Discarded and Feeling Blue
It's a subversion of expectations. Women, at least back in the day, weren't expected to do things like be mechanics or even know how machines work. It comes from the same place tropes like Action Girl and Improbably Female Cast do.
Now, whether or not subverted expectations are inherently tropeworthy is another question.
Edited by WarJay77 on May 16th 2021 at 11:33:10 AM
Currently Working On: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Wrench Wench isn't just "female mechanic", it's a character type with a specific role in the story.
She has a specific personality (personality types are tropes) of being curious and inquisitive. And her skill with machines is pretty much always plot-important. In a lot of the examples she serves as The Engineer or The Blacksmith, which is a plot-important role. Due to stereotypes about women and tools/cars, her skill with machines can also be a plot twist.
Don't see how that's not a trope.
"It's just a show; I should really just relax"
It often overlaps with You Go, Girl! type stories where a woman has to compete in a male dominant profession or otherwise prove to be unexpectedly qualified for the role. So it's more than just Mr. Fixit with different anatomy.
Do you not know that in the service one must always choose the lesser of two weevils!
It’s basically just X + Y trope. Her gender doesn’t stop her from being a mechanic.
Thomas fans needed! Come join me in the the show's cleanup thread!