History Main / RidiculouslyHighRelationshipStandards

* ''Anime/AkameGaKill'': Esdeath has several criteria for her one true love. They must be younger than her (so she can dominate them), they must have hidden potential (so she can mold them into a general), they must be brave enough to fight by her side, they must have been born outside the capital, and they must have a beautiful smile.
* {{Implied|Trope}} in ''Manga/BungoStrayDogs'': Doppo Kunikida is [[ThePerfectionist a perfectionist]] who intends to live by a long list of ideals precisely detailed in his notebook. Said notebook includes his idea of the ideal woman. We're not [[TakeOurWordForIt shown the exact description]], but [[TheDanza Dazai]] finds it hilarious and when Sasaki reads it she comments that such a perfect person doesn't exist.

* In ''Literature/TheThirteenAndAHalfLivesOfCaptainBluebear'', Chemluth Havanna is a KavorkaMan who sweeps girls off their feet left and right, but his interest rarely lasts longer than for one date, since he longs for a girl with ''really'' thick hair and even in the multi-species metropolis that is Atlantis he can't find anyone good enough for him. [[spoiler:He finally finds love with Bluebear's former classmate Fredda who is entirely covered in long hair]].

* In ''Series/FamilyLaw2021'', Daniel Svensson's standards for dating are that the woman has to be successful enough that he can bring her to meet his family and they'll be impressed with her, but not so successful that they'll overshadow him or be the dominant one in the relationship. He ends up rethinking this strategy after finding out that the reason his latest girlfriend gets on so well with his dad is because they're AmicableExes; after that, he finally ends up with Martina, a chef who pushes him out of his comfort zone.
* ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'': PlayedForLaughs in the episode "Sophia's Wedding." Blanche, who's famous for her [[LovableSexManiac long list of gentlemen callers]], says that she might consider getting married again--but only if the man in question had "the body of Mel Gibson, the personality of Johnny Carson, and the financial resources of Donald Trump." Rue [=McClanahan=] herself, who played the character, remarked that she interpreted Blanche as someone who was entirely spoiled by her [[HappilyMarried wonderful marriage]] to her late husband George, and while she had a lot of lovers, her standards for dating someone seriously were based on that marriage and thus nearly impossible to meet.

* {{Parodied|Trope}} in ''Videogame/{{Undertale}}''. You eventually cross paths with [[DemBones Papyrus the skeleton]], who you can flirt with. If you do, he will note that he has very high standards. You can choose to say that you either have zero redeeming qualities or that you can make spaghetti; the choice doesn't matter, because he will respond in the same way:

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'': Caitlin the SerialRomeo has a habit of dumping guys for extremely trivial reasons. She broke up with Talon because he sucks at kissing (keep in mind this was after she was afraid he'd break up with ''her''), and left Billy just because he had bad acne on his back.

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'': The reason that a show with the titular premise can last for nine seasons is that protagonist Ted Mosby has very exacting taste in women and will not settle for anyone but the perfect woman. He's explicit in his philosophy that finding "the one" means someone who ticks every box and that you don't have to change or adapt for, you just happen to be perfect for one another from the get-go and thus it takes a long time for him to meet that perfect someone. He dates and even proposes to plenty of women, but it never works out for him.

When it comes to romance and sex, people generally tend to [[HasAType Have A Type]]; some people prefer people with [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan decent morals]], others want someone who [[GoldDigger makes a lot of money]], still others want someone [[BuxomBeautyStandard with large breasts]]. However, regardless of what their type is, most people are realistic enough to realize that they might have to settle or be more open minded when it comes to finding love.

For some people, settling is absolutely ''not'' an option; they have standards, and they'll only date or sleep with someone who meets those exact standards. A character with this mindset might have an extremely LongList of standards that on their own are reasonable, but are unrealistic when taken all together. Alternatively they might have a few standards that are absurdly specific and difficult to meet; if they desire someone with decent morals, they won't be satisfied with someone who's simply [[NiceGuy nice]], they'll want [[IncorruptiblePurePureness a literal saint]]. A GoldDigger with this mentality will only be willing to date the one-percent and nothing less. Someone with a BuxomBeautyStandard might only go for women whose boobs are at least a ''triple'' D-cup, and be practically asexual when it comes to anyone smaller than that.

The reasons for holding this mentality might vary; some characters might have [[ChickMagnet a lot of options for potential partners]] and figure that they have a right to be picky. They might have [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel very unrealistic views on love]], and have to learn the hard way that love is more complicated than what romance stories portray. Alternatively, the one seeking love might have reasonable standards; it's their ''[[LoveObstructingParents parents]]'' with the unrealistic standards.

* ''Manga/The100GirlfriendsWhoReallyReallyReallyReallyReallyLoveYou'': Chiyo's father Hiro's standards for who gets to date his daughter are impossibly high, and to that end, he will only allow his nephew, Rentarou, to do so. For context, Hiro is so grateful about Rentarou saving him from being hit by a tanker truck as a young boy that he resolved to set him and his daughter up as lovers when she was old enough. However, he set his master plan into action early when he noticed a steadily increasing number of girls accompanying Rentarou to school.

* {{Implied|Trope}} in ''Manga/BungoStrayDogs'': Doppo Kunikida is [[ThePerfectionist a perfectionist]] who intend to live by a long list ideals precisely detailed in his notebook. Said notebook include his idea of the ideal woman. We're not [[TakeOurWordForIt shown the exact description]], but [[TheDanza Dazai]] finds it hilarious and when Sasaki reads it she comments that such a  perfect person doesn't exist.

* In ''ComicStrip/PreTeena'', fourteen-year-old Jeri Keene has such elevated ideas of her own worth that when the perfect potential boyfriend shows up (he's smart, good-looking and adores her), she ''still'' doesn't think he's good enough and scorns him.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fanficfion ''[[Fanfic/GrowingPainsDannyPhantom Growing Pains]]'', one of the reasons why Helena was unable to find a husband in her human life and still can't find one as a ghost is because of her ridiculously LongList of high standards. Not helping matters is the fact that, [[WastedBeauty despite her good looks]], [[AbhorrentAdmirer the men she meets are not attracted to her due to her aggressive personality]].

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Howard has a ridiculously high beauty standard that initially has him contemplate turning down a long term relationship with Bernadette (though he's fine with one night stands with pretty much anyone). Sheldon defends Howard's standards, saying that it is a genetic imperative to find the most desirable mates, then quickly turns it around, saying that whether Howard mating was in humanity's best interests was a whole other debate.

** Ted actually managed to play this trope straight and [[InvertedTrope invert]] it. He frequently dumped women who were perfect for him but for one insignificant flaw (doesn't reach for the check, doesn't like Woody Allen movies), but all his long term relationships which he put the most effort into were with women who were obviously wrong for him because they didn't share his life goals (Robin), initially rejected him (Victoria, Stella), or were just horrible people (Karen, Zoe, Jeanette). Perhaps Ted's real impossible standard was how impossible obstacles to a relationship would be.

-->'''Mrs. Paroo''': I know all about your standards, and if you don't mind my saying so, there's not a man alive who could hope to measure up to that blend of Paul Revere, Saint Pat and Noah Webster you've concocted for yourself out of your Irish imagination, your Iowa stubbornness and your library full of books.

* ''WebAnimation/{{Monirobo}}'': [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t-rFXhznORM&pp=ygUXbW9uaXJvYm8gaGlnaCBzdGFuZGFyZHM%3D Yuki is a 45-year old woman]] with an extremely LongList of standards who goes to a marriage counseling service to find an ideal husband. When Nano insists that she lower her standards, Yuki responds that she ''did''. When introduced to various men who did meet her standards, she rejects them for minor reasons like liking manga or being the eldest son in the family, with the latter having coffee poured on his head. While at a matchmaking party, she gets a dose of reality when she sees an fifty-year old woman who manages to find a man simply by having more reasonable standards. When she sees the guy who she poured coffee on, she tries to go for him, insisting that he should be grateful that she lowered her standards for him; he rejects her because she ''poured coffee on him''.

* ''WebVideo/MisterPlinkettReviews'': In his ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' review, he claims that women's list of what they look out from men is a bit longer that a list men look from women. Cue a woman listing all the things she looks from men until Plinkett interrupts her.

For some people, settling is absolutely ''not'' an option; they have standards, and they'll only date or sleep with someone who meets those exact standards. A character with this mindset might have an extremely LongList of standards that on their own are reasonable, but are unrealistic when taken all together. Alternatively they might have a few standards that are absurdly specific and difficult to meet; if they desire someone with decent morals, they won't be satisfied with someone whose simply [[NiceGuy nice]], they'll want [[IncorruptiblePurePureness a literal saint]]. A GoldDigger with this mentality will only be willing to date the one-percent and nothing less. Someone with a BuxomBeautyStandard might only go for women whose boobs are at least a ''triple'' D-cup, and be practically asexual when it comes to anyone smaller than that.

The reasons for holding this mentality might vary; some characters might have [[ChickMagnet a lot of options for potential partners]] and figure that they have a right to be picky. They might have [[ThinksLikeARomanceNovel very unrealistic views on love]], and have to learn the hard way that love is more complicated than what romance stories portray. Alternatively, the one seeking love might have reasonable standards, its their ''[[LoveObstructingParents parents]]'' with the unrealistic standards.

[[folder: Films - Animated]]

[[folder: Films - Live-Action]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'': The Royal Matchmaker presents six lovely candidates to Emperor Kuzco. Kuzco is such a spoiled RoyalBrat that he dismisses all six in six seconds as though they were hip-flask ugly. "Is this the best you can do?" he chastens the matchmaker. Most of the cute, shapely girls are stunned at being so blithely eliminated, but they're smart enough to say nothing.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': [[Characters/TotalDramaCourtney Courtney]] plays with this trope in that she wants to change Duncan to fit her standards rather than break up with him for not meeting them. Being a [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]], she places many high standards on, Duncan including forcing him to sign a 32-page contract agreeing to various terms of their relationship and making a LongList of things he needs to change about himself to make their relationship perfect.

* ''Franchise/DragonBall'': Videl's BoyfriendBlockingDad, Mr. Satan, insists that only someone who can beat him in a fight can date her, which she finds ridiculous. The reason why is that while [[OvershadowedByAwesome Mr. Satan is a weakling by the standards of this series, compared to the average person he's pretty strong]], being a multi-time martial arts champion. Fortunately, for Videl, her boyfriend Gohan, is [[PersonOfMassDestruction more than up to the task]].

For some people, settling is absolutely ''not'' an option; they have standards, and they'll only date or sleep with someone who meets those exact standards. A character with this mindset might have an extremely LongList of standards that on their own may be reasonable, but are unrealistic when taken all together. Alternatively they might have a few standards that are absurdly specific and difficult to meet; if they desire someone with decent morals, they won't be satisfied with someone whose simply [[NiceGuy nice]], they'll want [[IncorruptiblePurePureness a literal saint]]. A GoldDigger with this mentality will only be willing to date the one-percent and nothing less. Someone with a BuxomBeautyStandard might only go for women whose boobs are at least a ''triple'' D-cup, and be practically asexual when it comes to anyone smaller than that.

For some people, settling is absolutely ''not'' an option; they have standards, and they'll only date or sleep with someone who meets those exact standards. A character with this mindset might have an extremely LongList of standards that, on their own are reasonable, but are unrealistic when taken all together. Alternatively they might have a few standards that are absurdly specific and difficult to meet; if they desire someone with decent morals, they won't be satisfied with someone whose simply [[NiceGuy nice]], they'll want [[IncorruptiblePurePureness a literal saint]]. A GoldDigger with this mentality will only be willing to date the one-percent and nothing less. Someone with a BuxomBeautyStandard might only go for women whose boobs are at least a ''triple'' D-cup, and be practically asexual when it comes to anyone smaller than that.

* In ''Series/FamilyLaw2021'', Daniel Svensson's standards for dating are that the woman has to be successful enough that he can bring her to meet his family and they'll be impressed with her, but not so successful that they'll overshadow him or be the dominant one in the relationship. He ends up rethinking this strategy after finding out that the reason his latest girlfriend gets on so well with his dad is because they're AmiableExes; after that, he finally ends up with Martina, a chef who pushes him out of his comfort zone.

-->'''Mrs. Paroo''': "I know all about your standards, and if you don't mind my saying so, there's not a man alive who could hope to measure up to that blend of Paul Revere, Saint Pat and Noah Webster you've concocted for yourself out of your Irish imagination, your Iowa stubbornness and your library full of books."

* ''WebAnimation/{{Monirobo}}'': [[https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t-rFXhznORM&pp=ygUXbW9uaXJvYm8gaGlnaCBzdGFuZGFyZHM%3D Yuki is a 45-year old woman]] has an extremely LongList of standards who goes to a marriage counseling service to find an ideal husband. When Nano insists that she lower her standards, Yuki responds that she ''did''. When introduced to various men who did meet her standards, she rejects them for minor reasons like liking manga or being the eldest son in the family, with the latter having coffee poured on his head. While at a matchmaking party, she gets a dose of reality when she sees an fifty-year old woman who manages to find a man simply by having more reasonable standards. When she sees the guy who she poured coffee on, she tries to go for him, insisting that he should be grateful that she lowered her standards for him; he rejects her because she ''poured coffee on him''.

When it comes to romance and sex, people generally tend to [[HasAType Have A Type]]; some people prefer people with [[SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan decent morals]], others want someone who [[GoldDigger makes a lot of money]], still others want someone [[BuxomBeautyStandard with large breasts]]. However, regardless of what they're type is, most people are realistic enough to realize that they might have to settle or be more open minded when it comes to finding love.

For some people, settling is absolutely ''not'' an option; they have standards, and they'll only date or sleep with someone who meets their exact standards. A character with this mindset might have an extremely LongList of standards that, on their own are reasonable, but are unrealistic when taken all together. Alternatively they might have a few standards that are absurdly specific and difficult to meet; if they desire someone with decent morals, they won't be satisfied with someone whose simply [[NiceGuy nice]], they'll want [[IncorruptiblePurePureness a literal saint]]. A GoldDigger with this mentality will only be willing to date the one-percent and nothing less. Someone with a BuxomBeautyStandard might only go for women whose boobs are at least a ''triple'' D-cup, and be practically asexual when it comes to anyone smaller than that.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'': Courtney plays with this trope in that she wants to change Duncan to fit her standards rather than break up with him for not meeting them. Being a [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]], she places many high standards on, Duncan including forcing him to sign a 32-page contract agreeing to various terms of their relationship and making a LongList of things he needs to change about himself to make their relationship perfect.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fanficfion ''[[Fanfic/GrowingPainsDannyPhantom Growing Pains]]'', one of the reasons why Helena was unable to find a husband in her human life and still can't find one as a ghost is because of her ridiculously LongList of high standards. Not helping matters is the fact that, [[WastedBeauty despite her good looks]], [[AbhorrentAdmirer the men she meets are unattracted to her because of her aggressive personality]].

* Wrestling/JimCornette had one complaint about Wrestling/ChrisJericho when he hired Jericho and Wrestling/LanceStorm to his Wrestling/SMW group. He hired the two to be what he called a "Blow Job Tag Team" (a team that entices women to come to the local wrestling events in hopes that they will be able to date the wrestlers in question), but it didn't work as Jericho was too damn picky on who he would date. (Storm didn't help either because not only was he married, but his wife would also frequently show up to dash the ring rats dreams of beings with him).

* ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheForsaken'': The Ivory Claws, being a tribe of [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi-analoges]], are a PlayedForHorror example; out of all of the Pure Tribes, the Ivory Claws are the smallest due to their high standards for who can join their tribe or who their tribe's members can marry. They often reject werewolves with any Forsaken blood, with some going so far as to only marry other Ivory Claws, with the more "moderate" tribesmen preferring humans of exceptional talent, such as gold-medal athletes, top scientists, or influential politicians. The horror comes from the fact that the Ivory Claws have no issues with [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe forced marriage]] or [[SexualHarassmentAndRapeTropes rape]] as a means of [[DarwinistDesire improving their bloodlines]].

[[/folder]]
'''Indices'''
* HasAType
* CharacterFlawIndex
* AttractionTropes
* AttractionToOutliers