Hello nerdy and non-nerdy friends! My name is Sofia and I love reading books. After talking about the best book trope ever I felt the need to talk about one of the worst. So here we are.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the "Not Like Other Girls".
This is a very frustrating trope because it's sexist. In fact, most of the books that contain this trope are written by men. But sadly some of those books are also written by women.
Now, this trope's name already explains it all. The "Not Like Other Girls" trope deals with a girl who is described as "Not Like Other Girls". This can usually go two ways.
This kind of "Not Like Other Girls" girl is the Smart Girl. She reads books for fun, she's nerdy, very awkward and introverted and, most importantly, she wears glasses and has her hair always in a messy bun.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the "Not Like Other Girls".
This is a very frustrating trope because it's sexist. In fact, most of the books that contain this trope are written by men. But sadly some of those books are also written by women.
Now, this trope's name already explains it all. The "Not Like Other Girls" trope deals with a girl who is described as "Not Like Other Girls". This can usually go two ways.
THE BOOKISH AWKWARD GIRL
This kind of "Not Like Other Girls" girl is the Smart Girl. She reads books for fun, she's nerdy, very awkward and introverted and, most importantly, she wears glasses and has her hair always in a messy bun.
She's not like other girls because she reads and she's smart. She doesn't think about guys, not because she's a lesbian, no, she just can't be bothered with vain things such as love and relationships! Plus, she's very shy, but apparently that's cute and quirky.
The bookish girl looks down on girly things like make-up and pink and, automatically, looks down on the girls who like those things, because they must be stupid and just want to get attention from boys, right? WRONG.
Now, my friends, sit down, cause I'm about to tell you a really shocking truth. This is internalised misogyny; AKA sexism. Why? Well, because we see things that are labelled as feminine (like pink and make-up) as less worthy just because they're feminine things. That's just stupid.
The bookish girl looks down on girly things like make-up and pink and, automatically, looks down on the girls who like those things, because they must be stupid and just want to get attention from boys, right? WRONG.
Now, my friends, sit down, cause I'm about to tell you a really shocking truth. This is internalised misogyny; AKA sexism. Why? Well, because we see things that are labelled as feminine (like pink and make-up) as less worthy just because they're feminine things. That's just stupid.
THE TOMBOY
The same thing happens with this "Not Like Other Girls" girl, who is the sporty girl that never wears skirts and skateboards every day. She looks down on more feminine girls for the exact reasons I told you before.
Also, she looks down on girls who play more "feminine" sports like dance, cheerleading, or ice-skating.
So friends, this is one of the worst tropes ever in books, but also tv series and movies. This time I don't have any recommendations because I tend to avoid this trope, but if you have any in which the "Not Like Other Girls" girl has a change of heart please send them to [email protected]!
Also, this article was by no means an attack to bookish girls who wear their hair in a bun, or to tomboys who skateboard. It's perfectly fine if you fall in these categories, but please, don't be a "Not Like Other Girls" girl! We should support each other and never look down on other people just because they're different!