In our culture, there are certain careers, goals, and traits that are considered "feminine". This naturally bleeds into fiction, where we expect a female character to have at least one of these traits or goals. If she doesn't have any of them, she may be criticized as being too masculine or because NoGuyWantsAnAmazon. If she has too many, she may come under fire from the RealWomenNeverWearDresses crowd.

Note that while this can be gender stereotyping, which is a bad thing, it [[TropesAreTools can also be a way of rounding out a character]]. Real people, even an ActionGirl or a WrenchWench, can have interests outside kicking ass or fixing machines. A strong female character isn't any less strong if she's also a SupremeChef.

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!Tropes:

[[index]]
* AllGirlsLikePonies
* AllLesbiansWantKids (All women ''should'' want kids, regardless of any other factors)
* AllWomenLoveShoes
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished (You can have your female characters do non-feminine things, but you can't make them less pretty as a result of the things they do.)
* CareerVersusMan (Same as "Family Versus Career", only the choice is between getting the man and keeping her career. As with that one, choosing the man is almost a given.)
* ChickFlick: All women love this genre of film. And the ones who don't, ''should'' love it.
* FamilyVersusCareer (A female character cannot have both a career and a family; she ''must'' choose to give one up. It's going to be family that wins if you want her to be a "good" character.)
* FemalesAreMoreInnocent: Men do evil because [[ForTheEvulz they enjoy it]] or because [[AmbitionIsEvil they want something that can only be obtained that way]]. Women are coerced into doing evil by evil men.
* FeminineWomenCanCook (Not being able to cook is used as a joke, a Take That, or to indicate that the character is somehow unfeminine.)
* GirlsLoveStuffedAnimals
* GirlsNeedRoleModels
* IJustWantToBeBeautiful: There's nothing more important to a woman than her physical appearance. If you're not born beautiful, unless you're rich enough to get cosmetic surgery, you won't achieve anything of worth in your life, ever.
* LineageComesFromTheFather[=/=]HeirClubForMen: (Women cannot rule, only produce the rulers for the men's SingleLineOfDescent)
* MadonnaWhoreComplex: If you're a woman, you either have your hymen or you don't. If you do, you're wife material. If you don't, you're a disgusting whore who should be ashamed of existing.
* MandatoryMotherhood (Unless you're a total bitch whose mere existence is an aberration, you ''[[ButThouMust must]]'' conceive a baby.)
** GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Consequence of the above
* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking (Every woman wants a baby as she approaches menopause, even if she never did before.)
* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Women's morality is measured entirely and exclusively on their attitude towards sex. Nothing else matters.
* NeverASelfMadeWoman (Female characters' achievements should always be the emulation of a more important man, never something they earned by themselves.)
* RealWomenNeverWearDresses (You can't have a strong female character if she presents in a feminine style)
* RetailTherapy (If a woman is depressed, concerned about something, or worried, all it takes is a nice day of shopping to make her feel all better.)
** Related: MenBuyFromMarsWomenBuyFromVenus
* VanityIsFeminine: Being a shallow bimbo with no other concern than her beauty is what femininity is all about.
* WomenAreDelicate
[[/index]]

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