History Main / WaterIsWomanly

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/MagicKnightRayearth https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/umi_mermaids.png]]]]

* ''VideoGame/FireboyAndWatergirl'': Watergirl is distinguished from the Fireboy of the titular duo due to [[https://tcf.admeen.org/category/3000/2952/400x400/fireboy-watergirl.jpg her]] association with water and girly appearance, with long hair and cheerful eyes.

* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean'' has Calypso, the Goddess of the Seas. Sailors were in awe of her unsurpassed grace and beauty, and she acted as their protectress. They also feared her for her whimsical nature that made her as wild and untameable as the seas she ruled over -- tying to the negative associations of water and women as being temperamental.

** Franchise/{{LEGO}} sets sometimes veer into this:

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ninjago}}'' eventually makes its main water elemental, the Gray Ninja, [[spoiler:Nya]]--who also doubles as the only girl on the main team. Played with in that while this is shown to be a familial trait, as her mother was also a water elemental, [[spoiler:Nya]] is a very physical, tombyish girl.

* In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'', almost all the elemental Matoran tribes are {{One Gender Race}}s, with most of them being male. One of the only all-female elements is water. [[note]] If you're curious, the others are [[ShockAndAwe Electricity]] and [[PsychicPowers Psionics]], though neither tribe appear much in the story.[[/note]] Averted for Skakdi, Glatorian, and Agori, whose genders aren't limited to a specific element.

** The God of Justice is the Archon of Hydro and known to be female.

In modern works, characters who wield water or are associated with it will be [[FemininityTropes feminine]] in some way, such as by being the TeamMom, a ProperLady, or some other form of GirlyGirl. She will usually be the most feminine one in a FourElementEnsemble -- she'll be [[TheSmurfettePrinciple the only woman]] and/or girlier than everyone else. May be the female to the male in a FireWaterJuxtaposition in cases where FireIsMasculine.

* {{Gender Flip}}ped in ''Manga/EdensZero''. Laguna is the Water of the [[FourElementEnsemble Element 4]] but a man -- an effeminate man who wears high heels and makeup and is more feminine than the only woman in the group [[EmotionlessGirl Sylph]].

* Mary Hunt in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' is a feminine and beautiful noblewoman possessing the magic element of water.

* ''Art/TheBirthOfVenusBouguereau'': The painting depicts the goddess of love emerging from the sea alongside sea nymphs.

* ''Art/TheBirthOfVenusCabanel'': It depicts the Roman Goddess of Love reclining on the sea she was born from.
* ''Art/WaterSerpentsI'' is drawn in fluid organic shapes composed of water imagery, with waves and the aquatic forms of two women.

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* In ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', Sad S. represents water of the Guling Supermen, whose powers correlate to different elements, and can weaponize her crying as her form of using water powers. Her kind-hearted but emotional personality can easily be considered feminine.
* In ''Animation/PlanetOf7Colors'', the blue kingdom is themed around water and has the only female ruler of the seven kingdoms. Said ruler is obsessed with finding her true love, a typically feminine trait.
[[/folder]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967'', the only other human besides Mowgli who's shown onscreen is a young girl, introduced filling a large jug with water while singing a song with lyrics emphasizing that fetching the water is considered women's work.

[[folder:Tabletop Game]]

* Creator/JohnWilliamWaterhouse: Maybe it was to honor his [[{{Pun}} surname]], but he loved to paint women romantically associated with water, whether it be water-related mythological figures (''Art/HylasAndTheNymphs'', ''Undine'', ''A Naiad'', ''The Siren'', ''The Mermaid'') or women emoting near bodies of water (''Miranda'', ''Art/{{Echo and Narcissus}}'', ''Circe Invidiosa'', ''The Lady of Shalott'', ''Art/{{Ophelia|Waterhouse}}''). Specific examples include:

* ''Art/CirceInvidiosa'': Water is heavily associated with Scylla, the girl Circe is turning into a SeaMonster out of jealousy. Circe herself is dripping liquid poison on the water and is wearing blue in a painting where WaterIsBlue and [[TrueBlueFemininity feminity is represented with that color]].
* Creator/JohnWilliamWaterhouse loved to paint women romantically associated with water, whether it be water-related mythological figures (''Art/HylasAndTheNymphs'', ''Undine'', ''A Naiad'', ''The Siren'', ''The Mermaid'') or women emoting near bodies of water (''Miranda'', ''Art/{{The Lady of Shalott|Waterhouse}}'', ''Art/CirceInvidiosa'', ''Art/EchoAnd Narcissus'', ''Art/{{Ophelia}}'').

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
** [[TeamMom Katara]] is the Gaang's native Waterbender. She is also the team's nurturing TeamMom.
** Female waterbenders in the patriarchal Northern Water Tribe are only taught [[HealItWithWater healing]], a waterbending-only technique, and forbidden from learning how to fight, with men also forbidden from learning healing. The episode "The Waterbending Master" has Katara challenge the notion that female waterbenders should only heal.
** In the third season, the Gaang meet with Hama, an elderly waterbender who acts like a kind grandmother. [[spoiler:Except it's just all an act, as she is a BitchInSheepsClothing with [[RevengeBeforeReason a dangerous vendetta against the Fire Nation]] and knowledge of a dangerous technique called "bloodbending".]]
** The titular character of the sequel series, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', was born into a waterbending family from the Southern Water Tribe. She is contrasted with her initial love interest Mako, [[OppositesAttract a male firebender]]. Though in terms of personality, they are an inversion of the usual tropes, as Korra is brash and hot-headed, while Mako is cool-headed and nurturing given that he raised his younger brother without a strong parental figure.

* ''Series/H2OJustAddWater'': Any human can fall into a Moon Pool and become a merperson, but all five of the people who do in this series are girls. Out of all of them, tomboyish Rikki has power over heat and fire, while the rest, who are more traditionally feminine, have varying powers over water.
** ''Series/MakoMermaidsAnH2OAdventure'' introduces mermen, but it turns out they're practically extinct because a pod of them tried conquering the oceans in the ancient past. In the present day, mermaids live in the ocean, while mermen are raised on land and get chased away from the sea by the mermaid pods.

* Creator/JohnWilliamWaterhouse loved to paint women romantically associated with water, whether it be water-related mythological figures (''Art/HylasAndTheNymphs'', ''Undine'', ''A Naiad'', ''The Siren'', ''The Mermaid'') or women emoting near bodies of water (''Miranda'', ''Art/{{The Lady of Shalott|Waterhouse}}'', ''Art/CirceInvidiosa'', ''Echo and Narcissus'', ''Ophelia'').

* Creator/JohnWilliamWaterhouse loved to paint women romantically associated with water, whether it be water-related mythological figures (''Hylas and the Nymphs'', ''Undine'', ''A Naiad'', ''The Siren'', ''The Mermaid'') or women emoting near bodies of water (''Miranda'', ''The Lady of Shalott'', ''Circe Invidiosa'', ''Echo and Narcissus'', ''Ophelia'').