10 Worst Female Character Pet Peeves
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
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Ever read a book about a female character and you just…hate her? Me too! So I’m breaking down my top ten pet peeves when it comes to fictional female characters. That’s right! I’m griping about the worst female character tropes I can think of, including the ‘fixer,’ the girl who’s gorgeous but thinks she’s ugly, the hot character who’s JUST hot, and more! Be sure to stick around, ‘cause I’m hitting ya with a bonus option at the end that makes just about anybody wonder how the h*ll this particular scenario can be rationally explained. If you’re planning on writing a female character like any of these fictional character tropes, consider this video a great big sign reading, “DON’T!” 🛑
-Straight from my cold, dark heart,
Your Cyborg Queen
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"I'm not like the other girls!" shouted a hundred identical women in unison.
“I’m not”
“Shhh!!!”
That's usually said because the girl in question doesn't want to be treated the same as other women. Which just indicates that maybe you're dating assholes or judging guys before knowing them.
... Wattpad
Must admit I imagined this being said by a bunch of robots.
John Whitesell *as thousands die inside in unison*
She’s not like other girls
*She wears size 13 Nike’s*
*Mens size 13 Nike’s*
*beat that*
Fiona A *oh mah gawd her life is sooo hard*
I can't 😂.
you think your life is hard
I wear size 1 Nike’s
Infants size 1
T-T
I’m practically depressed
:(
Fiona a ha!
"They're sexually inexperienced, not an infant" THANKYOOOOOOU
Also inexperienced does not equal unknowlegable. One can learn a lot from books and observations.
kohakuaiko yes I’m sure reading books will make you a fireball in bed...
@@tomoliver2112
If you read about what makes it feel better.
@@kohakuaiko Heh... I have Wattpad, RUclips, and TikTok. I haven't even had a first kiss, however-
@@miraculousaly-bug2411 SAMEEEE
"She isn't like other girls... she has an actual backstory and a personality"
Nice icon :)
Eugenia Bukhman i do really agree
*gasp*
And is able to make decisions about things other than romance. Why, she might even have a dedicated profession that matters in the story.
That book would've roasted every girl alive by saying that she's the only one that actually has a past and personality. That's just straight-up calling them fake 😅😂.
I'm not like other girls. I have snakes for arms. You're probably asking, "How are you typing this if you have snake arms?" And to that I say, "I'm not typing this, the snakes are."
I'm not like other girls. I have claws and fangs sharper than the deep edges on an axe. I have only one eye. If you're asking me how I'm writing this comment, you shouldn't be surprised when I'm telling you I'm not.
Oh, gosh 😂.
Snakes. Why’d it have to be snakes?
I’m not like other girls. I’m actually a robot
I'm not like other girls. I was born with glass bones and paper skin. Every morning I break my legs, and every afternoon I break my arms. At night, I lie awake in agony until my heart attacks put me to sleep
*sweeps bangs out of face* I'm not like other girls, i wore vans to prom
LOL!
I'm not like other missiles. I've got a poorly drawn MS paint drawing for a face.
12-year-old girl reading "Twilight:" "OMG! Bella's not like other girls because she reads books! I read books! I'm special like Bella!"
AvgJane19 I'm not like other girls, I eat pizza
im not like other girls.... Im a guy.
wait, crap.
I personally hate the new cliche that's been going around of making girls "strong" and not have actual likable personalities.
I feel you, as if they have to be mean to be assertive individuals.
Yes! As though you can't be kind AND strong at the same time. That might partly be chalked up to double standards, though, like how a female character might have to overcompensate in certain areas just to seem equal. Then again, if the writer wanted to make a point, they could write that character as strong/likable * without * taking away the traditionally feminine characteristic traits, as though having such traits makes her somehow less or that those traits are less valuable. That's definitely one of my pet peeves. In a featurette for the upcoming Wonder Woman, someone was saying how Diana is kind, good and loving but none of that negates her power. That put really well into words how I feel. But if the writer wants to make the character unlikable in the first place, that's a different story.
Cannot agree with this more. I mean, a sassy, one-line spouting character is fine, and they can be really enjoyable characters, but they have to have a developed personality first.
Inspector Spinda another thing that gets on my nerves is when the author makes the female character strong and badass BECAUSE she's a woman. Male badass characters always EARN the title and it shouldn't be difficult to have a female character earn the title as well without resorting to the gender card.
+Skylynxify Reborn
Argh, that one's bad too, but at least it's slightly better than the unlikable "badass" who gets taken down in one hit.
Actually, the doormat character. The one with no agency... can be tragic if played right. You just have to add some reality. Why would someone be like that? Abuse. Trauma in early life can destroy almost anyone's initiative and personal conviction. Play it like that and you have a character that needs help in a realistic way.
It can also be a story about growth. Learning to step up for herself by the end.
@@silg7262 Especially that. Character growth and an MC that actually does something to move the plot forward is important to make a story interesting. An MC that does nothing and has things happen to him/her is quite boring to read about.
Yes great as a traumatic character...but also really inspiring if you develope them so they slowly but surely get over that.
I saw this with a male example once in an anime. Kid had so much anxiety, stuttered and cried all the time. But by the end of the series, even though he still stuttered, he started to raise his head and cheer his team on even when things went hopeless and inspired them all to keep moving.
He wasn't fixed and still had so many problems...but watching him try so hard after being so down... it made me want to try things too.
Now that I can get behind. So very true.
For any potential anime fans out there, Tohru from Fruits Basket. She’s not a doormat because it’s anime, she’s like that for actual reasons.
Writing pro-tip. Write your character as if they were a real person.
I write my characters in my stories as real people who I can relate to, so I totally agree.
Edit: and I figure out what I want their hobbies, interests, etc. are in my head too.
What's that?
But what if I live in a basement and the only way I'm exposed to people is via people's writing?
@@Fif0l find a mirror
@@olianims I can't fill the book with just clones of myself, can I?
Okay, jokes aside, most of the examples of horrendous writing are in my opinion caused by writing characters based on other fictional characters, and it really does look like the writer never interacted with a human being.
Shes not like other girls...: she has an eyebrow!
REAL eyebrows
Kiersten Simpson an?Just one😂Unibrow?
Addie
Yes and it's majestic
only one eyebrow?
BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHER ONE?!?!!
FIND OUT ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF DRAGON BALL X
Only one?? But I have two 😦😲I must be EXTRA special
“passive mcs are annoying”
anime writers start sweating bullets
_sao would like to know your location._
Hah! Yeah, I have a few pet peeves with those type of characters.
@@thingsnstuff7526 I like your profile picture.
What-Is-Life : 👌
@Emma Li
Agreed- I honestly hate how most seemed to often be portrayed as incredibly violent or go to the point of basically being verbally abusive.
You can make a tsundere be not as obvious or just simply tone it down a couple thousand notches. Anything to keep them from being straight up unlikable.
Probably what made Wonder Woman such a successful movie was one line, when Steve Trevor kept telling her, "This isn't what we came to do," she replied with "But this is what I'm going to do." That changed her from following him around to leading him forward, and that made her multi-dimensional and not relying on a man to succeed.
It’s especially great since she was initially following him for the primary reason that she was in a world she didn’t know. Steve was leading her to the place to end the war, through a scenario that WW literally knew nothing about.
Movie was shit
The ending was awful, but that’s because it defeated the whole point of the movie. The movie was about a woman taking leadership without demeaning men, in a time where she faced much adversity. It was about her learning more about the world around her. And the ending butchered that, but hey otherwise it was good.
@Karsyn zzstu Beauchamp The real problem I had with that scene is that it made the soldiers in the foxholes fighting that war out to be cowards. Yet they were the ones who actually had something to lose since they could die if they made the slightest mistake. WW knew she wouldn't get hurt. A sacrifice is only a sacrifice when it has the potential to cause the person devastating loss or death.
qzcoach I do not like Wonder Woman
People think Cinderella is not strong, but she was abused all the way through childhood into adulthood, remained happy, and stayed alive.
She, in my opinion, is one of the strongest females there is.
Huh. I never thought about it that way. Very true though
@@curseofgladstone4981 its cause people think active = strong and passive = weak, when its not the case.
3mma 1i113y thank you!
She was never developed after meeting and marrying the prince. It's like once the kingdom associated her with the princes she was just another shadow.
...yes...Cinderella....As lovely as her name...-And Snow White! The most iconic Princess of all time. And Sweet elegant Aurora...-I have my own reasons.
That protagonist that bites her lip or cheeks every 3 seconds. Seriously, am I the only one who encountered this?
Bella Swan.
I hate characters like that 😩😧
....i bite my lip/cheek every 3 seconds...
Then there are the constant gaspers and gulpers.
See, ever since that vid set in the eighties came out of Trump & Epstein where they are watching women dance and Donnie bites his bottom lip...? [shudder]
That girl who is not like The Other Girls™ pisses me off so much. We're told she's better than "actual" girls because she reads books and is funny and strong and wears t-shirts and sweats and like, quotes Shakespeare to random strangers. And of course not a single "actual" girl does that. It's like the author thinks everything associated with feminity is somehow silly and weak. I mean, every other YA heroine is like this.
well... my MC isn't like other girls cuse she's a 14 years old psychopathic maniac that enjoys tourmenting bad guys in the name of her "justice". is that count? 😅😂😂
I don't know what's worse, reading about these characters is fiction or being called "not like other girls" in real life. Usually as compliment by dudes who literally haven't talked to other women in their entire adult lives.
She's special
She has eyes.
Wth
I'm a girl and I do that stuff. Does that make me a "fake" girl.
Ashmeet Kaur, there's plenty of girls who do this stuff, that's why it's ridiculous when authors pretend that if a girl does these things she's somehow completely different from the rest of her gender.
You forgot
Mysterious Submissive Asian
Angry black woman
Hooker with a Heart of Gold
Spicy Latina
And so on...
“Spicy Latina”
Me
Broken Quill92 especially the “female that embraces sexuality is evil”
Broken Quill92 i can deal with some of these if portrayed correctly, but Mysterious Submissive Asian and Angry Black Women do get on my nerves for sure
ShadowProject01 yeah being quiet and cheerful naturally I have to deal with “angry black woman” stuff in real life. People assume you’re gonna flip out a scream the in Ebonics. So to avoid the stereotype I don’t really let myself get angry. I know it’s not really healthy but I don’t really have any options.
Broken Quill92 for reals. The sad part is most black woman aren’t angry. They roll with most stuff just like everyone else. You piss them off, and rightfully so, they let you know. Everyone gets angry. They don’t stay angry.
But these stereotypes would have everyone believe they are angry all the time.
There are some like that but that’s in every ethnicity. Some people are just angry people. Wish genres in media and literature wouldn’t signal out black women for it
i personally hate when a female character starts out strong and compelling and interesting, but the plot forces her to become a trope, or "damsel in distress."
crypttidkid you can damsel anyone and write it good. They put badman in chains and made him a prisoner in one of the cartoons (i think it was justice league) and it worked out great.
Kaichou wa Maid-sama.
crypttidkid cough Rey cough
Uh, you do realise that’s life, right? Do you realise you’re talking about me, a real person who can’t be your superficially charismatic-yet-complex-so-the-average-masses-can-respect-them character? Sorry for being mentally ill and having low self esteem but k then.
Ro M I only expect you to have enough charisma to not blindside us out of nowhere with a large non sequitur.
THE STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN that becomes, as soon as she meets the handsome male love interest, the damsel in distress and forgets about all her independence and is ordered around like a sheep.
Nati Whatever Yes! After the shortest "power struggle" in history she gives up everything about herself that was badass/strong/independent because being with the man (and, obviously, doing things *his* way) is the only way she can be happy. It is my #1 pet peeve in leading females.
Nati Whatever Yes! I end up dropping so many books with great premises because of this!
TRY Throne of Glass! I swear it's a far cry from this trope. She falls in love BUT DOES NOT HESITATE TO LEAVE OR CHANGE THINGS WHEN SHE NEEDS TO. If anything, she's the one ordering people around.
Rini Chan THAT'S CONSISTENCY, and that's great! I'm complaining about inconsistency. Not that characters can't change, but I don't think meeting a hot capable dude immediately kills of all your braincells, plans and ways to handle stuff. If you establish a strong independent woman (also for males tbh) don't let her be a stupid goose waddling after the love interest. "Oh this is how we do it now... Isn't his/her opinion just the best... I guess I'm the sidekick now" *brain-dead smile*
Nati Whatever Thank u for saying that, its very insulting to girls who are very stronge ladies, but falling into stupidity because plot or a hot man. Yes I'm looking at you Missa!! Thats Why nobody liked you, even the cops didn't want you. Light was using u!
I hate "strong feminist icon badass ' female characters who are strong women but have no personality, especially if every equally badass male character has a deep backstory, intricately woven personality flaws and long, drawn-out personal scenes.
THANK YOU. for an example of a character like this, look no further than alanna of trebond - a character I take an intense disliking to. she just seems like a judgmental, indecisive girl who doesn’t really display consistent traits. I know a lot of people love her, but she ended up getting on my nerves a lot, the thing is so many people LOVE Tamora Pierce that I can’t bring it up.
Angeline Smith the one from the Immortals was better
You just describe everything I hate about Ms Guthrie (and to a lesser degree their portrayal of Anne Bonney) in Black Sails
I liked the first book, very interesting scenario to explore, in my opinion. And then... she slowly... deflates. Like, everything that made her interesting dries up, and we're left with, "'And when are you going to find someone to love, Alanna?' 'I don't know,' she said with a tear in her eye." (I swear that's what it says. That's what my memory says, at least.)
Yes! Being a strong character doesn't always mean in a physical sense (although for some reason a lot of writers take it literally), Heck a character can be strong just by having endurance.
I just don't think people realise that they can write a female character whose life DOESN'T revolve around some romantic story. Female characters don't have to be perfect, they need to be interesting and diverse.
Yeah They're either the center of a love story or a badass bitch who likes to make men cry.......thats why my stories' MC's are both women who supports themselves and has hobbies and are NOT looking for men left and right. I don't even want romance because its like EVERY BOOK HAS THEM! if there's romance...its the real kind. Its not all STARRY NIGHT. Its not abusive, its not shitty fighting for the sake of, and the men aren't gods...realism here!
Same here. I was so proud of myself for having written something where my female MC has friends of both genders, and wasn't attracted to anyone. It's one big, weird, found family concept.
@@teamobi3327 haha me too I decided to write a story without any romance to make a statement that not every story needs a romantic subplot. It's sad that some people feel like it's required because it's so common in fiction.
Or.. just interesting.
I did. In fact, it was easy
*Give girls a personality*... Hmm, interesting concept.
I always hated the naive virgin type. Like Fifty Shades of Grey. "What's a buttplug?" Seriously? You made it this long and never heard of one? You didn't google it? You can't even figure it out through context clues?
It's not impossible. A friend of mine only learned what a buttplug was last year, and he's 25. And before you ask, no, I was not involved in his learning.
And she's an English major!
I never knew that even buttplugs existed or what they’re for until this comment, though I’m hoping it’s the language barrier...😅😂 Gonna go to Google now.. Edit: I didn’t know what it was for real.. I don’t consider myself innocent though, maybe people put too many of their expectations on some people, and everyone is different on their knowledge and niche things shouldn’t be expected from everyone.
Buttplugs aren't something a lot of people will encounter IRL or even in fiction. Hell, there are some devices I only found out about thanks to articles on the Cracked site (and some of those looked about as sexy as a jackhammer -- and yes, there's wordplay in that phrase).
But not knowing anything at all about sex? Only if you're incredibly sheltered.
Yeah but she has a 4.0 G.P.A and is a goddamn English Major
I hate the girl who is supposedly a badass but is written like she's a damsel in distress simply as a plot device for her and her love interest to get together. Damsel in distress characters don't even bother me because not everyone can be super independent and physically and mentally strong, but if you specifically tried to set your character as a badass but then is saved by her love interest in every single dangerous situation then it's just bad writing :/
Oh, yes.
My female character does get saved by the male love interest, but only when she is unable to physically move, even then she tries to fight back.
@@lulub517 That's fine. Just make sure she also get the chance to fight something for herself once in a while. Everyone might need rescuing now and then.
Im actually planning to make the girl save HER love interest.
@@ethereal8213 That's awesome! :)
I’m not like other girls...
**takes off coat**
I’m actually just three raccoons in a coat
THIS IS GOLD
So that wasn't a lady boner.
That would be such a tongue in cheek twist. I love it.
I'm not a vampire..
*opens coat
... I'm actually a bunch of dwarves trying to find a queen
@Ao Mikazuki same it's an amazing show
Amen to all of this! I hate all of these tropes, especially the whole "I'm not like other girls" trope. I laughed when you said, "Oh my god! I have hands! I'm special!"
Hands!
Same!
I had a friend like that in real life, in my class in high school. And honestly, every type that she mentioned feel like high school kids. It's quite logical, actually - they haven't grown enough as people to realize how silly they look, just like the writer hasn't grown enough as a writer to realize how silly his characters are.
Those girls are always the worst to be around. ALWAYS.
Carissa Carlson Ikr? That whole statement is putting down other girls as a whole. We need to build each other up. Not tear another down so our tower can grow.
Anastasia Steele : "What's a buttplug?"
ARE YOU FFFFUCKING KIDDING ME
The name is literally BUTT and PLUG
Which word does she not know?
Pedro Gomes probably both of them
YES! FUCKING THANK YOU
it's a stick you stuff your nose with, isnt it obvious?
the girl has no name
Look it up! Google it maybe?
You will definitely be educated!
Lmao.....
One of my worst female character pet peeves: the girl whose guy is her only motivation. She is usually the protagonist of mystery books. Everything she does is for the male love interest; she dresses so he notices her, she talks so he'll notice her, she'll go outside of her comfort zone so he'll notice her, etc. Someone in the area's been murdered? Well, she'll solve the mystery so her crush will see how cool she is! It's so annoying!!!
So basically like Will from the inbetweeners. He'd forgo all his morals if he thinks a fit girl might be into him.
Beast900011 I'm not familiar with that series, so I'll have to take your word for it. I was thinking more along the lines of Hope from "Silence of Murder" and Cici from "Twisted Summer". It took me so long to remember the name of the latter because it was so boring and forgettable that I forgot everything but the concept.
Effeffia Gonalick have you read and watch anime/manga there in it too and so annoying they're have no sense/self esteem and confidence and it's desperate to get attention from her crush when the crush don't like and doesn't want her at all
Effeffia Gonalick Sakura is an example😐...lol
+l huynh, it reminds me of Itazura na Kiss hahahahahah!! Although i like the anime when i was younger, now, i see that kotoko's world evolve around irie-kun ...
Then let's not forget the Strong independent yet has no personality character. You can be strong and independent but also have an actual personality!
*cough cough* captain marvel *cough cough*
Asking why is she strong and independent can sometimes be like asking someone to explain a racist joke. The writer/joker will collapse under the pressure. The difference is the joker will usually slink away in shame while the writer will rip you apart because "you're too stupid to understand the character" when in actuality they don't have a reason but they don't like to be wrong.
Cat piss Everdeen.
H B Don’t get me started. I read the books hated the main character and didn’t like how she was emotionally conflicted about the two males in her life when she was committed to neither. Her undue angst over her non relationships and how she felt something for Peeta while feeling guilty that Gale had feelings for her when she clearly told him it would never happen was exhausting and stupid.
And you can be feminine too! Do those authors not know that you can actually kick ass with stilettos? But in all seriousness, being feminine does not equal being weak in the slightest, being feminine is just a trait that is on its own.
Book: she's not like other girls
Me: here we go again
Book: she wasn't human
Me: …
Ava Nicole Usually followed by six pages of flawless physical descriptions and putting down other girls
She had a tail...
She had THREE tails.
Lugbzurg Noice
She had 9 TAILS!!!! @Mauricio Cuti Aguilar
The "badass" and the girl who's "not like other girls" are examples of the writer telling, not showing.
Michael Donovan Yeah, but I think she is actually complaining about the cases in which the author doesn't get it right, which can be annoying.
Strong female character:
-Passes Bechdel test
-Doesn't become helpless if captured
-Actually contributes to the story
What Hollywood(/bad) writers think a "Strong female character" is:
-She punches someone.
-So. Uh.
-That's what "strong" means, right?
I disagree with the Bechdel stuff. Because otherwise, Chell from the Portal series would not be a strong female character, while she incontestably IS.
It's more of an assurance, but in no way necessary. I would rather say both her flaws and qualities must be genderless (like, y'know, she *happens to be a woman*).
Hermione is now a badass.
And Draco's just a ferret.
That's literally Hermione Granger in the movie. they made her look a perfect character. even though in the book she's not like that much, she has many flaws too.
You forgot the fact that she wears a tight body hugging leather suit! And she doesn't like dresses and pink. People who like dresses and pink can't possibly be strong.
Ummm, a single female character can't possibly pass the Bechdel test - which consists of (at least) two female characters with names have a conversation about something other than a man.
I’ve always hated the woman that every single character falls in love with FOR LITERALLY NO REASON! Like she just walks in and they are all smitten. Usually very boring and no real personality
Salmonella Swan
Bella Swan has entered the chat.
*cough* Perci from Sonic Boom *cough*
Daenerys is an example of this, but well-written. She's of course stunningly beautiful, yet she never knows how many of her suitors only want her power, her dragons, or the renown of marrying her
"I'm not like other girls. I have lungs!"
yeah, most girls have gills to breath through
If she was a mermaid, that would be a pretty interesting concept ^^
Great profile picture
Im not like other girls..I have eyes.
*0h mY g0d hOw uNiQu3!1!!!1!!!1!11!!!*
Or
The Mary Sue, who is perfect, everyone loves her, somehow is involved in the conflict even if it doesn't involve her, and is just the authors dream of themselves
IM CRAFTING My friend's OC is SUCH A MARY SUE IT MAKES ME WANNA PUNCH A WALL
IM CRAFTING Basically Bittersweet Candy Bowl's Lucy.
IM CRAFTING oh hi phandom
my friend had a Warriors oc named Darkgravity...
let me remind you, this is a series about cats living in the forest.
All my friends decided to write books. And yep, Mary Sue Land.
I kind of want to write a book/short story where these tropes are subverted:
"Sex pot" is actually Asexual (and/or the nerdiest person ever).
"Innocent Virgin" is not a virgin (it was consensual) and now she acts like she is to try to cover it up.
"Supposed Badass" is actually fairly timid, but some wacky accident happened and misinformed rumors made her seem like a badass, and her resting B-face does not help.
You know that last one kinda reminds me of Cassandra Pentaghast from Dragon Age. Now she is a badass, but she seems actually irritated by the exaggerations around her.
Inquisitor: Is it true you saved the Divine from a dragon attack?
Cassandra: It was one, and I had help.
Last one sounds like King from One Punch Man :D
The last one is literally the whole beginning plot of Shugo Chara
Oshiete Galko-chan did that pretty well apparently.
Patricia Estilo that's what I hear, yes
"Pretend that was sexy. I'm trying to make a point."
Actually, it kinda was.
Exactly what I was thinking and I'm a girl
More importantly, it did make the point very well.
Oh it made a point alright🤣
Not really but lmaooo
**bonk**
"I'm not like other girls, I listen to indie bands and wear their merch t-shirts."
One of my female character pet peeves (this is more for entertainment in general and not just books) is girls who are too overpowered. Some people think that in order for a woman to be strong she has to be rebellious or physically strong. Being strong doesn't just have to do with physical strength or being outspoken. A woman can be strong by staying true to her morals even if it inconveniences her. Being intelligent can also make a female character strong. The Authentic Observer explains this better than I did in her video about masculine female characters.
Avalasia Love the term you're looking for is Mary Sue
Avalasia Love I hate that too. Then there's also this constant need to defy female tropes that would make her look "weak".
I feel like in an effort to empower women it's actually an insult to women. Instead of celebrating and valuing what women can already bring to the table, it's actually telling us in order to be truly valued as a strong protagonist, we have to emulate the male hero archetype exactly. Be a flawless, indestructible fighting machine with no emotions or vulnerability. It's not actually challenging anything
VERONICA CHERUBINO+ This. I think a lot of people mistakenly assume that "strong female character" means "female man." What it really means is well-written, fleshed out, believable, and relatable with goals and a personality that includes desires, flaws, and strengths.
A strong female character can be physically weak, emotionally weak, or both. She can be vulnerable. She can be a damsel in distress. But she should be believable and well written.
It's what I strive to avoid in my current story. This noblewoman is perfectly fine with the prospect of an arranged marriage. She does not want adventure, events force her to take a trip alone though to save her relatives. All she has with her are her wits from being an avid book reader in a mostly illiterate world and the limited skill with a blade she has from sparring with her brother.
#12 the helpless Mary Sue who is always waiting for someone else to save her.
ThatGuyAnthony -_- Probably goes hand in hand with the Virgin if we're completely honest with ourselves
Yes!! They annoy me so much!
That reminds me of a character in a book I read. The book was called Frost, and it was actually the worst book I have ever read.
You do know that "helpless Mary Sue" is a oxymoron right?
>Helpless implying no perfect
>Mary Sue implying perfect
Princess peach, that useless fuck
"they're sexually inexperienced, not an infant" is such a powerful statement. I love it.
OMG YESSSSS or how about the female main character who's the stereotypical "strong female main character" who is so strong and independent because she does what is traditionally viewed as a man's job because GIRL POWER and FEMINISM, but she's completely uninteresting because she's too serious about trying to be taken seriously all the time.
Yeah, and those kind of characters sometimes tend to be complete jerks, too. Especially towards men. My mental health is already in danger everytime I hear about SJWs, I don't need one in the book I'm reading too.
I find the worst example of these are the "powerful lesbian who's still kinda hot" trope, which is almost exclusively written by men who find most women (irregardless of their sexual preference) intimidating, but still love to objectify them. At its heart this is based on a belief that a woman who excels at masculine pursuits must invariably be "mannish" in her sexual tastes. This is not actually supported by history (the two most powerful women I can name off the top of my head are Queen Victoria and Catherine the Great, and both were emphatically heterosexual!) and is unfair to both strong heterosexual women and to the less strident and aggressive members of the lesbian community!
Fucking. Exactly.
That's also called a Mary Sue.
Cathy North like Bella swon
I can't stand the overdone plot of making the only 2 female characters enemies simply because of petty jealousy. Like; "That girl is pretty? Oh hell no, I hate her. I should be the prettiest." Why not make girls friends instead?
livcaitbff Or hate each other for more substantial reasons.
I made my girl characters date each other.
You underestimate the power of petty jealousy. Plenty of people are enemies because of that.
Joshua Wagner Yeah, it may happen in real life but not nearly as often as in fiction. Plus it never happens with guys in fiction, even though I've seen a guy do this in real life. It's strictly a female trope and an overused one at that.
Hana, yes, that is also true. Both men and women can be, and often are, incredibly petty. And you are right, it is somewhat overused. My main point was that it seemed like the OP thought that being enemies because of petty jealousy was unrealistic. It may be silly, but it's not unrealistic.
"I'm not like other girls, I'm lazy."
As a girl, I can confirm that all females are 100% productive with the exception of that one character.
BaHaHaHa underrated comment
That's me, I'm that character
I think I was just given a Bella Swan description.
Yup. She's probably the worst female fictional character I've ever read about.
She started as a sane character then wtf?
Cue the lip and cheek-biting every 5 seconds....
@@nogenderjustlemon6671 my roommates played the second Twilight movie and I thought maybe it's not as bad as I remember. I could barely make it through the first twenty minutes. How needy is this girl!
@@rosegirl3220 Quite
Thank you so much for letting me feel like a good writer for 8 minutes and 57 seconds
DaBezz Same here!
DaBezz What about the extra 1 second? Did that 1 second make you feel like a horrible writer? Lol XD
Same, mate, same.
The Breakfast Club put it well :
"... each one of us is a brain... and an athlete... a basket case... a princess... and a criminal.
Does that answer your question?
Sincerely yours,
the Breakfast Club"
PhrontDoor favorite film!
True
#11 the girl with extreme anger issues who insults everybody yet everyone loves her
Strawberry Jamin That's basically Mal from Disney's Descendants. I hate her character sooo much
Anime Tsunderes anyone?
I hate that heroine too! Reminds me of Raven from Teen Titans (both original and the reboot).
As a girl with extreme anger issues who insults everybody I can tell you for sure, that it doesn't make everyone love you. Depending on the reasons for your anger issues it might sometimes spark respect though. Generally works better without the insults.
Aw, I never saw Raven like that. I feel that there is a very thin line between being blunt and being rude. I have a friend who is a very honest, kinda angry person. Sometimes, very true but possibly hurtful things just kinda slip out of her. I'm sure it's not meant to be hurtful and she always feels terrible whenever her bluntness does end up hurting somebody's feelings. I feel it's the same for Raven. On the other hand, there are characters such as Jess from "A long way down" by Nick Hornby who willingly hurts other people because she's constantly lashing out and never really feels sorry about it because, hey, she's sad and angry, why should anybody else be happy? There is the difference for me personally. Anyway.
“broken green eyes”
we be in a Harry Styles fanfiction loves sksk
isnt there that one where it's 1D in the Purge and one of them just like snatches a kid out of their room and they fall for each other or something
Abby x We be in an Age of Ultron fanfic
All I can think about is After, lmao.
I will subconsciously give every character I write green eyes and then when I reread I'm just like
'... o h'
Karsyn zzstu Beauchamp not based off, IS. It’s literally just the Fanfiction with the names changed.
"Not like the other girls" is one of my least favorites. I'm not even a girl and I'm infuriated. Usually, it's because she likes sports or eats hamburgers or doesn't wear makeup, but of course she's still skinny and traditionally beautiful because God forbid any girl who isn't skinny (or is "too skinny" (yes anorexia is a problem that people need to work on but some people are just naturally really skinny)) or generally isn't traditionally beautiful be seen as worth someone's romantic love. A lot of your typical straight guys (I know, not all) don't want girls to wear makeup, but they also don't like what most girls look like without makeup. They want a girl who can eat burgers like him but not get fat. They want a woman who isn't too into 'girly' things, but isn't better than them at their 'manly' things. It dehumanizes girls who are into 'feminine' things, as well as girls who are into 'masculine' things but don't look like models.
Mikey Malyne Right, I know Amy from Gone Girl is a total psychopath (Or is she a sociopath? I'm never sure.), but the Cool Girl bit... That's just the straight up truth.
Obviously, I'm not saying all men want Cool Girl, but many do and on the whole, it's the sort of societal pressure put on women today. (Obviously, also not saying only women experience societal pressure.)
I couldn't agree more. I get annoyed when I hear about everyone's "not like the others" person (whether male or female) because they are usually attractive, perfect people. Newsflash! That is only um, let's see... less than one half of the population! Grrrr.
Myrik Malyne !!!!
I don't like people who turn female characters into this "not like other girls", or when girls try to act like that in rl and just do "boy things". It feels so fake (usually), and they're trying to hide from their naturally biology.
Females are so confusing. a.a
Why specifically straight guys, first of all??? Second of all, she's usually not super skinny anymore, thanks to "fat acceptance" and all that. They use that just to make it more "relatable".
"She's not like other girls" "Yes! IM ACTUALLY A PEGUIN *rips face off* HAHA"
sorry.
I'd read that.
s s IM NOT A LADY,IM JEB
🤣🤣🤣
P
I really love what you said about virgin characters. Why do so many writers think lack of sex makes you innocent? You can be a 30 year old virgin who loves dirty jokes! It's a fictional character, they can be anything! Why make them boring?
WORD. I was a virgin until age 25, and I was laughing at porn parodies long before that. I was far less "innocent" than most non-virgins.
Right?? Like, you can be an avid masturbator and still be waiting for the right person, and honestly I think this is probably the reality of most people. And I totally agree with Lizzy comment on "far less innocent than most non-virgins", a lot of virgins are probably just keeping all their kinky ideas for the right someone that will make them feel happy and comfortable to do so.
Andie Kahl I'm definitely kinkier and have a dirtier mind than average, yet I'm a 20 year old virgin. The two really have no correlation!
Exactly! As a 19 year old virgin, I have an extremely dirty mind a lot of the time. They don't really go hand-in-hand but some people seem to think they do
Andie Kahl I agree. I was far from innocent when I was still a virgin. I had roamed every kink of the porn sites :D
Amen. I've been accused of writing "girl power" books because my female characters are interesting. It's weird.
I've never read your writing so I'm not accusing you of this, but a lot of writers do try to make "girl power" characters that are very one-dimensional, too perfect/uncomplicated/badass and it is its own issue.
@@Shudderetal Little Red Wolf by Paul Schumacher
WARNING: The female lead is a Redhead. Sorry.
“Accused”
Also, there is nothing wrong with writing a female character that's really feminine and doesn't like sports or fighting. That's fine! She just has to have likeable qualities and not be an airhead. She can be nurturing and girly and still be an awesome character. Not every girl has to be a badass. I know, shocking.
THANK YOU! My friend angeline (we met online) is writing a character who's a princess and was raised traditionally in the ways of a lady: Sweet-natured, polite, compassionate. She does, however, become more tactical and analytical as the story goes.
yeah, my favorite character of that category is sansa stark. she's feminine but strong in a different way. plus, she has some of the best character development I've ever seen.
Yeah, make her stab someone with her fabulous heels when they try to kill her, instead of just screaming like a little bitch and waiting for Prince Charming.
lol, something like that happens: my character is caught by assassins while embroidering, so she just stabs him in the hand with a needle enough to startle him and warn the others
two of my characters are like that. one was simply raised to be passive and sweet and to let people control her and make her decisions for her, and she couldn’t say what she wanted because she’s mute. however, she does become stronger throughout the story, but she does still try to be polite to everyone.
the other one is an assassin that protects the plans they make and data about others on a computer. she’s not really capable of fighting, but she’s much smarter than everyone in the group. she’s nurturing to younger children in the group because she wasn’t able to have her own, and she tries to help everyone understand what’s happening, and is well respected throughout the group.
maybe they’re horrible idk
The MC of Divergent. She's so dull I've forgotten her name and almost made the horrible mistake of saying Katniss from Hunger Games. That would have made the Internet tear into me like a pack of piranhas with mange
yes, I've found someone who doesn't like divergent!
It’s Tris
Yes! I knew I couldn't be the only one! Read it, hated her. Still don't know her name.
Donsmacker1 Beatris?? I dunno how to spell it. Tris for short tho.
Lol I renamed her like 10 times. Even went to the movie and forgot her name
She's not like other girls... she reads books. Every book ever.
Atha
OHHHH you mean Belle
deffdefying No. unlike belle, she has hands.
Belle who rides a fire breathing T-Rex with wings fighting Nazi Koalas!
to be fair: "The Fixer" is actually a very real persona. Doesnt mean they dont suck but they are very realistic, at least. XD
Ikr,I've felt in the past like I was able to fix someone,only to find that I get hurt in the end. If you're going to make it a lead female character, tell the story like it is instead of romanticising a woman who is trying to change someone she claims to love.
@@morganmiller5413 glad you made it out of that, unhealthy persona.
1 reason ppl believe they need to fix somebody is because its romanticised in every other story. So i agree 100% with you.
Agreed, I think the real issue is where its fantasized and depicted as something to strive for, I guess? Like it’s ok if they’re a fixer so long as it’s shown as the character flaw that it is or if it’s depicted as something to overcome
It's romanticized, is the problem. Instead of being seen as something damaging and harmful.
@@rebeccamartinez5886 exactly. In the movies the "fixer", who is usually a women in the end manages to fix her bad boy boyfriend into a nice guy.
First problem: In reality this happens 0 out of a 100 times.
Second problem: Even if it would work she would probably leave the "nice guy" she created in favor of another bad boy shen then tries to "fix" because, if she really wanted a nice guy she would have gotten one right away. Its not that those are a rarity. In fact the world is filled with single nice guys.
I want to write a book where all the characters are these women (except 11 obviously), and then one normal, well written, woman that is just confused why all these women are so strange and she's the protagonist.
I would read the shit out of this book.
That is the best book idea I have ever heard.
I'd read it
konosoba?????
My least favorite: the doormat, the "I'm a bad*ss until a man comes along then I need saving", and the one who disses her own gender because even she sees it as weak (usually an army general or something).
Yeah it fucking sucks. It doesn't really matter if you're feminine or masculine. It's only the way you act. There is no deeper meaning or any shame on being like that.
"Virginity and ignorance do not go hand in hand" THANK YOU! Finally someone realizes this! Jenna you are amazing!
*takes a bow*
"Every single boy in the story is in love with her"
Anime writers: *Starts sweating bullets*
My main character is somewhat of a fixer. She's more of a healer. He's not a beast, he's not violent or abusive, he's more hurt and fearful. He actually has a problem with being a doormat, simply because he was never really allowed to make a decision for himself. I wanted to write it like this, because I'm trying to show the change that being aware of yourself and of other people can make in a relationship.
Katelyn Marsh I think that's different ^^
Katelyn Marsh Yeah that's totally fine if you can pull it off.
Katelyn Marsh agree
Still absolutely awful. There'd be no reason for anyone to get in a relationship with someone like that in the first place. You should stop wasting your time on that, go read books by Brandon Sanderson and you might see how to write good stories.
Katelyn Marsh there isn't anything wrong with that. Couples are supposed to be a team. It's a give and take situation which shoes that she cares about him for him and not for herself. Keep up the good work!
I'm not like other girls... I have green eyes. But not just green eyes, *Apple green eyes*
"Most girls would kill to go out with me"
"*Well, Im not like most girls*"
Ashley Santillana
No, her eyes ARE apples
Yeah? My eyes are also green... *Emerald Green.*
Ash Is Borb apple green sparkly eyes with a vanilla scent.
Common, just be REALISTIC.
I hate when writers are doing this.
Strong and independent girl
But then meets handsome guy and become useless
Nice (sarcasm for who don't understand)
Every shoujo anime/manga ever
The pretty girl who thinks she's ugly has so much potential in addressing genuine character development and addressing issues like crippling body disorphia but sadly it's usually wasted on exactly what you just said
Right!! Exactly my thoughts!
#12, the female MC that's actually a male character (and no, she's not transgender nor does she have any gender identity issues). She is *so* physically strong and ambitious and status-driven that you wonder if she has been taking testosterone since childhood...until she meets "the guy" and then she's a withering sex-addled idiot.
Jennifer K I see that a lot. It drives me crazy.
Is that a trap
I personally actually really enjoy hypermasculine female characters in my stories, but yeah if they're reduced to a bland love interest because of "the guy" then that story can go choke.
That is the worst - appears in at least 50% of Rom-Coms.
This is why I find the main character of one of my favorite books so great. She's super strong and independent and instead of becoming submissive to the guy he encourages her to stay wild. She still has her feminine qualities but she'd rather fight for herself rather than let others take the front lines.
This is a controversial one; The All-Empowering Heroine. She's the adventurous heroine of the story who is somehow physically, mentally and emotionally ready for every obstacle in life. She's athletic, smart, strong, classy, feisty, always knows what to say in every situation, but always looks pretty. She's essentially flawless inside and out. I love strong women in literature; but kicking ass isn't the only way to give a woman strength. She may be trying to overcome injustice in the world but who cares? She's equipped in every way possible to overcome it so why should we care if she wins or loses? Give us something to relate to; give her flaws and vulnerabilities. Make her imperfect; so it's more believable when she's doing something badass. When she fights to overcome her imperfections, it will make her character more empowering. Sorry, rant over.
The kind of character you just described is literally the definition of a Mary Sue and yeah trust me a ton of people hate that trope.
Your list read like a summary for Rey in Force Awakens.
I don't care reading about this character if she's flawed but often the writer makes her virtually perfect and the only sign of her being human is her saying she's flawed or something
My brain hurts when comming across these sort of characters. Mostly because other characters mustbecome uncharacteristically inferior to her
N Slater I was just thinking about her when I read this. It seems like to pander to the masses they make the female characters always perfect and can kick ass easily even with chicken legs
Please do worst male character pet peeves!
Yes!
Seconded!
Personally, my #1 male pet peeve is the popular guy who all the women fight over, because in the world of fiction all women have the same taste in men. In real life if my friends and I were fighting over guys it was always because we were fighting over which guys we thought were hot and which ones were ugly, and we often didn't agree at all.
THIRD!!!!
fourth!
Edward Cullen!
This is so accurate... wattpad needs to take notes 😂😂😂😂 Loved this video!!!!
Ikr,Wattpad has some good books,but you have to do a lot of searching through a lot of generic, crappy books, first before finding something that makes you say ,"How is this not popular". I hate it cause the popular ones are way worse than anything I've ever written,and beyond mainstream.
Morgan Miller and then the really popular ones get traditionally published even though they’re extremely crappy and all the ones that are actually good get left in the dust.
Any recommendations? I need to fill my library, and cant find anything interesting (looking for fantasy, dystopian, and supernatural books). c:
@@hopeslover6778 I'm writing a fantasy! It's called "Fairytale: A story of Royals, Demons, and Coffee". Only 3 parts are out so far though. User: Lilli_Pop
@@c00kie18 Cool I will check it out
If you think female characters in books can be bad you should take a look at anime. Trust me it's really bad.
Animal101 No, fanfiction is worse. So much worse.
God, so true.
Anime fanfictions?
ShojoBro No. Regular fanfiction. If you read one with a female OC love interest, things can go downhill *real* quick.
Sophia Iain'ttellingyoumylastname
Lol, it was a joke, because they both said anime and fanfiction, you know. I know my sense of humor is crap haha
Honestly, the two worst type in my opinion:
-Women who are overly dependent on their crush and will often form a love triangle.
-Girls in anime which constantly scream or get angry for dumb reasons.
3.14159265358979323846 26433832795028841 agree couldnt of said it better myself
BAKA!
Depend what anime you are watching
Just had to LOL at the second one...because it seems to happen A LOT.
To continue with the "girls in anime opinion"- almost every female character falls
Probably the worst instance of the "i'm not like other girls" stereotype is from the emoji movie. The girl character is so busy fussing over not being like those other girls because she doesn't want to be a girly stereotype, she forgets that the not like other girls girl is in it of itself a girl stereotype.
"She’s not like other girls" meets "He’s not like other guys" in "This is not like other stories"... show, don't tell.
"These aren't your silver screen vampires," says the occult detective, taking a long drag on his cigarette. "These ones are very, very real."
And then he goes on to describe vampires based entirely on vampire movies the author had seen a decade ago and misremembered, with maybe one or two edgy little twists of his own.
My least favourite type of female character is the 'token feminist'. It's not necessarily because it's the most grotesque stereotype of women, but because it's the one I see most often in otherwise quite well-written fiction.
This is most common in, but not exclusive to, historical novels set in an era before gender equality. Writer writes a story full of varied and interesting male characters and a few fairly bland female characters, realises what they've done, and then chucks in one female character who just happens to be a perfect blend of foxy, badass, and with anachronistic beliefs about the social justice and gender equality, which lead her to rebel against the male characters in power by making sarcastic comments (usually suffering no consequences for this rebellion).
The problem is it lacks any kind of nuance, is generally quite transparent in intention, and sticks out like a sore thumb in its historical/cultural setting. I love it when writers make the effort to empower women and make them interesting in ways which don't shatter the illusion of authenticity. Not a book, but I think the TV series 'Rome' on HBO struck a really good balance in this respect.
That's a good point. I remember someone once ask George R Martin how he makes such intriguing female characters and he just answers that he has always seen women as people... I think what people don't understand is that gender shouldn't define who your character is, only how the world reacts to them given the context, as you mentioned a medieval set for example.
In George R Martin's book, Cersei for example is as hungry for power as any other character in the book, the only difference she faces being a woman is the fact a king has more power than a queen in a medieval set, and she's not pleased with that considering her character and personality.
I think if people want more interesting and realistic characters they should look for human behaviour in general, greed and power thirst is not something exclusive to men, it's just that in a patriarchal arrange it will get more obvious, if you put a female politician in the same position of a male politician, they have the same chances of being corrupted. You can have greedy queens in the same proportion as you can have greedy kings, because being greedy is a human behaviour trait, and in this given context, It's only about who has more opportunities for this trait to bloom stronger.
Ethan Knightley Agreed. It always kind of annoyed me when people set movies in older times and have the women be modern ass-kicking feminists. I'm not saying a woman couldn't be outspoken or strong or whatever before, but I doubt she would have shunned every single social convention of the time. Cersei is a great example because she's powerful, but in a way women were powerful in that time period.
One of Martin's female empowering character in The World of Ice and Fire is Nymeria, and she's worth checking out too. She lost her home to the dragon lords and had to flee to Dorne with her people, and they went from one destroyed land to another war-torn territory. And so, Nymeria just did what was needed, allied with House Martell through marriage and set on a streak of stabilizing Dorne by subduing the other houses. Two years after her husband was killed, she made the men responsible kneel before her. The interesting thing is, when you boil it all down, Nymeria was not thrown into the story that way, but was the product of her circumstances. She was not an almighty badass female who won streaks after streaks, but someone bruised and scarred from the countless battles she had to force herself into. It's about as much as can be elaborated from a background book like The World of Ice and Fire, but damn Martin nails it. Plot shapes characters, characters shape plot, and the whole thing feel natural.
On the flip side, we can see, say, Margaery Tyrell fully embodying and displaying feminine traits, but was at no point weak or dominated. She possesses her own cunning and ambition, and had the soft approach to power through marriages, alliances and sweet words. She is a powerful presence without ever having to raise her voice or take up a sword to stab a man. We could feel it, the way she gains her ground in the game of thrones. Again, it is the character-plot relationship working in harmony for the progress of the story
Agree so much! I feel like the really frustrating thing about this trope is how weak it makes every other woman look. If all you had to do to buck the norms of patriarchal society was stamp your foot and be 'sassy,' male-dominated societies would have been a thing of the past long ago. The reason most women conformed to norms that seem blatantly oppressive to modern eyes is because (1) they internalized them and (2) breaking those norms had freaking CONSEQUENCES, like physical violence or being left in desperate poverty
Infinite Brain Coral Void Terribly late to the party (as usual) but you guys are awesome! I'm a history student and nearly every historical novel I've ever come across has that type of female character (often the protagonist). It seems like those writers, who do all that historical research, completely forget about things like history of ideas. They give medieval characters 21st century mentalities and it just doesn't work. Most people in medieval times didn't even consider feudalism an injustice. Rights language only really came up during the Enlightenment and it wasn't applied to women before Wollstonecraft entered the stage.
Also, those "token feminists" imply that a character can only be strong by acting "like a man" (whatever that means). I mean, characters like Éowyn from Lord of the Rings are badass, but picking up a sword is not the only way to be badass. If we stick with that book for a second, the real hero of that story is Sam - and he's a sodding gardener. His strengths are things like loyalty, endurance, and kindness. He truly has what we call strength of character. And guess what, he hardly ever fights. (Sure, male example, but it does show that there are different types of strength and that the most significant need not be the most obvious.)
Oh, and I must say, I completely disagree with anyone who considers A Song of Ice and Fire misogynistic. If there's one thing Martin really excels at it's writing complex and realistic characters. Sure, his female characters often get treated badly, but have you seen what he does to his male characters? He's equally cruel to everyone. Also, I can't think of a single female character of his that displays that stereotypical irrational, overly emotional behaviour we see so often. Like, the fact that Cersei's a mother greatly influences what she does, but she never acts simply out of maternal instinct. It's defining that she's a woman and a mother, but it's not the only thing that defines her.
My pet peeve is the Strong Independent Woman who "don't need no man". Except she very obviously does need help from a man, but still retained her "Don't Need No Man" mentality
___
This is exceptionally cringy when she needs to learn to play nice with the other kiddies AKA team up
Nothing wrong with not being a team player. Being one is so overrated in our society anyway, that it can be pretty annoying for all of us who would rather work alone, or simply cannot work well with others due to mental handicaps.
This is exactly it! There is a thing called biology and women can't do everything better than men. Those 3rd wave feminists in books are literally the worst bitches and somehow all the other characters still treat them like God. No! Never managed to finish such a thing
What the fuck are you talking about?
Actually if this is just gonna be some anti-feminist bullshit don't answer that question.
Melissa I feel you. It kind of gives a lot of backwards messages. Not to mention, I don't really like the whole "don't need no man" type of character because it feels more like pandering rather than an actual character. I like a lot of types of characters in general, but this character type feels like overcompensation.
Well, I don't think feminist or anti-feminist arguments are bullshit. Both sides can make good points and bad points, and I judge each one on a case-by-case basis.
Technically, #5 is justifiable, but only if you make it clear that she's spent her entire life having to do whatever everyone else wants her to because of legitimate reasons (incredibly controlling family, former slave/servant, cursed to follow everyone's orders like Ella Enchanted, just some logical reasoning), but by the end of the story, they actually start making decisions for themselves. Basically, if the point of their story is to make them overcome their passive nature, that's perfectly fine.
Prophetic Prose ok but Ella wasn't passive at all, she would disobey orders however she could
"I'm not like other girls" proceeds to destroy her exoskeleton to reveal an alien body
Let's be honest though, everyone is sexier when they're reading.
Corylus Bluefox that was the one that got me. Sex pot who binge reads till 3 am.
*looking at myself* No, not everyone
"Cough" Bella "Cough"
Oliver Fachiri mwahahahahahahaha truth
Yessssss true😂👍
Bella very specifically was not meant to have a character. So she's more of a blank slate than anything
I dislike it when people hate on a gentler/ softer female character when she is actually perfectly fine within the story. Something about it just makes me sad, cuz I feel the character will get underappreciated.
I know it's annoying when this happens in stories and a lot of female characters act like googley-eyed dear who have to be saved all the time (especially in anime) but not all soft female characters are bad. The character can be particularly overshadowed if there is another character in the show that is female and is more brazen/bold.
for some reason i am reminded strongly of naruto... hinata and sakura
The problem is that soft female characters when they ARE used are either children, mothers, or their softness is overplayed in situations that don't make sense - like making them horrendously ignorant or naive, often overly teary with no real purpose in the plot to be anything but a plot device to make you feel bad for someone ELSE, or at the mercy of some sexual predator who's supposed to be their love interest. Anime definitely has a problem with this, no doubt, and YA tends to straight up ignore it. The only times I've seen it ever decently used was when she was a physically strong fighter and when you found it, it did become important but initially served as humour.
Well some of my favorite characters are actually gentle females who (strangely enough!!!) serve a purpose and contribute with amazing badassery like everyone else like Hazel Levesque from Heroes of Olympus and Akane Tsunemori from Psycho Pass (anime)
If only all people put in the effort to give life to their characters instead of just trying to meet a quota of ‘diverse’ character tropes
"Hi I’m Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way."
U brought back a scary memory
Why was this my 14 year old self...
I just noticed you put dementia lol
No pls
LMAO
Why can't we just have a have a lead female character who is a moderately beautiful person and she is perfectly fine with how she looks. She also knows and acknowledges her personal flaws and makes an effort to work on them whenever she can (but doesn't whine about it). Because she knows who she is she is okay with it and in that, she finds confidence to go about her daily routine before the "call to action," comes around and once she accepts she can overcome her obstacles by being 100% herself and not fake and grows as a character by working on those self-flaws throughout the journey as well as kicking ass and teaching those around her a lesson, both good guys and bad guys. (Notice how this story can work with or without romantic shit shaping her actions.)
If you have noticed some Heroines like this, please do share. There need to be more.
Example: Katniss Everdeen
If you swap "female" for "male" you've got the plot to all the french and middle high German Arthurian novels of the middle ages. I so hope for some genderswapped versions.
Julie Swank
I’d say Ginny Weasley fits there.
@@arandomuser9459 too bad they didn't show that in the movies 😢
RIP book Ginny's personality
Oohh! This is an opportunity to share one of my favorite books that basically no one has heard about! Anywho, it's called The Cure For Dreaming, and I think the main character fits pretty well into that category. She's not a doormat, but she's not like over-the-top fiesty either. Also it takes place in 1900 and a big part of the main plot is the whole suffrage movement, which is a bonus because 1. it's a good feminist book, and 2. historical fiction is underrated.
The book has some supernatural elements but it's not like horror or in your face, it's an important part of the plot, but I feel like that sort of stuff is like 0 or 100 with no in-between, and this book was a nice change from that.
Anyway, I kind of got carried away lol, sorry, I just think more people should hear about it
ToastyMarshmallow
IKR. Totally ruined her character and one of my main complaints about the movies.
My version:
10: The teen bully girl.
9: The girl with extreme anger issues who insults everybody yet everyone loves her. Exception: if she is obviously always joking, and nobody takes offense to the joking insults, nor are they meant to.
8: "Not like other girls."
7: The neurotic mother.
6: The badass who isn't actually a badass.
5: Evil older woman.
4: "Cute" stalker.
3: The woman whose entire personality begins and ends with "sex."
2: The strong woman who manages to get kidnapped anyway.
1: The surface-level feminist. The type that complains about stereotypes but fails to address them in any meaningful way.
I swear to god, I see these everywhere
So I can’t use an older woman that’s evil...damn ?
You meant the aggressively extremist kind of feminist...right? You know, the ones who treat other people, especially males, like if they were below them.
Sorry, it just bothers me that this is the first think that comes to someone's mind when talking about feminism.
Amàlia Robo Nah, he means any woman who doesn’t end up subjugating herself to the master gender. Because at base he hates women.
You can replace 1 with Mary Sue as that’s all feminists seem to be able to create
My worst female character pet peeve is the "quiet girl who get's picked on for seemingly no reason" Character. Okay, she's bullied, why? Because she's quiet? NO! Give her a REAL CONCRETE reason for why she is bullied. On the other end of the spectrum is the "shallow popular girl who bullies others for NO reason". Again why? Because she can? NO! You need a real concrete reason!
Yin Yang in rl ppl dont need a reason to bully ppl.
i legit got bullied because i wouldnt talk to anyone -_- so yes that character exist for good reasons
bc characters like that are real and it lets ppl like me relate to them.someone whos never been through something like that wouldnt be able to relate to a character like that.
like i could understand if you were talking about the extremly shy character that wont talk and everyone thinks there cute when thats not real but as for the other i disagree
I legit got bullied just for being quiet. Kids will bully each other for ANYTHING. That's pretty realistic. I dunno what kind of school experience you had/are having.
Have you seen the new show called "Riverdale"? You'd really hate it
people will get bullied for existing bud
People get bullied for anything. Kids are assholes it's not anything new
I swear Cassandra Clare watched your videos and wrote her book series just to piss you off! 😝
And Anna Todd 😂
Well, her books did start out as badly written Harry Potter fanfiction.
Sarah mass too lmao
@@morganmiller5413 FACTS!
These pet peeves are the reasons why I stopped reading young adult novels when I was in middle school and high school. Well, why I hardly read in general. The books I read just have one dimensional female leads that make it harder for me to finish a book. Especially when it involves a love triangle when the female lead isn't all that interesting. GOD DO I HATE THOSE.
Crystal for me YA novels have no middle ground. Twilight wannabes are utter shit. But The Tethered Mage and Story Thief are two recent YA novels that I fricken love. Also Rick Riordan's new Apollo chronicles.
I also hate those "love stories" where all the men seem to fall in love with a one-dimensional character just for the sake of a "love story." If she's so special to get that many people to love her, shouldn't she be...I dunno...at least a little bit interesting?
The issue is romance/no character books which are prevalent in adult fiction as well- or any genre covering up the fact the characterization and plot are woefully lacking. My issue stems from one dimensional characters as a whole and why I enjoy stories with grey and complex characters and situations. I don't want to read a popular-fad story because I can normally pick up the exact same story with different coloured contact lenses.
Anything by the Bronte sisters should help with that.
"How is she not like other girls? Does she have a tail?" LOL! I loved this video! 😂
Ironically, mine does. :)
You forgot the character that is a nervous reck around her hot crush
Meh Meh Omg so much cringe!😂😂😂😂😂
That's actually me in real life 😅😂
That always really annoys me. Most girls are usually quite casual around their crushes, considering they're usually acquainted already. I actually had a problem where I was quite mean to a guy I fancied.
You're so right
Meh Meh So... me?
2:31
Jenna: does she have a hobby?
Subtitles: _breeding, perhaps?_
thanks RUclips
Species was a pretty good movie.
As a male writer I have one word to say.
PREACH!!!!!
She's not like other girls; she goes to Starbucks.
uncomfortable
EVERY girl goes to Starbucks...
Nah fam, Dutch bros is where it's at
Nocktuk Daze clearly you dont know what sarcasm is
Nocktuk Daze r/whooosh
The strong, independent girl is a character I absolutely hate. Like the overly badass, confident male hero, it's overdone and yet praised as "fresh and original". Sigh...
I absolutely hate the "damsel in distress" who needs everyone to save her... and usually everyone does. These girls have no personality, they just keep messing things up then inevitably crying until everyone forgives her. She always gets herself into trouble, and it's the jobs of everyone else to save her. Oh, and she always has to be in the center of attention.
Yes, I'm speaking of Scarlett from the Scorched series by Mari Mancussi. The mc was amazing, but this particular side character made my blood boil.
Christina barfoot *cough cough* Elena Gilbert *cough cough*
Cough cough sakura haruno
@@asri1361 I used to hate her caharcter so much. And the fact that she and Sasuke got together in the end always got to me like what??? I thought the whole show was to show how these two characters should not be together (I thought Sasuke would be single and Sakura would maybe end up with lee or someone else... or be single too, but no) i don't dislike her as much now but I never liked how she spoke with her fists a lot and just seemed overly unnecessarily violent at times.
@@asri1361 she really did have potential, but ugh. She could be so mean at times and she had this whole obsession with Sasuke who had serious issues and clearly did not like her for most of the show. I wish he had written her character better.
I really liked Hinata though because she had a reason to like naruto and she really cared about him. She was shy but also had a very strong moments. Plus naruto was never mean to her (I still have no idea why he like Sakura at one point or why Sakura managed to like Sasuke despite how rude he was... and the amount of angst he radiated... I liked Sasukebecause of the real amount of crap he went through and the caharcter growth he made, but not with Sakura. Just no. I really did not think they'dend up together. I thought Sakura would grow up and realize that Sasuke was just not good for her....)
One of my other favorite female characters was tsunade. I loved her. She was a very complex character and you see the reasoning behind how she acted. I seriously used to find myself wishing Sasuke would grow a new pair of pants and Sakura would disappear or grow up....
@@africandaughter3110 nah hinata wasnt any better, hell i think the only character who is as bad as sakura is hinata. I could honestly go on abt it but i dont have the time, tsunade isnt any better either. Kishimoto is shit at writing feelases and side characters
"She's a baddass! But she's not ACTUALLY a baddass."
Read: Ginny freaking Weasley.
Ginny Weasley is straight up the "Not like other girls" troupe. Cho is portrayed as whiny and too much of a crier. Fleur is "pretty", but she gets bashed by Ginny and Molly for being "snobby", because... ? Fleur is basically bashed for being beautiful, even though it's J.K.'s fault she didn't give Fleur a personality to begin with. Tonks is "quirky" and then gets sad because "Lupin won't return my affections uwu", instead of being depressed because of her cousin's death or there's a freaking WAR going on. J.K. is given too much credit for "strong female characters" even if there's only like, two.
Ginny was a badass in the book
Luna, Mcgonagall and the Black sisters (Andromeda, Bellatrix and Narcissa) are probably the only female character that I like.
@Someone yo fr bro
@@espressopatronum1271 Also Lily Potter and Molly Weasley. I think they're pretty underrated especially they're two of the best and bravest fictional mother.
I'm not like other girls . . . I don't have a physical body
MissStoryTelling well I don’t have a physical body as well so um…lol
So, your Cortana from halo?
How to write a strong female character:
1. Write a strong character.
2. See step 1.
Eh thats a garbage advice
Exactly I hate weak women. I also hate it when people think that a strong women means a physically strong women. I mean that’s cool too but she can be strong in so many different ways.
@@wildeskompositum9556 see below. It’s the best advice. Just write a string character the gender doesn’t come into it.
I now want to write a story about a girl who comes across a cyborg in desperate need of repair and is literally determined to fix him.
I like problematic characters, but the *right* kind of problematic... Ya know what I'm saying?
These videos are very helpful, I'm writing a fantasy story and _need_ this help.
Speaking of evil older women. I went back to one of the first stories I wrote and did some character development. The villain was an evil older woman, for no reason. Turns out, after a bit of digging and development, because of class struggles and an unfortunate childhood, her "evil" actions actually came from working to overthrow the aristocracy and creating a marxist revolution. I know which version I prefer 😂
She sounds good now
She's like reverse Ayn Rand
maryplethora Awesome!
Sounds like you have a talent for creating detestable villains.
When you look at lot of 'evil princesses", they were never rescued. Well here I come.
omg I feel the same way. I feel like alot of the time many writers don't know how to write female characters? they think that being hot and owning a gun is a personality trait lol. I also feel like many male writers just like writing female characters in a way that fits their perfect male fantasy or whatever and don't worry about making the female characters complex or fully developed like you said.
ps I hate when characters say they "aren't like other girls" it's so annoying. I feel that you can embrace your own characters individuality without putting down/making fun of other girls. I mean it WOULD be terrible if every female character had the same personality (obviously) but the writer doesn't need to make fun of other girls because the other girls like "traditional teen girl things." I hope that makes sense haha
I agree with what you said, especially about the "she's not like other girls". You took the words right out of my mouth 😂.