{{Branfish}}: From where does the name of this trope come?

{{Solandra}}: "Shrinking violet" is supposed to be a common term for a shy, withdrawn person. I could have also used "wilting flower" for the title, but "shrinking violet" sounded cooler. You could also say that the title refers to Violet of ''The Incredibles,'' but the term has been in usage long before the film came out.

So you could say I got the name from daily conversation.

LooneyToons: "Shrinking Violet" was also a SilverAge member of the Legion Of Super Heroes (and may well still be, for all I know); it's pretty obvious that her superhero moniker was a play on the common phrase.
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{{Alucard}}:How does [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]] fit this trope?

fhqwhgads: I agree. Rei is an ExtremeDoormat. Heck, her picture is even on the article for ExtremeDoormat. Shinji is the ShrinkingViolet. I'm removing Rei's entry.
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Is this really an "Always Female" trope?
**{{Wheezy}}: Nope, especially not IRL.
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[=BritBllt=]: Changing this paragraph in the opening...

* In the off-chance that this trope is [[DismissedGender applied to a male character]], it's usually to create an instant ButtMonkey for everyone to martyr. Being a very AcceptableTarget, '''no one''' will help him or befriend him, and [[DoubleStandard Heaven forbids he complains or tries to do away with his self-confidence problems]]. However, if said male version is in a children's show, he's usually treated more sympathetically and may overlap with LovableCoward.

to...

* Male versions of this trope may be treated as an instant ButtMonkey for everyone to martyr, or he might be given the role of sympathetic PluckyComicRelief and overlap with a LovableCoward. A male ShrinkingViolet protagonist will usually face a conflict that finally forces him to come out of his shell, or he'll be thrown headlong into sociability and adventure at the start of the series by an ActionGirlfriend or MagicalGirlfriend.

The examples don't support the DoubleStandard claim of the previous version: the male examples generally aren't treated any worse than the female characters, and the premise of a shy, ordinary guy getting blindsided by a GenkiGirl who opens him up to the world is practically an anime genre in itself. There's a ''definite'' double standard in real life, but fiction is surprisingly tolerant of male {{Shrinking Violet}}s (probably because real-life male shyness is often mistaken for arrogance, which doesn't happen when the audience gets to share the guy's perspective).
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[=BritBllt=]: Also removing these two quotes (but keeping them here for posterity)...

->'''Carol:''' My leadership style is based mostly on intimidation. That won't work for you because nothing about you is intimidating.
->'''Mike:''' Joe seems intimidated by me.
->'''Carol:''' Those results can't be trusted. She's intimidated by small dogs & sharp bits of paper.
-->--''BetweenFailures'' #[[http://betweenfailures.com/2008/10/22/367-intimidator/ 367]].

-> "Hey, it's Winnie from TheWonderYears! The quiet, gentle bookworm who's always in an on-again/off-again relationship! Huh, I wonder what she's playing here? A quiet gentle bookworm who's always in an on-again/off-again relationship? ... Awesome!
-->--'''TheNostalgiaCritic'''

They're funny, but the connection to ShrinkingViolet's secondary and the header's getting overloaded with quotes. I've created and moved them over to a Shrinking Violet [[Quotes/ShrinkingViolet quotes page]].