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Is Girlish Pigtails necessarily an indication of immaturity?

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sohibil Since: Dec, 2020 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#1: Oct 8th 2024 at 9:14:50 AM

Lately the trope Girlish Pigtails has been bugging me quite a bit. The description tries to drive the point home, that this hairstyle is definitely a sign of childishness/immaturity. But I think, I've also seen some quite levelheaded female characters to wear their hair like this. I can't remember right now, but I'm certain there are some.

Considering this, the trope seems kinda narrow or one sided. Or is a mature-acting character wearing twintails not an example of Girlish Pigtails? It could be a subversion or something thereof. I do realize that the word girlish more or less implies a character's immaturity. But I doubt there's enough for launching a ironic variation of the trope. What should it be? Mature Pigtails?

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#2: Oct 8th 2024 at 9:19:10 AM

What meaning would a "mature version" even have? The current trope works because pigtails are associated with young girls. So the trope reinforces that as some sort of shortcut for the audience. Even if some adult women and fictional adult women can pull them off, what's conveyed there?

Edited by WarJay77 on Oct 8th 2024 at 1:36:29 PM

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
TMH-Sir-Iron-Vomit The clown of STEEL from Ichnusa Since: Mar, 2024
The clown of STEEL
#3: Oct 8th 2024 at 10:57:52 AM

[up]That's the issue: a mature woman with pigtails is essentially a mature woman with pigtails. Even is she's not immature, if she's very feminine, it still would be an example of Girlish Pigtails, especially if contrasting with a woman with a Tomboyish Ponytail.

And if a whole work inverts the trope, and pigtails are used to convey maturity... it still would be just an inversion of Girlish Pigtails, because it would be Too Rare to Trope by itself.

[down]Fair enough.

Edited by TMH-Sir-Iron-Vomit on Oct 8th 2024 at 9:19:36 PM

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WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#4: Oct 8th 2024 at 11:00:05 AM

Eh, "girlish" and "feminine" are certainly synonyms, but a feminine adult woman is very different from your typical "girly girl" and it feels downright weird to me to consider lumping them into one thing. The trope is clear that it's about immature girliness, not "femininity".

Edited by WarJay77 on Oct 8th 2024 at 2:02:04 PM

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
DoktorvonEurotrash Lex et Veritas from Not a place of honour (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#5: Oct 9th 2024 at 11:38:50 AM

An adult woman who wears pigtails, but acts mature, wouldn't be an example. The trope is for the "hairstyle" + "immaturity" combo. (Since the hairstyle is associated with little kids, as previous posters have pointed out.)

Same as Hime Cut isn't just a hairstyle, the character has to have the high-class background and traditional personality to go with it.

Edited by DoktorvonEurotrash on Oct 9th 2024 at 11:39:19 AM

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