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1[[quoteright:295:[[Webcomic/DresdenCodak https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/CharacterDesignFromDresdenCodak2_9105.jpg]]]]
2"Masculine Lines, Feminine Curves" is a visual trope about the marked difference in how men and women are drawn in artwork and animation. Males--be they human(oid), robot, or animal--will have more angular faces, square jaws, and broad, square shoulders. Meanwhile, females will have smoother, rounder faces and curvaceous bodies.
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4In humans, this trope is somewhat [[TruthInTelevision true to life]]. The differences between male and female physiology generally revolve around bearing and nurturing young; the average adult human woman has more fat than a man of the same size, which functions as fuel reserves for a developing baby during [[PregnancyTropes pregnancy]]. This means there's technically no reason for a robot or non-mammalian creature to look this way; it's just our brains' visual cue telling us "This android/alien/whatever is ''female.''"
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6Female bird and mammal characters in the lower end of the SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism (from NearlyNormalAnimal to FunnyAnimal) often sport a ruff of feathers or fur at chest level that serves as an analogue for womens' breasts, in a manner that approaches NonMammalMammaries. Female characters might also be given HartmanHips.
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8This is a foundational trope for character design in comics, and extremely pervasive with human characters. It's very common for male and female characters to be clearly differentiated with exaggerated straight-line/curved line designs to the point where we don't even notice any more.
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10For animal examples, please only list examples that are both on the same (or at very similar) level(s) on the SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism; examples where female animals are actually more anthropomorphic than male animals and not merely more curvaceous go under HumanoidFemaleAnimal. See also BizarreSexualDimorphism and CuteMonsterGirl when females of nonhuman species are drawn to be "pretty" compared to the male's more bestial/monstrous look.
11----
12!!Human and DemiHuman Examples
13
14[[foldercontrol]]
15
16[[folder:Art]]
17* ''Art/TheKissKlimt'': The man has a boxy body and drawn with rectangles filling his body, while the woman has notable curves and is drawn with circles filling her body.
18[[/folder]]
19
20[[folder:Comic Books]]
21* Pick up a copy of most commercial comic art books--specifically ''Wizard Magazine's'' "How to Draw" series or ''How To Draw The Marvel Way''. Female characters will be drawn much curvier than males.
22[[/folder]]
23
24[[folder:Film]]
25* In ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', the Iron Man armor that [[spoiler:Pepper Potts-Stark]] wears in the final battle noticeably features more curved lines and shapes than Tony Stark's, which is all sharp mechanical angles. Where his helmet has rectangular eye sockets and a harsh mechanical frown, hers is slightly rounder, with wider oval-shaped eyes and a softer jawline. Her armor is also much more [[BreastPlate conforming to the shape of her body]] than Tony's is.
26* ''Franchise/TheIncredibles'':
27** Bob's LanternJawOfJustice and square HeroicBuild contrast with Helen's rounder features and HartmanHips.
28** The Deavors -- Winston has a prominent sharp nose and an angular face, while Evelyn has softer features overall.
29** Violet inherits her mother's round face and HartmanHips, and has wide eyes and a button nose, while her SatelliteLoveInterest Tony was [[YouDontLookLikeYou retooled]] to have sharper features.
30** However, this is averted with Voyd, who is a woman but has an angular face and shoulders broader than her hips.
31* This is played with subtly in ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}''. Whenever Mulan is in her [[SweetPollyOliver male soldier disguise]] her jawline is angled slightly.
32* The short, nearly cube-shaped Carl Frederickson of ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'' contrasted with his wife Ellie. Even their chairs reflect how they look physically.
33* ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit'': Ultra-feminine Jessica Rabbit's design is a collection of curves. As well as her more obviously [[BuxomBeautyStandard globular features,]] her hair falls in curves across her face.
34* ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty''
35* ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}''
36* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''
37* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove''
38* ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire''
39* ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange''.
40[[/folder]]
41
42[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
43* In ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' and ''Franchise/PowerRangers,'' the visors on the helmets on the male rangers will be very sharp and angular while the females will be very rounded (Pink rangers have a strange tendency to have their helmets be [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vjP3-LPti8E/T9f1OTloz9I/AAAAAAAABRc/HzXmljwllgU/s1600/1.+Momoranger.jpg heart]] [[http://images.wikia.com/powerrangers/images/8/83/JAKQ_Heart_Queen.jpg shaped]], or [[http://www.pobladores.com/data/pobladores.com/di/de/didecueto/channels/the_girls_world_/images/5505150pteraranger.jpg very]] [[http://over-ti.me/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/pink.jpg close]] [[http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lLsdaCVk3Kk/TLITwPPhaWI/AAAAAAAB56c/IEjKsczcLIE/s1600/fivepink.jpg to it.]]) The [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1vHZDG7c3tU/T8wQxAL-GQI/AAAAAAAACt0/F0sSmdWW3n4/s1600/powerranger150.jpg Zeo Rangers]] are probably the best example.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
47* ComicStrip/DickTracy's visual signature is his ultra-manly rectilinear chin and nose.
48* [[ComicStrip/DennisTheMenaceUS In the American version of]] ''Dennis The Menace'', Henry and Alice Mitchell are notorious examples, specially during its' first twenty years.
49* Similarly, Darryl of ''ComicStrip/BabyBlues'' is more angular-looking than his wife Wanda.
50[[/folder]]
51
52[[folder:Pinball]]
53* In ''Pinball/JokerPoker,'' three curvacious female jokers are featured on the backglass, while the playfield has two playing-card Kings, sporting sharply angular features.
54[[/folder]]
55
56[[folder:Webcomics]]
57* ''Webcomic/DresdenCodak'': Ron Awning's character design is based on triangles. Kim Ross is based on circles and soft curves.
58** Aaron Diaz, creator of ''Webcomic/DresdenCodak'', writes a blog called ''[[http://dresdencodak.tumblr.com/ Indistinguishable From Magic]]'' where he discusses comics. This artwork from the blog - specifically, from the [[http://dresdencodak.tumblr.com/post/3583964949/figures-they-speak-for-themselves-mildly-nsfw figure design essay]] - seems like a good illustration of the trope. (Though the discussion was about the need for instant recognition in design rather than male-female design; Ron's sister Vonnie, not shown on this trope page, is made up of arches ''and'' triangles.)
59* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' has rectangular, straight-line models for male characters' torsos and curvy rounded models for female characters' torsos. The series also abuses the audience's trust in this trope in order to make AmbiguousGender jokes, since the torsos and hairstyles are the ONLY gender differences ([[{{Pixellation}} that we're allowed to see, at least]]).
60* ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'' has curvy, rounded Fern and tall, gangly, square-headed Jay. Averted with Dr. Man.
61[[/folder]]
62
63[[folder:Web Original]]
64* Even though they're not like this in real life (as they're, well, human), the title cards for WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic and WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick reflect this style. The Critic is drawn thin, angular and with very hard lines although the man himself has quite a [[PrettyBoy soft face]], while the Chick is placed in just as silly situations but is drawn with CurvesInAllTheRightPlaces.
65* A [[http://majnouna.deviantart.com/art/Big-Guide-to-Drawing-the-Body-15014442 drawing tutorial]] by [[http://majnouna.deviantart.com Majnouna]] from Website/DeviantArt states that the female "body is made up of [an] oval, [and] soft shapes." while the male "body is made up of [a] trapezoid, [and] angular shapes." The oval and trapezoid are to help draw the torso.
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:Western Animation]]
69* On ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'', male characters are drawn with boxy frames and straight lines, and rectangular fingers that end with an edge. Female characters are drawn with curvy frames, including HartmanHips and curved fingers that end in points.
70* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and anything else with [[TimmStyle designs by Bruce Timm]]. His male characters are always extremely blocky compared to the curvy women. Men often have square jaws, square hairlines, even square ears! Meanwhile, women look like they've been poured into their outfits.
71* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' is a particularly clear example. Phineas is blocky with a triangular head; [[MadScientist Doofenshmirtz]] is the same but his edges are rounded off. Ferb, [[BumblingDad Lawrence]], and [[MissionControl Major Monogram]] are made of a series of boxes. Candace is quite angular but has a round face; Isabella and the Fireside Girls are similar. Linda and [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Vanessa]] are all curves.
72* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' have circular heads, bodies, hands and feet, whereas their father, Professor Utonium possesses rectangular equivalents. [[SpearCounterpart The Rowdyruff Boys]] subvert this by having the same circula traits as the Powerpuff Girls themselves.
73%%* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''
74* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': Dexter is a very boxy kid, and Dad has a rectangular face. Deedee and Mom have more rounded face and body lines (especially Mom's HartmanHips).
75* Two of the ''Franchise/StarWars'' CGI-animated series establishes that female [[ProudWarriorRace mandalorian]] warriors get helmets that have a more curved, bird-like viewports on their helmets, compared to the traditional "male" ones like what Boba Fett wears. Compare [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsTheCloneWars Bo-Katan's]] or [[WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels Sabine's]] helmets to Boba's - "male" helmets have a thick, roughly T-Shaped visor with a wide rectangular vertical slit, "female" helmets are more more oval-shaped but tapering to a point both horizontally and vertically. Sabine's helmet has a mixture of both traits, with the thick vertical stalk like the male helmets but the rounded owl-like eye slit of the female ones, as befits her tomboyish personality.
76[[/folder]]
77
78[[folder:Real Life]]
79* Inverted with human clavicles; men's clavicles are more curved than women's.
80* Even descriptions of men and women follow this pattern. When describing the "ideal" shape for men, the most common terms are a V-Shape (broad shoulders, slim waist), X-Shape (same, but with more developed legs), or H-Shape (shoulders, waist, and hips with similar width). Women, however, are usually described as hourglass-, pear-, or apple-shaped.
81* When a UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} man takes testosterone, it often reduces the fat in his face, giving him a more angular, masculine jawline. While not every trans man develops a LanternJawOfJustice, comparing before-and-after photos will show a very marked difference in facial structure. Unfortunately for trans ''women'', estrogen alone rarely has a comparable effect, and many resort to plastic surgery to feminize their faces.
82[[/folder]]
83
84!!Animal (Real or Fictional Species) Examples
85
86[[folder:Asian Animation]]
87* In ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'', Brother Tai has a noticeably more angular appearance than his crush, Sister Tigress, who has more curved lines in her design.
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Film]]
91* Female emperor penguins in ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet'' look a little more curvaceous than the males. They also have feminine shading on their chests, which the male penguins don't have.
92* Pongo from ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians'' has more pronounced shoulders, a squarer snout, and straighter lines than his mate, Perdita. In contrast, Perdita has a more delicate chin, rounder shoulders, and a more curved, slender body.
93* Scratte from ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeDawnOfTheDinosaurs'' has HartmanHips and looks more curvaceous than Scrat.
94* Shows up with the animals in ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange''.
95* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'' female lions (lionesses) such as Nala appear smooth, whereas male lions such as Simba appear rugged. The character designers, such as Aaron Blaise, made a conscious effort to integrate the principle of "rough males, smooth females" into designing the characters, even though it may not make a whole lot of sense considering these animals have pretty much the same build and are covered in rough fur anyway.
96[[/folder]]
97
98[[folder:Western Animation]]
99* This shows up in the facial structures of the ponies in ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. Generally, male ponies have more straighter, more angular muzzles and narrower ears than female ponies.
100[[/folder]]
101
102!!Alien and Monster Examples
103
104[[folder:Video Games]]
105* ''VisualNovel/HiveswapFriendsim'' is the first time in canon that we see trolls drawn in a more detailed manner than the simplified sprites and silhouettes of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', and they're depicted with clearly humanoid shapes, the female trolls having breasts and curving hips while the males have straighter shoulders and torso lines. This despite their BizarreAlienBiology meaning they have no need to ''have'' sexual dimorphism in the first place.
106* ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}''
107** The Ralts line plays with this. Ralts has a gender-neutral appearance while its evolutions Kirlia and Gardevoir have flowing, feminine appearances. However, later games introduced a male-only evolution Gallade, which is much more angular compared to Gardevoir.
108** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': While both have NoBiologicalSex, Reshiram and Zekrom were designed as polar opposites, with one of them being that they are designed to have feminine and masculine features respectively.
109** ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'': Male Indeedee have angular hips and TsurimeEyes, while female ones have HartmanHips and TaremeEyes. Male Indeedees' horns curl upward, making them look aggressive, while female ones curl downwards (similar to pigtails) and are more rounded, making them look gentle.
110* Perhaps best exemplified in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' universe between the asari and turians. Asari are an all-female race whose technology, shipbuilding, and architecture emphasize smooth lines, sloping curves, and chrome finishes. Basically their homeworld is what Steve Jobs would create if he got to design a planet. Even their bodies exhibit this design aesthetic, with the gentle wave of their [[RubberForeheadAliens head fringe]]. Their masculine counterparts, the turians, are all about sharp, jagged edges that look like they could skewer something. Even their bodies are covered in hard, chitinous bones, and their head fringe juts out to a downright deadly-looking point.
111** In ''VideoGame/MassEffect3: [[DownloadableContent Omega]]'', we see Nyreen Kandros, the first on-screen female turian, who's designed in a much softer manner than other turians. In particular, her head fringes are significantly shorter than the males'.
112* In ''VideoGame/KerbalSpaceProgram'', the head profiles of male Kerbals have corners while the heads of female Kerbals are more rounded.
113[[/folder]]
114
115!!Deity and Fantastical and Mythical Creature Examples
116
117[[folder:Film]]
118* The Greek gods and goddesses from ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}''.
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Video Games]]
122* This is basically the gist of the Wyvern Rider and Pegasus Knight classes in ''Franchise/FireEmblem''. The former tend to have sharper, angular, and more blocky designs as opposed to the sleek and more form-fitting uniforms of the Pegasus Knights.
123** In the Jugdral continuity (''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThracia776 Thracia 776]]''), this is zigzagged. The predominantly-male Wyvern Riders tend to be brutish-looking male characters and the mounts themselves are rather bulky-looking things. However, the most important characters - [[WellIntentionedExtremist Travant]] and [[AntiVillain Arion]], and [[spoiler:[[LadyOfWar Altenna]]]] - are, respectively, a pair of [[{{Bishounen}} biseinen]] and [[spoiler:AloofDarkHairedGirl]]. By contrast, the female-only Pegasus Knights feature highly feminine women like Mahnya and Ferry riding sleek winged horses. However, a trio of antagonistic Pegasus Knights in the endgame all have ''very'' triangular faces.
124** As the series as a whole underwent ArtEvolution, this began applying in different ways to the classes' costumes: with Wyvern Riders having sharp, angular, and blocky armour as opposed to the sleek and more form-fitting uniforms of the Pegasus Knights.
125** This trope also applies to the Wyvern Riders of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'': [[ActionGirl Cherche]] and [[CharClone Gerome]]. One of them wears form-fitting armour that shows off their curvaceous body and frames their gentle face while carrying a sleek-looking axe. One of them wears thick armour, has sharp facial features and carries a bulky axe. Guess which is which.
126[[/folder]]
127
128[[folder:Web Original]]
129* In [[https://www.deviantart.com/drakainaqueen/art/Dragon-Gift-Art-190441292 this drawing]] of a dragon couple, can you guess which is the male and which is the female?
130[[/folder]]
131
132!!Robot and AnimateInanimateObject Examples
133
134[[folder:Film]]
135* WesternAnimation/WallE and EVE fall into this pattern. He's boxy, she looks like she was made by Apple[[note]]Because she was. Sort of. She was designed by Jonathan Ives, who created many of Apple's most iconic products.[[/note]]. The masculine and feminine shapes of WALL•E and EVE was even highlighted in the credits. The eight-bit versions of them start out as a brown square and white ellipse. The other ''Axiom'' robots who are (presumably) male are more angled and squareish too.
136* ''Franchise/{{Cars}}'' (also by Creator/{{Pixar}}) actually did this with the characters' windshields. Male cars have angular eyelids, while female have curved eyelids.
137** A more straight example would be Shu Todoroki the Japanese race car and Carla Veloso the Brazilian race car from the sequel. While the two cars both appear to be of the exact same make and model, Shu, being male has a more angular appearance, while Carla, being female has a more curved appearance.
138** In general, female cars are given more rounded car designs, such as Porsches. They have less prominent grilles, which look like mustaches when anthropomorphized.
139[[/folder]]
140
141[[folder:WesternAnimation]]
142* Black Widow from ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble'' especially in season 2. Zarda also counts as well during her close ups.
143* Though it is subverted at times, this is the general pattern for the manbots and fembots of ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}''.
144** Including the time Bender was converted from one to the other and his chassis was forcibly reshaped into a curvier form.
145--> '''Professor Farnsworth:''' And now to begin the delicate procedure of a robot sex-change. ''(produces sledgehammer and starts swinging)''
146* Most of the Transformers from ''Franchise/TransformersGeneration1'' are male and drawn in straight lines. The few (toyless) females are generally curvier, but so are nearly all the males not drawn after a toy.
147* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'': Jailbot is a white tombstone-shaped levitating robot with a boxy form. His DistaffCounterpart NOVA, on the other hand, is pink and much curvier.
148[[/folder]]

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