How pleasant.
Take your typical setting involving teenagers — say, a
High School — wait an establishing scene or two or three, and there she is. See that
attractive blonde cheerleader looking down her nose
often literally and sneering at the
frumpy girl in glasses? That's her.
The
Distaff Counterpart to the
Jerk Jock and probably his girlfriend; what he does with his fists, she does with a sharp tongue and sharper
manipulation but the former can sometimes also be true. Despite being a
not-too-bright,
unpleasant, bullying, and mean-spirited excuse for a human, she will still be the most popular girl in school, surrounded by a fawning
Girl Posse who suck up to her and act as her faithful minions. Usually, she will have a
0% Approval Rating, but even that won't be enough to stop her. Rare male Alpha Bitches (called Alpha Brats) do exist, but they're just that - rare. They're distinct from the
Jerk Jock in that they're mainly catty and manipulative, rather than physically threatening.
She's also usually the scion of a
wealthy and
influential family, the star of the school or head sister of the influential college sorority house, thus providing her a network of local celebrity, influence and wealth to exploit. She's also
quite the seductress, and consequently, all the
boys fight amongst themselves — sometimes literally — to be her
oppressed boyfriend. All this leaves her with the belief that she can do whatever she likes without consequences. Unfortunately, she's often right; the
Powers That Be are not immune to her
wealth,
connections and
influence, and she or her family can and will corrupt or coerce them into overlooking her bad behavior. Very likely to be a
Narcissist. Not surprisingly she would often be
taller then most of the girls and sometimes the boys to
add to her intimidation.
Because this type generally operates almost exclusively via
psychological and social intrigue of various kinds, as mentioned, less idealistic types claim that there is usually
only one way to effectively
deal with them. The reason why violence can work, is because usually issues of physical survival are way below the
Alpha Bitch's level within Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and thus putting her in fear for her life typically is not something that she will have any concept of how to deal with. Whether or not violence is either practical (Is getting back at this girl worth getting expelled or suspended over?) or appropriate (Is what she doing worth
really punching her lights out? Why not just give her a taste of her own medicine instead?) is a matter of perspective, especially since it could arguably make her counterattack
much worse...
unless you murder her that is. While this virtually never happens in fiction, there are occasional
exceptions. Even on the rare occasion when this path is followed, the person doing so
will never be male.
Her natural enemy is the
Cool Loser heroine. Whenever their eternal,
jealousy-fueled struggle over possessions, boyfriends, and status is sparked anew, quarter will neither be asked for nor given.
Usually the Veronica in a
Betty and Veronica situation. Unlikely to be a
Fille Fatale; she's too outwardly mean for that. Frequently on the Snob end of
Slobs Versus Snobs.
It's a Costume Party, I Swear, the
Prank Date, and the
Party Scheduling Gambit are just some of the many nasty tricks she plays. Often receives her comeuppance at the hands of a member of her own
Girl Posse in a
Backstabbing the Alpha Bitch moment. Normally joined by a
Beta Bitch who assists her in her various cruel deeds.
Contrast with
Spoiled Sweet, where a girl is made out to be the
Alpha Bitch, but is instead quite a sweetheart. Compare and Contrast with
Lovable Alpha Bitch who is
this trope with a heart of gold. This trope is probably so common
because everyone who wasn't homeschooled knew someone like this... or was one.
If she's not the cheerleader type with the fake smile, but is the unglamorous girl who will fight to be the best in her class, she's the
Academic Alpha Bitch.
Not to be confused with the
Prison Alpha Bitch, found exclusively in
women's jail, whose methods of bullying are much more brutal and whose goal isn't social status but outright dominance.
Examples
