History Main / TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry

'''Chick''': Her sister? She's a blonde, ''good-looking'' kid, ain't she?\\
'''[[DeadpanSnarker Ruth]]''': Yes, she's a blonde, good-looking kid.

* ''Wonderful Town'' has Ruth as the smart one and her sister Eileen as the pretty one.

* ''PrettyThings'' by VirginieDespentes is based on this trope, applied to twins. The novel goes to great length to [[JustifiedTrope justify]] by exposing the girls' [[FreudianExcuse childhood and relationships]] with an abusive father and rather submissive mother. However, [[spoiler: one of the sisters dies early in the story, prompting the other to assume her identity and finally understand [[NotSoDifferent her dead sister]]]].

* ''TheTillermanFamilySeries'' installment ''Sons from Afar'' has a male example in insecure genius James and popular athlete Sammy, which serves as a major plot point for most of the book. Oddly enough, Dicey and Maybeth have the makings of this (the former being a tough tomboy and the latter being sweet and girly), but subvert this as sister finds the other's opposite trait from hers to be comforting.

* A version of this appears in the [[TheBible Old Testament]] book of Genesis. Jacob falls in love with Rachel, but on their wedding day her father substitutes her older, less attractive sister Leah as the bride. Jacob subsequently marries Rachel as well, and for some years the two women try to outdo one another in giving him children; they even get their (slave) maids involved.

* ''{{Ptitleikz3xeb8}}'' has Jen is The Smart One and Courtney is The Pretty One in "Its Always Courtney, Courtney, Courtney".

* ''HeyArnold'' has Helga is tomboyish Tsundere and Olga is pretty and brilliant.

* Robin and Roz {=DeSanto=] of ''{{Shortpacked}}'' are an odd take on this with Robin being a CloudCuckooLander ManicPixieDreamGirl and Roz being a DepravedBisexual AnythingThatMoves Nymphomaniac "Cam Whore".

* Robin and Roz {=DeSanto=] of ''{{Shortpacked}}'' are an odd take on this with Robin being a CloudCuckouLander ManicPixieDreamGirl and Roz being a DepravedBisexual AnythingThatMoves {{Nymphomaniac}} "Cam Whore".

* Actresses Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine, and authors A.S. Byatt and Margaret Drabble. If Byatt's "The Game" is to be taken as autobiographical, Byatt was the Smart Sister and Drabble was the Popular One.

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* According to [[HarryPotter J. K. Rowling]]'s web site, her sister was always much better-looking. As compensation, her parents decided that J.K. was "the bright one." Is there a better way of causing the "wildcats in a small cage" approach?
** It still seems to have paid off for JKR.

* Agon and Unsui of {{Eyeshield 21}} are probably the closest example of a male version of this trope. Agon's only interests seem to be womanizing, beating the crap out of people, and lazing about, which makes his natural athletic talents all the more undeserved. Unsui is a reserved, hard working, and analytical person who genuinely likes playing football, unlike his brother.

* Going by her autobiography, Jessica Mitford spent a certain amount of her adolescence in an extraordinarily black-comedic variant on this; she was developing into a lifelong socialist at precisely the same time as her sister Unity was becoming an extremely dedicated British Fascist (and personal friends with most of the Nazi high command). Furthermore, there was a definite pretty one/smart one element to it; while neither was ugly, Unity was considered prettier (Hitler, who may or may not have had an affair with her, called her "a perfect specimen of Aryan womanhood"), while Jessica was famous for being crazy-smart (she became famous for incisive journalism and insightful writing). Until the international situation began to get really dire, they behaved almost ''exactly'' like every other pair of arguing teenagers.

* Going by her autobiography, Jessica Mitford spent a certain amount of her adolescence in an extraordinarily black-comedic variant on this; she was developing into a lifelong socialist at precisely the same time as her sister Unity was becoming an extremely dedicated British Fascist (and personal friends with most of the Nazi high command). Until the international situation began to get really dire, they behaved almost ''exactly'' like every other pair of arguing teenagers.

* The Steve Carell film ''{{Dan in Real Life}}'' is another GenderFlip version, with Dan (Carell) as the Smart One who falls in love with his flakey brother's girlfriend.

* ''AmericanDreams'' had Meg (the pretty one) and Patty (the smart one) with Meg as the main character and Patty as an AnnoyingYoungerSibling[=/=]InsufferableGenius type.