary or "the writers" who couldn't seem to find time for them or thought their talents were better spent acting out soap plots or stripping; this on top of there being fewer wrestlers overall. The return of Gail Kim did lead to the knockouts eventually getting back to the main event though, especially after Havok debuted. |
| 222 | [[/folder]] |
| 223 | |
| 224 | [[folder:Radio]] |
| 225 | * In the second half of the ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'' audio drama ''The Anachronauts'', Sara is PromotedToLoveInterest for Steven and acts terrified of everything, always 'clinging' to Steven, crying, paranoid and willing to do cowardly actions to survive, which at first appears to be this trope. However, [[spoiler: it turns out that this is intentional and Steven explains to her that Sara does not show weakness, does not admit defeat and ''does not love him'', clueing us into the fact that she is not the real Sara]]. |
| 226 | [[/folder]] |
| 227 | |
| 228 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 229 | |
| 230 | * In VideoGame/TheThirdBirthday Aya Brea is noticeably less confident and snarky taking a demure, submissive role toward her superiors, a far cry from her previous depictions in the first two games. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope Except this isn’t actually Aya.]] In actuality, it’s her clone sister Eve who lost her memory after jumping her soul into Aya’s body in an attempt to save her from SWAT officers shooting her down at her wedding. As it turns out, the real Aya Brea is as brave and sure of herself as she already was in the first two games, cooly shooting and killing Hyde Bohr as he’s about to forcibly merge himself with Eve, snarkily quipping at him.]] |
| 231 | * Like every RPG trope and its dog, the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'' plays with this one. |
| 232 | ** ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' subverts this. The ActionGirl [[{{Tsundere}} Sheena]] [[EveryoneCanSeeIt is clearly]] [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan crushing on]] [[TheHero Lloyd]]. When she eventually helps save their friend Colette, she [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu unfortunately messes up and ends up hanging on for dear life]] but encourages Lloyd to go on and save the poor girl regardless. When he's out of earshot, she contemplates that perhaps some Chickification might do her some good as it would more or less guarantee that someone would rescue her when she's in danger... only to immediately dismiss the thought, as it "... wouldn't be (her) style." |
| 233 | ** Chloe Valens from ''VideoGame/TalesOfLegendia'' has to be rescued by Senel from drowning ([[SuperDrowningSkills since she can't swim]]), and struggles with her growing feelings for him throughout the game. At the same time, she defeats Senel in single combat, is a KnightInShiningArmor who subverts HonorBeforeReason when it matters most, and doesn't take revenge when she had every reason to do so. Though she may so "female" emotions, Chloe is an example of this trope [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools done well]], as she is no less of a badass at the end of the game than she was at the beginning. |
| 234 | * ''VideoGame/AlteredBeast1988'' is a meta-example; in [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology]], Athena is the goddess of wisdom and [[LadyOfWar war]]. Here, she is Chickified into a standard DamselInDistress. |
| 235 | * ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic''. Inverted: Bastila spends most of Taris in an enemy prison, but once you rescue her she becomes an actual ActionGirl. She also takes umbrage at the idea that you rescued her; when the attempt goes sour and a fight erupts she uses the distraction as an opportunity to escape her restraints on her own and save ''you''. |
| 236 | * ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'': Likely as a reference to the above example and general Valkyrie lore, the Valkyries fear this trope. Disobedient Valkyries are punished by being placed into slumber and given away to a man who will be their husband upon awakening, whereas Valkyries who are no longer able to fight are forcefully stripped of their status and married to men, where they must be obedient wives for the rest of their lives. An early Valkyrie NPC in Gwendolyn's story is facing this fate and terrified, whereas Gwendolyn herself suffers the slumbering sort as a punishment early in her story. The rest of her story has her struggling against her growing feelings for Oswald and her new role as a non-warrior. [[spoiler: The game later reveals that Odin only used magic to make Gwendolyn sleep and not to manipulate her emotions. No one actually tells Gwendolyn this, probably because they looked at how hostile she was to Oswald and figured she must already know she wasn't enthralled. She never seems to realize that her feelings for Oswald were always genuinely her own. Ultimately, she decides it doesn't matter if they're fake or not, because Oswald is the first person in her life to treat her like a human being as opposed to her selfish, cold-hearted father. As for fighting, she seems to have little trouble with that and [[DistressedDude rescues her husband herself]] from a dragon, a fire elemental king, and the queen of the dead. Clearly this trope just can't stick to her.]] |
| 237 | * ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' has done this to [[LadyOfBlackMagic Jaina Proudmoore]]. In ''Warcraft III'' and its expansion, she was one of few people who listened to the Prophet's CassandraTruth and led people across the sea to escape the Burning Legion. She even helped ''kill her own father'' when she decided there was no other way to secure a peace between the Alliance and the Horde. In ''World of Warcraft'', her role until Patch 3.3 was limited to cheering up orphans, and in Patch 3.3 she decided to see if her ex-boyfriend the EvilOverlord was redeemable. [[SarcasmMode Good luck with that]]. |
| 238 | ** She suffers from this very badly in the Arthas novel, too, where aside from setting a couple of granaries on fire, she mostly wibbles about said ex-boyfriend, when she's not making out with him. |
| 239 | *** Complains about this was heard and ''Mists of Pandaria'' [[BreakTheCutie broke her so devastatingly with the destruction of Theramore]]. And the result? Jaina turned into an extremely aggressive warmonger that wanted the Horde to be destroyed REALLY badly and nearly drowned Orgrimmar if Kalegcos and Thrall didn't talk her down about it. Needless to say, [[BrokenBase this is a rather controversial development that there's some camp that prefers the 'Chickified' Jaina...]] |
| 240 | %%** Tyrande [[GuysSmashGirlsShoot Whisperwind]] has suffered from this as well, not just in World of Warcraft but in most of the Warcraft novels since. Even in Cataclysm, where most faction leaders have gotten at least one badass moment, if not multiple ones, so far all she has done amounts to staying in Darnassus and telling players about how Malfurion, her love, has returned and will fix everything. |
| 241 | ** While [[DarkActionGirl Sylvanas]] has generally been more at risk of {{jumping off the slippery slope}}, there was an especially ridiculous example in the Sunwell Trilogy manga, when she became a DamselInDistress in the Ghostlands. The Ghostlands are the southern half of what's left of Eversong Forest, which Sylvanas would have been intimately familiar with as bloody ''Ranger-General of Quel'thalas''. |
| 242 | * In ''VideoGame/SummonNight: Swordcraft Story'', a large part of Sanary's character is centered around her desire to avoid this fate due to one of her role models falling deathly ill and requiring her lover to look after her. She does wind up falling into this, needing to be rescued twice [[spoiler:3 times if you count "possessed by a berserk spirit"]] and is [[GoGoEnslavement forced into a maid outfit]] during the first. [[spoiler: [[MoreThanMindControl Her anger over this is what allows her to be possessed in the first place]]]]. An odd contrast is found in Pratty[[YuriGenre X]][[{{Bifauxnen}} Razzy]]'s path, where Pratty notes to Razzy that a girl doesn't need to look or act feminine to be beautiful. |
| 243 | * [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Ariel]] in the first ''VideoGame/{{Kingdom Hearts|I}}'' was an ActionGirl able to cast powerful spells and take down TheHeartless with a whip of her tail. Come [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII the sequel]], however, and she has suddenly lost all of the ability, leaving her almost (unfortunately they excluded her feisty attitude) exactly as she was in her original film, leaving many players to wonder what the point of revisiting Atlantica was to begin with. |
| 244 | * Played straight and subverted in ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'': |
| 245 | ** Played straight: [[spoiler: Chizuru]] gets hit with this after 2003, since [[spoiler: she gets BrainwashedAndCrazy, had her Yata mirror stolen and the deal ''badly'' shakes her self-esteem. (True, her life has had ''many'' BreakTheCutie episodes, but until then she had managed to mostly deal). The ending of ''XIII'' implies that she got her Mirror back ''and'' that said episode was {{Retcon}}ned when Ash (the one who stole the Mirror from her) got himself RetGone'd]]. |
| 246 | ** Subverted: [[spoiler: Leona seemed to have been hit by this in XI, after being {{br|eakTheCutie}}oken in 2003 (when her Orochi blood took over her again and she almost beat Ralf and Clark to death), prompting her adoptive father and commander Heidern to replace her with her friend and fellow ActionGirl Whip. However, this turned out to be a TenMinuteRetirement: in XIII Leona was fully back, having decided to live with her condition and not break down again]]. |
| 247 | * Terra in ''VideoGame/DissidiaFinalFantasy''. The prequel addresses this by rewriting her dialog in the text scenes to her less of a ShrinkingViolet who needs to be protected, and more of a ReluctantWarrior who's willing and able to fight but doesn't want to if she can help it, which is closer to original characterization. Although the timidity was in line with her fear of her own powers at the start of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', it didn't help that her protector was the KidHero of the group, which both made her look even more pitiful and sat oddly with her CharacterDevelopment into a MamaBear in her original game. |
| 248 | * Completely subverted with Say'ri in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening''. [[SmugSnake Excellus]] believes that revealing [[spoiler:that her older brother Yen'fay didn't betray her but instead sacrificed himself for her sake]] will completely break her to the point of stopping fighting altogether... but, [[GoneHorriblyWrong ultimately]], [[BewareTheQuietOnes it just pisses her off enough]] to [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge come after him]] and, if you let her, [[LaserGuidedKarma chop his filthy head off.]] This subversion doesn't count as {{Xenafication}}, though; as she's badass to begin with. |
| 249 | * In ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'' Bianca was a competent ([[MinionWithAnFInEvil if somewhat meek and conflicted]]) [[TheDragon dragon]] to the BigBad until she had a HeelFaceTurn near the end. She was also shown to be a fairly good ([[HowDoIShotWeb if inexperienced]]) sorceress and very helpful to the heroes but after Insomniac left she was DemotedToExtra in ''VideoGame/SpyroEnterTheDragonfly''. Her voice is [[VocalEvolution noticeably]] higher and fluffier, compared to her lower sarcasm-laden voice, despite having the same actress. She's treated more as a TokenGirl whose only use is her DeusExMachina-inducing spells. In the portable games she's treated even worse, degraded from a sorceress to a ''performing magician''. |
| 250 | * In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'', Tetra starts off as a boisterous pirate captain and is one of the few early characters who doesn't sing Link's praises at every opportunity. [[ActionGirl She's not afraid to get her hands dirty either.]] Then at the midpoint of the game, [[spoiler:the moment she learns she's Zelda]], all her fire completely vanishes, and she can only act meek and dumbfounded as she's PutOnABus and treated as a living MacGuffin. Subverted in the final battle, where she finally gets her act together and helps Link fight, but for a large chunk of the game Chickification is in full effect. Things don't get much better for her in the direct sequel, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass Phantom Hourglass]]''; she spends the first half of the game held captive aboard the cursed Ghost Ship, and by the time Link is able to rescue her, she's been turned into a stone statue. She doesn't get better until Link takes down the BigBad's first form, and even then she doesn't participate in the second half of the fight. |
| 251 | * This is one of the major complaints levied at ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. Previous entries in the franchise had portrayed Samus as an unflappable one-woman army. All that goes out the window once she meets up with her former commander and father-figure, Adam Malkovich, on the Bottle Ship. All of a sudden, she's meek, obedient, and prone to emotional breakdowns and panic attacks. While she does get to kick some ass during gameplay, with the exceptions of killing the various aliens on board including the Metroid Queen and retrieving Adam’s helmet before the ship explodes at the end of the game, none of it really matters in the grand scheme of things; the plot hands all the significant actions to other characters. Taking down the traitor in the squad? Nope, that was [[spoiler:MB, the BigBad]], and you don't even get to find out which team member it was. How about getting rid of [[spoiler:Ridley]]? Sorry, he just flees after the boss fight and gets killed offscreen by what's strongly implied to be [[spoiler:the Queen Metroid]]. Destroying [[spoiler:Sector Zero and the theoretically-unfreezable Metroids it contains]]? Too bad, Adam steals the job for himself. Well, Samus at least gets to kill the BigBad in the final boss fight, right? Nope. |
| 252 | * Angela gets hit hard with this in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando''. After spending the first half of the game as the sinister Mysterious Thief, once defeated by Ratchet and [[SamusIsAGirl her gender gets revealed]], she drops down to FauxActionGirl level, easily getting caught by the bad guys and necessitating that Ratchet rescue her. |
| 253 | * Anna in ''VideoGame/MetroExodus'' used to be a ColdSniper and a tomboy in the past game, but here she is a FriendlySniper who wants to make a family with Artyom. It is justified in that she warmed up to Artyom and they got married, but their interactions are to the point of being SickeninglySweethearts. |
| 254 | * {{Defied|Trope}} by Agnes in ''VideoGame/BravelySecond''. The heroine of the [[VideoGame/BravelyDefault original game]], she gets kidnapped by new BigBad [[TheEmperor Kaiser Oblivion]] so he may use her for his plans, and the male hero Yew leads the effort to rescue her. On paper, it may seem as though Agnes was derailed from her original ActionGirl characterization for the sake of a RescueRomance. However, rather than scream for help and cry like the usual DamselInDistress, Agnes serves as MissionControl through her pendant, keeps a cool and collected attitude all throughout her kidnapping, and even plays therapist to her captors, listening to their psychological problems and comforting them. In addition, Yew is romantically uninterested in her, preferring to pine for his partner Magnolia; instead, [[spoiler:it is Tiz, the original game's Deuteragonist and a returning party member, who has a RescueRomance with her]]. |
| 255 | * Cammy from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' is the game's most notable example. In story she debuted as a cold blooded killer but this was due to being brainwashed by M. Bison and being infused with Psycho Power. In the second game which would be her second canonical appearance she was more of a tough tomboy who wore leotards (that reveal her buns quite well when she turns her back to the player), still didn't mind harming people, and had questions about her past. In her next canon appearance ''IV'' she is similar but showed a more caring side for her friends and "sisters". In ''V'' she is much more mentally emotional, loses critical battles, and even gains dresses and other girly outfits that rival the girliness of the game's real girly girls such as Chun-Li, Ibuki, and Karin despite Cammy supposedly being a tomboy and the Tomboy to Chun-Li's girly girl specifically. |
| 256 | * Asuka Kazama from ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}''. Initially she was a legit action girl who was shown to have powers similar to Jun that can have her handle and suppress the devil gene. Later she was shown getting her Osaka butt handed to her, being strangled to death and later needing to be saved by Jin after being thrown out of a sky scraper from Kazuya after she offered no resistance and was openly scared of him. When it comes to outfits despite having to be the tough tomboy when Lili debuted who is the franchise's top girly girl Asuka's alternate outfits have become progressively girlier. |
| 257 | * The 1989 ShootEmUp ''Phelios'' developed by Creator/{{Namco}} does this with the goddess Artemis. In Greek mythology, Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, wilderness, and chastity who took pride in never being with a man. In the game, she's the helpless DamselInDistress who needs to be rescued from the evil Titan Typhon. However, this actually makes a lot of sense when one considers the context the game was made in. Japan during the late 80s was in the middle of a period of rapid economic growth, and with the PopculturalOsmosis that came with being so economically involved with the West, it was seen as very "cool" to replicate Western pop culture. As a result, the aesthetics of Greek mythology were heavily present in a lot of contemporary Japanese media. The 1986 movie ''Anime/{{Arion}}'' takes a lot of names and places from Greek myths, but uses them to tell a story that didn't at all reflect any actual myths. ''Phelios'' is an just example of people putting together two things that were popular at the time--Greek mythology and 80s gaming plots about [[SaveThePrincess saving the damsel in distress]]. |
| 258 | [[/folder]] |
| 259 | |
| 260 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 261 | * The ''Webcomic/{{Garnet and Gure}}'' short, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOLlMDkVEWc&feature=plcp Super Effective]], parodies the chickification of badass video game heroines by featuring Garnet showing up for a zombie battle dressed grudgingly and inexplicably in a tutu. |
| 262 | [[/folder]] |
| 263 | |
| 264 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 265 | * Megagi la Skunk from ''Webcomic/{{Sonichu}}'' was originally a spike-wearing mohawked skunk who really stood out from the other female characters, all of whom were shallow female stereotypes with no personality (this is likely due to the author not creating her, but stealing her from a friend). She was rapidly chickified over her next couple of appearances until she became a literal cheerleader and indistinguishable from the other females in the cast. |
| 266 | [[/folder]] |
| 267 | |
| 268 | [[folder:Web Videos]] |
| 269 | * In ''WebVideo/TheHeroOfTime'', [[ActionGirl Sheik]] spends most of the movie helping [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Link]] fight monsters and free the sages. The pair go into the final battle [[spoiler:only for one of Ganondorf's minions to grab her from behind and hold a knife to her throat to get leverage over Link. Link ends up stabbed because of this, and Sheik can only cry over his bleeding body after he saves her]]. |
| 270 | [[/folder]] |
| 271 | |
| 272 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 273 | * ''WesternAnimation/AeonFlux'' had this happen once, recoiling in terror from a man threatening to beat her with his wooden leg. |
| 274 | ** Played with in the episode "A Last Time for Everything". Aeon lets Trevor create a copy of her for his own amusement and then switches places with her so she can seduce Trevor and then let the clone kill her, thereby tormenting Trevor (rationalizing that she and the clone are identical, so she doesn't mind letting the clone take her place, but only the death of the original will ''really'' hurt him). But, to her own surprise, the original genuinely falls in love with Trevor. When the clone comes to rendezvous with her, the clone has decided against killing her so that they can both [[ScrewYourself run off together;]] but she then sees that not only has original Aeon fallen for Trevor, but doing so has Chickified all her badassness away. They both make a run for the border, but original Aeon's heart isn't in it, so she can't dodge the automatic guns any more, and dies. Ironically, the plan works out just as they originally intended, breaking Trevor's heart mercilessly, but neither Aeon nor the clone wanted it that way by then. |
| 275 | ** Taken together with the wooden leg example above (who was her boyfriend at the time) it's possible that being more vulnerable and "feminine" around men she cares about is just another aspect of her character, and one that she's not particularly proud of at that. |
| 276 | * Parodied with [[Characters/WonderWomanAllies Steve Trevor]], love interest of Characters/{{Wonder Woman|TheCharacter}} in his appearance on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'': In all other incarnations (comics, animation, live action TV) he is a fairly proactive guy, in TheTeaser of “Scorn of Star Sapphire” he is a secret agent so confident that Wonder Woman will come to his rescue that he doesn’t move a muscle to get out of a DeathTrap, letting her do all the work, and gushes in her presence. This immortal line: |
| 277 | --> '''Steve Trevor:''' Have to say, being a secret agent is a cinch when you have a super-powered girlfriend. |
| 278 | * ''WesternAnimation/CentralPark'', Season 1 "[[Recap/CentralParkS1E4GarbageBallet Garbage Ballet]]", an InUniverse example where Molly's friend Hazel reads her comic, she realizes that Molly's [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue self-insert, Fista-Puffs]], used to be a badass that was saving the city, but ever since Kite Boy showed up, the comic derailed into nothing but her swooning over Kite Boy and acting like a sad sack when Kite Boy doesn't forgive her for ruining his face. |
| 279 | * ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': The reason Mrs. Beakley was hired as the triplets' nanny was because she was the only one "tough enough" to handle the little terrors, and for the first few episodes, she lives up to the job: breaking characters out of prison, escaping giant penguin-eating walruses, chariot-racing Vikings... and by ''WesternAnimation/DuckTalesTheMovieTreasureOfTheLostLamp'', she's nothing more than a weeping fainting woman. |
| 280 | * ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'': Horrendously, horrendously done to Lanolin Sheep. In her original comic ''ComicStrip/USAcres'', she's an aggressive badass who frequently mops the floor with her enemy, Roy Rooster. In ''Garfield and Friends'', however, she's reduced to a laundry-doing grouch who, in the episode "Much Ado About Lanolin", randomly smiles and promises to be nicer to the other characters after they tell her about their fantasy performance of ''Theatre/TheTamingOfTheShrew'' without her telling her side of the situation. It gets even worse in Orosn Pig's fantasies, as Lanolin's often placed in a passive Chick role-that's a love interest of Orson's role, to boot! The ''Taming of the Shrew'' performance in "Much Ado About Lanolin" even has Lanolin's role KISS Orson when she magically turns nice! And the only Lanolin-Roy confrontation to be make it into the animated adaptation has her lose to Roy. What a waste of a character. |
| 281 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'': One of the reasons the "Goliath Chronicles" season is so lambasted by the fandom (in addition to its WordOfGod CanonDiscontinuity) is that several of its female characters underwent the BadassDecay that had been scrupulously avoided in the first two seasons. A particularly dire example noted by series creator Creator/GregWeisman on his blog, concerns DarkActionGirl Fox in the episode "Ransom", who becomes quite the weepy NeutralFemale after her baby son is kidnapped, as opposed to a previous kidnap attempt (by Oberon, ''[[PhysicalGod godlike]] king of TheFairFolk'') where she calmly [[MamaBear waited in front of his crib with a laser gun]]. |
| 282 | * Jessica Bannon in ''WesternAnimation/JonnyQuestTheRealAdventures'' is a good example. In the first season she is tough but in the second season though she reverts more and more to the DamselInDistress. |
| 283 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': In the first season, Asami Sato was a BadassNormal in a world where much of the population has elemental powers that proved to be a BadassDriver by [[TheStrategist strategizing]] on the fly in commanding her friends how/when to use their powers during a chase and on foot/solo, [[TranquilFury tranquilly]] [[CurbStompBattle take out a half-dozen Mooks]] as stress relief from her cheating boyfriend's dithering. However, [[SeasonalRot Book 2]] reduces her to this trope as Mako co-opts her sub-plot of saving [[MegaCorp Future Industries,]] she does zero hand-to-hand fighting and [[OnTheRebound rebounds]] back to Mako due to desperation before being unceremoniously dumped ''again.'' Fortunately, she recovers in the following seasons to both do more and have more to do. |
| 284 | * PlayedForLaughs in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' with Smolder, the tough and tomboyish dragoness student at Twilight's School of Friendship, whose ''worst fear'' is being chickified in this way. A FaceYourFears episode has Ocellus become [[EvilQueen Queen]] [[EmotionEater Chrysalis]], Yona face deadly spiders, and Smolder... put in a dress and made to drink tea with a pair of cooing upper-class ponies. |
| 285 | * ''WesternAnimation/PepperAnn'' parodied this trope in an episode where a cartoon starring fictitious ComicBook heroine Tundra Woman turns her into a shopping-obsessed bimbo and her archenemy into her SatelliteLoveInterest boyfriend. Unfortunately, Pepper Ann's sister's protest campaign causes them to veer [[RealWomenDontWearDresses too far in the other direction]]. |
| 286 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{The Powerpuff Girls|1998}}'' also parodied this. While the girls remember stuff in a clip show, they remember that they once aged up to becoming teenagers. In this flashback they stop fighting and instead became shallow, boy-obsessed morons. This was a TakeThat from Creator/CraigMcCracken to ExecutiveMeddling which attempted to chickify the girls for feminine merchandise. It was also a TakeThat towards members of the fandom who would send him fanart (and fanfics) of the girls dating the Rowdyruff Boys (nevermind the fact that they're mortal enemies) forgetting that the show is an ''action'' cartoon first and has little (if any) romance in it whatsoever. [[MisaimedFandom Fans loved that scene and even made fanart of it.]] |
| 287 | * ''WesternAnimation/RocketPower''. |
| 288 | ** Inverted with Clio. In her first appearance, Clio is a straight-up GirlyGirl who likes ice dancing and thinks it's improper for girls to play hockey (though later she tries hockey after betting with Reggie). Later episodes show her skateboarding, rollerskating, and playing roller hockey. Justified in that Clio trying ice hockey would have made her more open to playing more male-dominated sports. |
| 289 | ** Reggie invokes this in "Reggie/Regina" where she falls in love with a new student from New Zealand named Trent. She pretends to be bad at surfing to get his attention. Luckily, she snaps out of it by the end of the episode. |
| 290 | ** Sam uses it in his game "Super Squid" where Reggie's counterpart, Reginalda, can't do extreme sports and doesn't know how to ride the ski lift and needs Sam to teach her, whereas in reality, ''Reggie'' was the one who taught Sam to ride the ski lift. |
| 291 | * ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries'': Characters/{{Black Cat|MarvelComics}} was awesomely awesome during the arc "Partners in Danger," which introduced her. She leaves near the end, but puts in one more guest appearance in which she's as cool as ever. Unfortunately, when she returns again for "Secret Wars," her role in the story is to fall off of things, scream, and be caught by [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] while Petey looks on with jealousy. [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion2008 Maybe it was a Skrull impostor...]] |
| 292 | * ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzc5VHL1bPM a bad habit of doing this]] to [[Characters/MarvelComicsJeanGrey Jean Grey]]. In the comics, she was one of the original X-Men, who even in TheSixties, could hold her own against formidable opponents. In the cartoon, however, she was the go-to girl if they needed a DamselInDistress, playing the role of TheEmpath more than a contributing member. Some other adaptations are worse due to the NeverLiveItDown status of the Dark Phoenix Saga. Writers seem to think that going Phoenix, going nuts, and dying is ''all she ever did,'' and when she's not Phoenix, being Scott's SatelliteLoveInterest and [[LoveTriangle the girl Logan wants]] as ''his'' SatelliteLoveInterest is about all there is to her. |
| 293 | [[/folder]] |
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