Does Big Little Brother apply with adults?

This was brought up in Ask the Tropers a few days ago.

Do examples on Big Little Brother where the adult brother is taller than their adult sister count? That's the norm, but many examples use that dynamic. Should there be an age limit to the trope?

Edited by Pichu-kun on Dec 25th 2018 at 7:54:05 AM

To a degree. It can depend on the age gap obviously, but I agree that somewhere in the mid to late teens should be a cut-off, at least for the younger of the two.

In case of little brother and big sister, only when the difference is big enough, I think?

Men are expected to outgrow women at some point. Exactly when depends on the age difference, but the point of the trope is breaking expectations. From reading the description on Big Little Brother (seriously, LINK the tropes you're talking about), I get the impression that the size difference needs to be played up in the work one way or another. If it's not played up, it's not notable and not an example.

So, examples that are just "This brother is taller than their sister despite being a year or two younger" should be pruned?

Yes. One or two years is nothing. Maybe unless if both of them are younger than ten or so, where even one year matters and boys and girls are roughly equally tall. But even then, it should only remain if the work actually calls it out one way or another.

Edited by AnotherDuck on Jan 9th 2019 at 10:27:20 AM

Does itu hurt to say that this is (too) Truth in TV?

Should probably be taken on a case-by-case basis. If pointed out in some fashion (dialogue or visual gag) then definitely, as a theoretical example of a scrawny guy talking about his brother coming to visit and he turns out to be an enormous body builder that is exactly what the trope is about. If it seems incidental with only a two inch difference just because those were the actors hired, then it's not really notable.