The high expectations of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl on regular women

During quarantine, I've tapped into a rich stream of entertainment, that being the abundance of romantic comedies or how we like to call it rom-coms. I was not someone who liked watching romantic comedies considering I'm not a frim believer on the idea of love, especially soulmate inducing love. But due to the dry run of my favourite shows, I sat down and tried to watch some rom-coms. One thing that stood out to me instantly was the girl protagonist. She would be this Mary Sue character, a character who is unrealistically flawless, with her only purpose being to fix the male protagonist's problem and making him a better person.

It should be taken into consideration that these are just movies and shouldn't be taken seriously as they're superficial pieces of entertainment, but there is also the opinion that the media plays a signifivant role in shaping our young generation's mind so it is a topic that has to be discussed. The Manic Pixie Dream girl is objective in every movie. She is this untouchable beauty who falls away from the generic idea of a girly girl and becomes the reason why the protagonist feels something other than the emotion they are usually fighting against in the movie. Some movies use this idea very well like the 'Perks of being a Wallflower' and even '500 days of summer' as it shows the deconstruction of this troupe.

The Manic Pixie Dream girl is usually a temporary character and it logically makes sense as perfection contains no depth. Having a perfect character doesn't make storytelling exciting as they have no problems or milestones to achieve. This doesn't make them interesting enough characters to be present till the end of the film's duration. Their sole purpose is to be the ones that show the downtrodden hero the benefits of life and the spontaneity of personal interests. Every rom com I had seen had shown this troupe and at first I really didn't mind it but as more movies surfaced I took to the internet to find out why this troupe was so significant.

The idea of the Manic Pixie Dream girl is significant in rom coms as they are pieces designed to induce positive emotions and capitalise on the idea of love. Rom coms depend on the Manic Pixie Dream girl because they show the protagonist experiencing happy endings. It preys on human's innate need for happy endings and satisfying conclusions. Our society is based like that too. We as a society gave birth to the American dream or the broad idea of success where the end goal is to be so successful that comfort is the only objective as the person ages into retirement. We crave happy endings and rom coms are st0ries that achieve this in a way that is accessible to us. The Manic Pixie Dream girl is necessary for this. She is a two dimensional character that exists to pull the protagonist out of his trough that was previously designed for them to fall into a rabbit hole of negativity. She shows him the correct, more brightly lit way of life . But alongside this rom coms troupe, an increase of high expectations for women and the dating life they experience had differing effects.

This came to my attention when my friend had talked about a disaster date where a guy was hounding onto her to make him a better person with no security of the future in the relationship. This idea that females are there for the sole purpose of making the man a better individual is very toxic and can lead to horrible relationships. We've all had exes that make us cringe and boil in anger and this troupe is to blame sometimes for that damage. The Manic Pixie Dream girl is a troupe that is very prominent in films but it can also something that viewers find exciting even with the plot's repetitiveness. There has been a significant rise in women feeling inadequate to men's expectations because of the high standards of the Manic Pixie Dream girl and many men have also talked about their ideal type being closer to Sam Feehan (Natalie Portman) in 'Garden State' than actual women. It could be argued that Sam's epilepsy differentiated her from the troupe but her problems are not given much significance compared to the male protagonist. This sets a really high expectation for women to meet and if that wasn't a challenging feat initially there is a slight inferiority given to women's problems as shown by these movies, They don't exist or are not significant enough compared to the men's problems.

You can tell where I'm going with this. The disregard for women and their problems has introduced many relationships that are so toxic that young adolescents cannot distinguish between the rights and wrongs within a relationship. I remember reading an interview from the Euphoria star, Jacob Elordi, and how he was horrified that teenage girls were idolizing him and his relationship in the show. He commented on how it was supposed to warn rather than encourage these types of behaviours. Euphoria is a show that has a massive following and rightfully so, with compelling plot and amazing actors but there is a good thing that comes from the show. The girls actually have their own problems and the relationships are purposefully toxic because they show the downsides of a presumed image of women in men's heads that makes them want to achieve that in their women even if that means breaking them to down to empty shells. This is seen in the relationship of Nate x Maddy where it is a game of push and pull, of jealousy, lies and deception. The relationship is purposefully toxic, according to the writers. But the thing I noticed about this relationship was that Nate wanted a certain type of girl and he was trying to get that from Maddy, going as far as manipulating her to get his work done.

This is a dangerous boundary to set for young adolescents, both boys and girls. The Manic Pixie Dream girl ideology diminishes women's personalities into plot pieces and it is slightly worrying considering the media is the biggest form of gaining knowledge in the 21st century. Even with shows that have female protagonists, these women are subjected to the manic pixie dream girl image to be considered for public consumption. shows like 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' and even Disney shows like Hannah Montana and Lizzie McGuire promote this Manic Pixie Dream girl image. It tells girls from a young age that they're supposed to be inspiring individuals without an ounce of negativity in their personality and when they do something that falls out of this troupe like caring for themselves or not being nice and submissive, they view themselves as antagonist. As a female with both male and female friends, I have noticed a trend where women are quiet and observant whereas boys are expected to be boisterous and confident. Although, the recent generation are breaking this mold, that old ideology is reflected in many cultures that enforce it upon women.

The antagonising has led to lower confidence levels and therefore less satisfying dating lives. One thing we can do to moves away from the Manic Pixie Dream genre is introduce shows and movies that give women substances, a purpose that isn't male driven or male supported. The show 'Anne with an E' does this very well with its roots in history but still tackling major modern issues. Some of you will probably remember the iconic phrase, " A skirt is not an invitation", which reflected the feminist nature of the show. It focuses on Anne as a character and doesn't use her as a plot device for the show. I personally love this show because it shows the true light of feminism without being too overbearing and explaining the real purpose of a feminist avoiding the misunderstandings. Shows like this will boost women's confidence and wouldn't pigeonhole them with the expectations of the Manic Pixie Dream girl. It would benefit us to lead a better future where women are more accepted as they are and aren't fit into little objective boxes that are not applicable to everyone.

The Manic Pixie Dream girl troupe is a celebrated troupe in cinema and it isn't hard to see why. But in the spirit of the ever changing society, maybe it is time to retire that troupe before it affects our coming generations.