A Feminist Take on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl

In media, film, and literature, there are many tropes and archetypes that people gravitate to in order to fulfill their entertainment satisfaction. While these tropes are not inherently “bad” there are some tropes that focus on a side of life that can be harmful to society. This is where the “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” comes in.

What is the Manic Pixie Dream Girl?

The term “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” was coined by film critic, Nathan Rabin, who describes the trope as a character who “exists solely […] to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures” (Rabin). In other words, the whole idea of the cliché is that a man needs a woman to transform their lives and themselves to become the best version of who they are. The main purpose of this narrative is to inspire a greater appreciation however, this trope brings in stereotypes and consequences. There are many examples of this trope in movies and literature. In order to understand the idea behind the manic pixie dream girl, it is important to know the examples:

Beauty and the Beast (1991) is a classic Disney movie that uses the trope. By using Nathan Rabin’s description of what a manic pixie dream girl is, we can dive into how this Disney film plays with the trope. The two main characters, Belle and the Beast have several qualities that follow the trope. Belle is described as a book-loving, independent woman who does not need a man, nevertheless, a misogynistic, stereotypical man like Gaston in her life. Her character traits also follow the popular saying of “not like other girls” as she is characterized by her village as being different than the rest through the song of “Belle”. The Beast is described as brooding and throughout the movie, he seems to think he has no purpose in life until Belle shows him the way.

(500) Days of Summer (2009) follows a similar storyline as the main character, Tom, “finds new meaning in life when he meets Summer Finn” (Donahue). While this movie is different in the sense that it follows the story of Tom and his unrealistic expectations of life and love rather than a love story between a quirky girl and a brooding prince, these false expectations are what make Summer the manic pixie dream girl. Throughout the movie, Summer’s character is tinted by how Tom views her as a means to an end. She is there to give life new meaning, but her character is never developed as being anything other than a tool to help Tom. (500) Days of Summer (2009) explicitly highlights the real problem with the trope as it demonstrates the harmful idea that women exist to help men change. This brings up the question of what other attributes of the cliché also bring in societal consequences and expectations regarding gender and sex.

The Effects of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl on Society

The media does a great job of being a catalyst for societal norms and stereotypes to continue growing. The manic pixie dream girl cliché is one that upholds those societal norms, especially ones regarding gender and sex. When it comes to stereotypes, society has based sex and gender to be the same and has added tangible items to correlate whether they are meant for “girls” or for “boys”. Girls are often described to be submissive, kind, and supportive to their male counterparts while boys are rough, powerful, and intelligent which follows the idea that men are superior to women. Gender roles are influenced by these characteristics that are placed on all genders and sexes. How do gender roles play a part in creating cliches like the manic pixie dream girl and how are they harmful to society?

Laurie Penny speaks on the phenomenon of the manic pixie dream girl and the consequences stereotype-driven cliches do to society: “Men grow up expecting to be the hero of their own story, [while] women grow up expecting to be the supporting actress in somebody else’s” (Penny). She explains an important part of how stereotypes affect the mentality of kids because what they see in the media is what they believe society should be like. The manic pixie dream girl highlights various stereotypes and gender norms that make women believe that in order for a man to value them, they must support them and help men fulfill their destiny.

How the MPDG Trope is Used Without Adding to Harmful Stereotypes

The main problem with the manic pixie dream girl trope is that it lacks in giving the female characters any chance of growth, nor does it recognize the harm that having a storyline where the man only grows because of woman to young children: “Rabin would later disown the term because instead of creating awareness of the ‘lack of independent goals in female characters, the concept was misunderstood as a condemnation of ALL quirky and fun female characters” (TV Tropes). Instead of dismantling the trope itself, movies, literature, etc. should begin to find ways to include the trope but also show the character development of both the male and female characters. There are many ways to utilize the trope without adding to the gender roles and stereotypes society has placed on genders. (500) Days of Summer (2009) is told through the perspective of Tom, but what would happen if it would have been told from the perspective of Summer? The overall meaning would change; however, the trope could still be used to talk about the bigger issue at hand. As viewers, it is important to acknowledge when the media is portraying harmful stereotypes. By understanding how tropes can play a role in changing the way society views marginalized groups, we can help to dismantle the patriarchal view of society and make it more inclusive for all groups of people.

Works Cited

Donahue, Anne T. “14 Classic Manic Pixie Dream Girls.” Classic Pixie Dream Girls Movies, https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2015/08/92086/classic-pixie-dream-girls.

“Manic Pixie Dream Girl.” TV Tropes, https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ManicPixieDreamGirl.

Penny, Laurie. “Laurie Penny on Sexism in Storytelling: I Was A Manic Pixie Dream Girl.” New Statesman, 10 June 2021, https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/06/i-was-manic-pixie-dream-girl.

Rabin, Nathan. “The Bataan Death March of Whimsy Case File #1: Elizabethtown.” The A.V.

Club, The A.V. Club, 23 Aug. 2017, https://www.avclub.com/the-bataan-death-march-of-

whimsy-case-file-1-elizabet-1798210595.

Schwyzer, Hugo. “The Real-World Consequences of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl Cliché.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 28 July 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/07/the-real-world-consequences-of-the-manic-pixie-dream-girl-clich-233/277645/.