unclear New Crowner 2/10/12: The Beautiful People

Other than these characters are hotter than hot, there's nothing in this description that tells me what this trope is and most the examples are just pointing out characters in a work tropers find attractive.

edited 3rd Nov '11 8:43:45 AM by captainpat

I think it's supposed to be characters who are "uncannily" beautiful, as in what you might expect from The Fair Folk or other supernatural beings. The examples are a complete mess, though.

The description makes sense to me, if being a bit wordy. They aren't just good looking. They are impossibly good looking, rich, educated, charming, smart, talented, often of high birth, and are pretty much completly above normal, every day people in every possible way.

The examples probably do need triming though, and they definatly need to be put in folders.

What does impossible good looking mean?

It's an existing term. If we're going to use it as the name a character type, we need to use it the way it's used in real life: wealthy, fashionable people who move in the coolest social circles and go to the right places and events. Everything they do is better than anything you could hope to achieve, you plebian.

They do not have to be "impossibly beautiful" physically, but they're usually striking in appearance.

edited 3rd Nov '11 9:53:25 AM by Madrugada

So, good looking high class rich socialites? Because that works for me.

That is basically how it is defined right now. The trope isn't just about looks. It is about class, glamour, wealth, etc.

Hmm. Looks like I totally misunderstood it, then.

Posting the first part of the description here for reference.

The Beautiful People aren't just beautiful. They are more beautiful than anyone in the real world could ever hope to be. We're not just talking about no zits, here. What makes them so beautiful is that everything about them, and everything they touch or walk past, is also beautiful. But just being pretty doesn't cut it for them, for their charm is so irresistible that despite being almost always (especially in Japanese fiction) wealthy and well educated, they will, when pitted against a gang of vicious motor cycle delinquents, either show the type of suicidal valor that will make everyone else in the room look like a commoner, outwit their adversaries, pull a death defying stunt or give an inspiring speech that will win over even the most ruthless thug, or perhaps just kick some ass.

They are much smarter than anyone could be, more talented than anyone could be... and in certain cases fabulously rich, of royal descent, of holy descent, or at least belonging to some sort of lesser nobility. And to make all of this worse, those who don't rub it in, are so gracious about it that one has to wonder whether their unparalelled humility isn't just one more way they're better than you. In short, they're one extreme of the Mary Sue: all of the Sue, none of the Mary.

edited 3rd Nov '11 12:21:52 PM by Auxdarastrix

"In short, they're one extreme of the Mary Sue: all of the Sue, none of the Mary."

That's not a good way to describe a trope.

Yeah, that particular line needs to be cut out. The description as a whole could probably use a bit of a trim.

Probably could use some redirects as well since beauty is only a part of the package for these characters.

Suggested rewrite:

The Beautiful People aren't just beautiful. Their whole life is beautiful. They are more fashionable than anyone else, more sophisticated than anyone else, and usually fabulously rich. And to make all of this worse, they simply fell into this status. The Beautiful People don't have to work hard at anything. In many cases, they don't have to work at all, but if they do have a job, it will be just as glamorous as the rest of their lives.

I took out all the garbage about being badass and the Mary Sue statement.

edited 3rd Nov '11 2:12:19 PM by Madrugada

Do have a any examples? I just wanna make sure I'm understanding the type of character.

Jay Gatsby. The hero in most Harlequin-style romances usually is; the heroine isn't at first, but takes to the lifestyle when she marries him. The Real Housewives of [fitb]. The Forresters on the soap opera The Bold And The Beautiful. Just about everybody on Dynasty.

Ah ok.

I just now deleted the line about Mary Sue and the misuse of Crosses the Line Twice and Bishōnen Line.

I'm not sure what to do with the dream-world that does for beauty what Blade Runner did for high-tech creepiness stuff. That seems like a separate trope to me.

Also deleted the lines about Generic Cuteness, Hollywood Homely, and the shiny vs. grittiness stuff. Those aren't really relevant to the character type, seeing how it is about more than looks.

edited 3rd Nov '11 5:23:21 PM by Auxdarastrix

I've tried to incorporate what Madrugada wrote, plus some lines from an earlier version of the trope. I've rearranged several other things.

Is this better now?

Like I said, I'm not sure how the "Dream World" aspect should relate to this, but I kept it in for now.

I put all the examples in folders but they still need a serious trim.

I'm inclined to think that the concept of a non-human race that is always beautiful should be split off.

Personally, I'd cut the last three paragraphs and skip to a plain old version of Compare, Contrast, Not to be confused with.

All three of them are still talking as though physical beauty is the most important (or only) aspect that counts.

Any better now?

What sort of things would you recommend for compare/contrast?

Also, should we kill the current division of the trope into three categories?

I'd say a definite "yes" on killing the three categories.

And the intro looks much, much better.

Compare/Contrast candidates? I need to think about that for a bit.

I'm doing a YKTTW for the idea of an impossibly good looking non-human race.

See here.

Is there any use for the "Dream World" concept as a seperate trope? World Of Beauty where everything and everyone is good looking, maybe?

edited 4th Nov '11 9:35:19 AM by Auxdarastrix

The Beautiful People is generally used around the wiki with regards to excessively attractive characters and/or casting only model-esque actors, ie House. I've always felt it was a rather obtusely defined trope but there is need for extensive clean-up if we are going straight with the "people who are excessively beautiful and live in high-class luxury."