"And don't underestimate the importance of body language!"
A writer wants to show that a character is attracted to someone, but it's too soon in the story for a Big Damn Kiss or even a Love Confession.
They have a few choices. They can have the character state, plainly, to a third party, their interest. The writer could have them tell the audience, Breaking the Fourth Wall. Or, if they're going for subtle, they can have them bite their lower lip coquettishly.
In real life, there are numerous reasons why a person might bite their lower lip. It is associated with anxiety, and numerous experts on body language will state that it is meant to show holding back thoughts that one doesn't wish to voice aloud, and while that does include sexual thoughts, fiction tends to focus on this aspect.
An Always Female trope, no matter which characters do this, it can suggest a sort of innocence or youthfulness to the attraction.
Related to Nervous Tics.
Examples
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Comic Books
- Betty And Veronica: The titular duo have done more than their fair share of lower-lip biting over the many, many years of the comics' publication. Usually in response to Archie.
Film—Animated
- The Little Mermaid (1989): Ariel does a brief lip-bite when confronted with her Love Interest Eric after she's turned human and washed up on the beach. Of course, not having her voice at the moment, she has to find non-verbal means of expressing herself.
- In Turning Red, Mei, Miriam, and Abby do this while observing Priya dancing with the goth girl indicating their Shipper on Deck attitude to that development.
Film—Live Action
- F the Prom: When she tries to convince Cole to go to the prom with her, hoping he would help her become Prom Queen, Marissa bites her lower lip flirtatiously. Cole does agree to go to the prom with her, but only to further his goal of sabotaging the prom.
- Galaxy Quest: After Fred teleports up Garignack to deal with Saris' troops aboard the Protector, Laliari looks at him, biting her lower lip for a moment before she launches into a Big Damn Kiss.
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: Discussed and subverted, to hilarious effect. When Bethany teaches Martha to flirt in order to get past the guards, this becomes part of her training. But with Bethany stuck in Jack Black's body and Martha being an awkward nerd who isn't actually attracted to the guards, they both just end up looking ridiculous.
Bethany: Anything you can do to bring attention to the lips. Like this? (demonstrates) A nibble goes a long way, girlfriend.
- The Time Traveler's Wife (2009): During Henry's first meeting (at least from his point of view) with his future wife Clare, he gets weirded out by her when she gives him an intense Meaningful Look while biting her lip.
Literature
- Fifty Shades of Grey: Ana Steele's Character Tic is biting her lower lip, which is due to her shyness. She especially does it around her love interest, Christian Grey, who finds it arousing.
Live Action TV
- Castle: "Always Buy Retail". Castle flirtatiously tells Beckett to never, ever again use his ex-wife's Embarrassing Nickname for him ("Kitten"), and walks off, leaving Beckett biting her lower lip in clear interest.
- Pretty Little Liars: In "The Bad Seed", Hanna is forced to hop into the bathroom stall while he's showering in order to pretend to her mom she's the one showering, as Caleb is there in secret. At first he isn't really bothered by her presence but then he catches her covertly lowering her eyes and she gives him a guilty look while biting her lip, having obviously enjoyed the view.
- Smallville:
- Lois Lane frequently does this in her interactions with Clark, betraying she's attracted to him despite their constant arguments.
- In "Instinct", When Maxima spots Clark for the first time and is impressed by his Super-Speed, she bites her lip in lust before following after him.
- The Vampire Diaries: Played With This is one of Katherine Pierce's Character Tics, but while she sometimes uses it to look seductive, she also uses when she's nervous.
- You: Love Quinn bites her lip in a flirtatious manner while talking with Joe in "Farewell, My Bunny".
Music
- The Cars allude to it in "My Best Friend's Girl":
Ooh, when you bite your lip It's some reaction to Love, oh..ove, oh..ove
Webcomics
- Lisa is fond of biting her lip in Sunstone when she's turned on (or when she badly needs to pee). Ally, her friend and mistress, loves it.
Western Animation
- Family Guy: Played for Laughs in "Dearly Deported"; Brian, Peter, and even Lois bite their lips over how attractive Chris' new girlfriend is... only for Peter to accidentally bite his lower lip off.
- Kim Possible has been known to bite her lower lip when confronted by a guy she finds attractive, like Josh Mankey or Eric.
