The Girl Next Door Trope, Explained

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Honey is FREE and finds coupons with the click of a button. Thanks Honey for sponsoring! | The Girl Next Door. She’s warm and inviting, and has always been there for her boy next door. But who is she anyway? What really defines her as an individual? In this video we delve into the Girl Next Door, what she represents, what she says about her era, and why it's finally time for her to take control of her own story. If you like this video, subscribe to our channel or support us on Patreon: / thetake
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We are The Take (formerly ScreenPrism).
Featuring:
13 Going on 30 (2004)
A Date with Judy (1948)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
American Beauty (1999)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Boy Meets World (1993-2000)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953)
Calamity Jane (1953)
Charmed (1998-2006)
"Classic TV" (1993)
Dawson's Creek (1998-2003)
Dazed and Confused (1993)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Family Matters (1989-1998)
Forrest Gump (1994)
Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Friends (1994-2004)
Full House (1987-1995)
Gilligan's Island (1964-1967)
Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)
Grease (1978)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
My So-Called Life (1994-1995)
New Girl (2011-2018)
Normal People (2020)
Paper Towns (2015)
Pillow Talk (1959)
Pretty in Pink (1986)
Reality Bites (1994)
Revenge (2011-2015)
Riverdale (2017-)
Sex and the City (1998-2004)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Spider-Man (2002)
Stranger Things (2016-)
Tea for Two (1950)
That '70s Show (1998-2006)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
The Breakfast Club (1985)
The Deer Hunter (1978)
The Donna Reed Show (1958-1966)
The Graduate (1967)
The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
The Lorax (2012)
The Office (2005-2013)
The Secret Life of the American Teenager (2008-2013)
The Spectacular Now (2013)
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wonder Years (1988-1993)
To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018)
"What Makes You Beautiful" (2011)
"You Belong with Me" (2009)

[@GLamoRousCooKie]

This is such an American trope. I never understood what people meant when they talked about the famed girl next door. Not surprisingly as my neighbours are a family of owls living in a half demolished tower.

[@notanotherone1835]

I love this comment and I love your neighbors

[@mslightbulb]

As someone living in Spain, same. Most of my neighbors instead of owls are elderly or children. So...

[@remytherat2929]

wait you dont have any neighbors?? how can that be?? what country are u from? so many questions!

[@tortis6342]

All of my neighbors are old people with no kids and I live in America.

[@ucheesomonu9098]

😂😂 so true

[@eastward98]

it's really frustrating to be assigned the "pure, nice" role because as soon as you show you deviate from it people are shocked?? like?? do you think girls aren't multidimensional too?

[@conniethesconnie]

I'd say it's less that we are shocked and more like we are told that we are supposed to be shocked. When we get the interview about some new movie and the female actress is praising herself for playing such a truly creative and original character just because they are not entirely "pure and nice". Oh by the way when the film ends up flopping it's due to our cultures refusal to accept multidimenshional female characters.

[@CottonCandySharks]

I know right?

[@centuryfiles9558]

It pisses me off bro

[@lealleontwins8703]

exactly.

[@thesuperiorrat4048]

It’s shocking to see anyone out of character, not just girls. I’m someone who holds in a lot of my anger and try to be the sweetest to people around me, and it makes me feel like a I have to suppress who I really am, so one the rare times that I let all that anger go, obviously people are going to be shocked. And again it’s not just girls suffering from it, boys too. Men are expected to be masculine and deal with abuse others put on them, like being slapped, punched and it by a girl, women were expected to be feminine and reserved, but for a while now, that’s changed and I’ve met girls who get mad at other girls for wanting to be a traditional housewife, saying that it’s not doing women any favor. Now we need to look at men’s issues because it’s never really touched about, like think of one example of a movie that portrays a very emotional and stressed man without the other characters rolling their eyes and not taking a man’s tears seriously. You don’t find one.

[@bnadira212]

"I'm not that innocent" "Psh, OK" I felt that exchange with a passion

[@feena9241]

Oh yes, I felt like I had a conversation like that myself, and I'm not even sure if I really did lol

[@bennyton2560]

That's exactly why Lara Jean won't work out with him. Let him have the perfect sister

[@acecelia3262]

Oofers

[@chanmarr8118]

Omg when I first watched it that pissed me off. I wasn’t even thinking about tropes or anything, just how can this boy put her into a box like that.

[@emk2214]

frrr

[@HauntedBunny]

Did anyone else hated being called “innocent?” People started calling me innocent in middle school & sure, I was very innocent. But when I said a bad word, a co-worker said “Omg I never thought I’d ever hear that coming from you, I thought you were innocent?!” I said, “ Bitch I’m 22”

[@TheFuschiaDragonfly]

I HATE it to death. As if being kind and gentle is a sin. As if you're not a believable teen among your peers if you don't misbehave and talk about sex all the time. And if you're a virgin than God damn it, you're in for a LOOOOOT of shaming.

[@michaelroth3853]

Oh no! Its the end of the world!! How dare someone think that someone else looks nice and innocent!

[@TheFuschiaDragonfly]

@@michaelroth3853 it's not nice. They don't actually see you as innocent. They see you as a prude, as naive, weak little girl too pure to be respected. Innocence is weakness in this society.

[@Embrinna]

Same here.

[@dannymunch4633]

When I got a job offer to sell insurances, my mother told me I was too innocent to do that job and she was right. I couldn't and still can't push myself to coax someone into buying a product I do not approve of. But where I'm from saying someone is innocent actually means, it's not the type of person you would expect to betray and manipulate others for own gain. So, cultural difference.

[@taryngood2273]

Other tropes: 1: Fat girl trope 2: Gay Bestfriend trope 3: Gothic male trope 4: The Slacker trope 5: the pet sidekick trope

[@oooh19]

how about opposite friends? or sister rivalry (like marcia and jan brady)? or hurt misunderstood rebel (caitlin's way. she was hurt so much and through so much so that's why she felt a need to put on armor to survive)? or the feminist trope? or army guy trope (Teddy in Stand by me)? bad boss trope (maybe Kurt in good burger movie)? hippie teacher? artsy trope? beatnik? preppy? punk? emo? modern woman trope, is there one?

[@shriyasahu663]

The vampire boyfriend trope

[@sofitocyn100]

Gay best friend trope!!!! So annoying. Came to a point where many real life women actually wish to have a gay man as a best friend for "style and beauty advice without the annoying sexual tension" that's so irritating and offensive when you think about it!

[@angelikabatwoman]

@@sofitocyn100 yeah thats kinda stereotypical, but i have to say i have a gay best friend (we were friends before he came out), he doesnt give me style or beauty advice, but a lot of compliments and it feels really good to be liked by a man for my personality and also looks, but not in a way where he wants to take advantage of it. so i think we should not blame the girls for craving that feeling because their dads didnt love and appreciate them properly. but putting stereotypes over people still sucks, so i totally get what you mean!

[@sofitocyn100]

@@angelikabatwoman but a ton of men will never go after your looks (not yours especially, talking general) not all guys will sexualize us. Some genuinely aren't attracted to us or are committed is serious relationships already. I don't think that having a male's opinion is that important. If the man is gay, he doesn't necessarily (stress on this word) know what cis straight men want from cis straight girls. I also get your point though. :) And yeah it sucks to see gays as...gays. I mean, gays are more than their sexual orientation...they are just dudes. Good, bad, smart, stupid, handsome, ugly. Just like hetero guys...

[@rebeccadodd1394]

I think it's also a way of kind of delivering an idea to men that they can go out and flirt with the 'bad girl', that those girls are meant for youth and fun, but always returning to the girl next door once they've matured and are ready to 'settle down'. It's treated like a progression for men, but I can't think of an equivalent for women. Generally women in these stories are the same level of flirty 'wild girl' from start to end, or they're mature from the start and just waiting for the men to catch up Edit: When I said there's no real equivalent, I know about the Nice Guy or Boy Next Door, but from what I've seen, it's less of a progression of the girl 'growing into' liking him, and more like a realisation that he's there. Aside from a few examples, her character doesn't really change much as a person, she just chooses a different kind of partner.

[@33Jenesis]

Yup GND is plan B, satety net, or a compromise, hardly the first choice.

[@upmapoha]

Exactly.

[@benetje890]

That might be because the "bad girl" is usually not considered to be "marriage material" by many men. On the other hand, the girl next door is often seen as the type of woman that a man wants to end up with once he's grown up a bit and got his own "wild phase" out of his system. What I think is harmful is that in these stories (and often in real life too), we are generally more forgiving for men to wanting to have a wild phase, while we do not give women and girls the same privilege.

[@ojogbaneamedu2501]

It’s funny because you’d hear the exact same argument but opposite from incels 🤷🏾‍♂️.

[@Firegen1]

The Girl next door backs up the Betty and Veronica trope to a t. Not only is it harmful to good relationships for guys where the final waifu has to hit a list of just right behaviours (more porridge then partner) rather going with his personal tastes. Also a girl side. Why wait for a not interested guy in you? What's wrong with being a bit more risque? What if you don't want to settle down in the town you grew up in? Personal experience of friend/family relationships very few are with people they grew up with. More are with people they find intellectually challenging and not overtly saccharine.

[@massetozacarias5693]

suggestion: The wallflower trope

[@aliamohamed4588]

What is that?

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

Also when is the wallflower going to stop being a flower and become a weed (strong in her place, takes up space, thrives despite the environment, puts up a fight), makes me think of Barb Holland

[@beatrizfernandes1506]

@@aliamohamed4588 Like a flower on wallpaper, it's in the periphery, noticed by noone, not popular nor unpopular either. Usually shy, solitary, sensitive but can have a few friends. I would say most people are indifferent to a wallflower, because they don't know him/her very well. They're often that coleague that people consistently forget about.

[@courtneehudson3182]

Please do this ☝🏾

[@talytasbarcelos]

Yeees

[@maeveh1376]

I feel like there is a large overlap in the 'the girl next door' and 'the not like other girls' venn diagram

[@amber5675]

I think that's because 'the not like other girls' role model was 'the girl next door' (from the 90s lol)

[@maina.wambui]

@@amber5675 that would make sense

[@tionnajohnson8430]

Definitely

[@NoName-dx1no]

A lot of romance stories have a girl who likes her neighbor who happen to be a popular dude but she doesn’t think he’ll like her because she is to like other girls or sth. I mean that’s what I see a lot in Wattpad lol

[@cutemissbubbly]

I think a lot of these tropes can fall under the “not like other girls” umbrella. The girl next door, the cool girl who likes “man things” like sports and beer, the manic pixie dream girl.

[@Krismkm]

I can see myself in a lot of these tropes, and I’m surprised by how much my personality has subconsciously been formed based on these tropes, and which ones I’ve adapted at different times. It’s amazing to think you’re an individual when you’re really just a reflection of the cultural ideals. Identity crisis much 😩

[@Aster_Risk]

That's why these videos are so important.

[@EtamirTheDemiDeer]

You’re still you. Consider it character growth

[@spaceylacey83]

I think of it like the houses from Harry Potter. We are the tropes we value but we're not some perfect cookie cutter shape according to those tropes. And without our own individual values, the traits tying us to these tropes wouldn't filter their way to the tops of our personalities.

[@dithaingampanmei]

Interesting. Myself, on the other hand couldn't care less about who I am. Maybe its because I live moment to moment, and I can change my disposition at my will, to suit the situation.

[@olayo53]

I wanna take a quiz to know what tropes I have with my personality.

[@Chris-hx6tr]

Sweet mittens I hate this character trope. It's so often paired with an extremely self-absorbed male character who feels positively entitled to the girl next door simply because she happens to live near to him.

[@Alwayshere5031]

No not really. The guy just has a crush on her and dosent know it or he does know it

[@Gadget-Walkmen]

purplepastelbluz 2 yeah exactly. I have no idea what the original comment or is going off about. Reaching out to whole places of nonsense.

[@UntakenNick]

I wonder what kind of films you do enjoy, without finding it sexist and offensive..

[@McSnezzly]

There’s a reason why they’re the most popular “look” in porn

[@conniethesconnie]

So it's not the Girl Next Door you hate but the douchey neighbor who , despite not being that good looking himself, is obsessed with dating girls based solely on their outward appearance.

[@ManiaMac1613]

When I was a young lad I had a massive crush on what I thought was the perfect 'girl next door'. She turned me down, I got upset about it, we didn't talk for a very long time. Last year we reconnected as adults, having had plenty of time to grow up, mature and discover ourselves as people. It turns out she had a ton of complex emotions stemming from anxiety and difficulty expressing herself, a lot of which came from this pressure she felt to live up to other people's expectations. The 'Girl Next Door' is pure fiction. She isn't real. It's good to aspire towards a certain ideal, but trying to perfectly capture a fictional character is stressful and damaging. Real human beings are not character archetypes.

[@alexandriageiler687]

Wow this comment really spoke to me ! I’ve been called a girl next door and “innocent” all my life so it’s hard for me to really connect and be able to let myself go in relationships due to expectations from others. So i completely understand her, that’s awesome you guys got to reconnect and discuss that !

[@bennyton2560]

Good for you! It's nice being understood, boy or girl or other genders

[@ragejinraver]

She was definitely real you just got rejected and taking it out on her

[@reythejediladyviajakku6078]

I gotta say that at least the girl next door often falls in love with a guy she’s known for years and not love at first meeting like in fairytales

[@CCLOSPINA]

True, at least they have the excuse that they fall in love with a man they almost see on a daily basis.

[@shakirashipslied9721]

I hate "love at first sight" so much.

[@melodramatic7904]

@@shakirashipslied9721 why? It happened to me. Well, "love at first hello" is more like it, but it happened. Been married for 7 years now. 😊

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

I know, right? I felt like so much of this video was explaining the trope as "writers trying really hard to portray this character as attractive for who she is as a person, not just for her looks."

[@shakirashipslied9721]

@@melodramatic7904 I don't really have to provide an explanation for why I hate something to a stranger, but it's nice that something good happened to you.

[@RespecttheScreenplay]

What about the tomgirl the one girl in a group of boys

[@anjab-1769]

I think they touched on that in the analysis of Robin from HIMYM

[@upmapoha]

I guess they've made one on that called "The Cool Girl" Troupe

[@sammyr6911]

madhura The tomboy isn’t necessarily the cool girl trope since the tomboy is seen as one of the guys and not really the one who is usually chased after. So it’s a little different, the cool girl is primarily a fantasy

[@o_o3142]

It can often be the not like other girl's girl

[@FacebookQueen]

Yes I was looking for this

[@icehead101]

I find it very interesting that Topanga on BOY MEETS WORLD ends up falling into this category, considering how her character was first established. Let's not forget that 1st season Topanga was a quirky, Earth-worshiping Pagan hippie whom Corey described as "totally strange." Hence why the show runners gave her such an oddball name in the first place. So she started out more as an example of the Weird Girl trope rather than the GND. Then they decided to turn her into Corey's love interest, and her character was rewritten to be more conventional. I felt like that should have been a topic of conversation in this video.

[@jaycievictory8461]

There's a great scene in Girl Meets World where Topanga addresses her "former" kookiness and how it informed who she became, and that she misses it. They also make it clear that Cory loved her, kookiness and all. That his feelings were there from day 1. He just didn't recognise them. Sorry, I just love Cory x Topanga, unrealistic as they are. 😅 But that was another clever thing about the sequel show : one of the really driving themes is that there is only one Cory and Topanga - that it's massively rare to marry the first person you kissed, that you've known since you were five. A big part of GMW is dismantling that trope. As cheesy as the show could be, it was actually really clever once you started digging into it.

[@anthonynorman7545]

I saw it more as character development and less of being rewritten.

[@melissahollowell7255]

@@jaycievictory8461 I wanted to like GMW but I was taken out of completely when the gave the kid from Austin such a stereotypical cowboy accent. Have the writers ever been to Austin? I am in it right now and it is fairly devoid of farmland and livestock.

[@jaycievictory8461]

@@melissahollowell7255 I think he only put on the accent to wind up Maya? Mind you, there was a later episode where we discover he supposedly rode a sheep in a competition so I can see where you're coming from 😅

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

@@melissahollowell7255 The timeline messes with me, like Topanga having a hippie mom and a grandma who was 13 in 1959? The daughter technically should have been born during the last season of BMW given her age in GMWs debut.

[@dd3aththakidd]

Lux and her sisters are perfect examples of girls next door, and that always bothered me. To the boys they were nothing but these untouchable creatures. Princesses locked in the tower, if only they could’ve been saved. I just think their suicides go deeper than them not being able to get out of their house.

[@trinaq]

Seconded. The boys perceive the sisters as being more enchanting and almost bewitching than they actually are. They're simply taken with the IDEA of them, and not who they actually were as people. Years later, they continue to view them as ghosts, as that's all they ever really were. 😢

[@Belacroix5]

Yess I forgot about this! They couldn't even speak to them or help them until the end.

[@Chris-hx6tr]

I think the last line of the movie illustrates this pretty well; even at the end, the boys are mostly concerned with the girls not hearing them, as if their own feelings remaining unanswered was the most tragic part of the story. What they should be concerned with is nobody (including the boys themselves) really hearing the girls.

[@GrainneMhaol]

This type of "ethereal doomed feminity" stories really bother me. Picnic at Hanging Rock is another one. The girls are idealised, otherworldly, perfect and utterly without agency.

[@Aster_Risk]

I think there's definitely a reason so many girls, myself included, really gravitated toward this movie as teens.

[@joyce3003]

Could you do a video focusing on Chinese or other Asian stereotypes? As a Chinese-Australian it was a bit disheartening to always see the characters on TV represented as either socially hopeless nerds with no friends or as an exotic beauty/villain

[@joyce3003]

@Black Knight Fool I am literally a teenage girl lmao

[@emilyblunt4241]

Joyce Christian from dance academy?

[@genevieveowusu885]

Thank you! I've been waiting for a video about Asian representation! 🇬🇭

[@KimFebriany]

I am Chinese born in Indonesia and I can completely relate to you

[@kaavi1391]

@@KimFebriany then you should watch Indonesian movies.

[@tiffanypersaud3518]

“The girl next door” is a girl indeed. She should’t be treated as ever-available and a fallback either. That’s insulting.

[@juliette_lummm]

The girl next door won't complain about it though. Since shes doesn't exist outside a man's mind.

[@edensylvester13]

@strontiumXnitrate Here, have a gold star for your condescension. Your jerk status has just been upgraded.

[@monabohamad2242]

Nah it's not really insulting cuz not everything NEEDS to be insulting and/or offensive

[@monabohamad2242]

@@edensylvester13 thanks and well done proving to the commenter that you've replied to that they're RIGHT CORRECT AND ACCURATE 100% And nah they're honest and truthful lol you're just being defensive and childish

[@monabohamad2242]

It's insulting that you think it's insulting that just cuz she's a girl it's somehow wrong to treat her as ever-available and don't get me started on the "fallback" bullshit part

[@soraya3422]

The next one has to be The Exotic Girl Trope, c'mon the take please

[@emilyokanagan]

Aida no

[@remytherat2929]

YESSSSS

[@spaceylacey83]

@@aidadutra nah, weird girl is personality based, exotic girl is race or ethnicity based.

[@tioluwanijackson9001]

yeessss

[@Morganbmoney]

Sofia vergara etc

[@jayn5088]

Relieved to see people in the comments say they never understood this trope cause I didn’t either

[@bennyton2560]

it's a myth all along

[@ragejinraver]

​@@bennyton2560No it wasn't a myth she was really real but because of social media Only fans and simp culture shes extinct. The last girls next door where in the early 2000s

[@CTEagleCeltic]

I’d like to see a take on THE BLACK FRIEND.

[@MChantal76]

They talked about her in the "Best Friend" video.

[@hazzastyles6315]

The token

[@fusselmietz5929]

They have two videos about it. The best friend trope and the strong black women trope

[@a.d.w8385]

@@fusselmietz5929 The strong black woman trope is not the same as the token black friend trope. They can meet at times but they are not the same. The token black friend can be a black MALE as well to serve as support fir the white protaganist. So they arent the same.

[@nadiasafi3548]

@@hazzastyles6315 🤣

[@Ikaros23]

whats scary about the archetypes is that they form a kind of " matrix" in our minds. Fantasys we project on others and the world, and we cant live up to them. So art imitates life. Then life imitates art... and then there is the imitation of the imitation. And in the modern world of social media its normal to just play the "fasade game". The dream of the boy and girl next door is the perfect fantasy. the fantasy of perfect normality, where there is no " fakeness". But reality is that this is the fantasy over all fantasys. In some ways all humans are actors even to themself... hoping for a fantasy of a person who is " perfectly imperfect" is shallow.There is a difference of " imperfect" and " imperfectionism". And " perfectly imperfect" who is a fantasy. Great video

[@beatrizf9563]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@chechocrates1]

Life imitates art is too contemporary centered. Nowadays people try to imitate what is portrayed in the media too often also an angloamerican life style. Only americans are so absorbed in the hollywood media and pop cuture, that they try to behave or put themselves in this kind of tropes. IWhere i come from no one behaves that way or judge other people trying to fit them in literary tropes. These identities are created purely for consumerism.

[@Ikaros23]

@@chechocrates1 Have you seen the estetics of south korea ( kpop)?. 30% of women in SK has plastic surgery to look " natural", and the men are also buying more products and taking surgery, and the world is coming there to get surgery to. This fake " naturalism" and perfectionism of the " perfect normal and down to earth" is spreading not just from Anglosaxon/Americanism. This archtype is a mental " matrix" thats is going global and in different chapes and forms, and as you say it is " consumerism". The danger of it is that it is fake and so well writen that people think it is reality. If you have seen Mad Men when this arctype was invented in the 1950-60s too sell products you can even see that the men and women who creates the comercials and propaganda became depressed and start doing drugs/alcoholism/sex addictions when they see that the lies they sell arent real and can never be real. I loved the video because for a long time i was dreaming of finding this kind of fantasy girl because i could not see that it was just a fantasy. I could not see how naiv and shallow i was. Wats funny is that i work in advertisement and even sell this kinds of storys myself

[@bonitaapplebaum4202]

@@Ikaros23 Go off 👍👍👍

[@chechocrates1]

@@Ikaros23 Yeah, i partially agree, but i think the case of south korea is more sort of an aesthetic approach rather than a personality trait as in the us. The reason is that our brain likes those supernormal stimulus that give the sensation of perfection. You don´t have to go so far as plastic surgery. well- aligned teeth are considered attractive by most people all over the world in spite of the fact, that most people have naturally crooked teeth and it´s extremly common to get braces to "correct" them. It´s something that we have just accepted.

[@Kari7]

To be fair, the male trope also exists. Especially the one with the "Childhood friend" vs "Mysterious Newcomer", where the newcomer represents the girl's wish for excitement, while the childhood friend his her safety net. Neither have their own narrative either, they're the female protagonist's wish fulfillment.

[@trishg4324]

Yes, thank you!! With these tropes, the “childhood friend” is also the “dad” and also sexually unsatisfactory where the “mysterious” male fulfills this one & only thing the “childhood friend” can never do.

[@saramilena9626]

An example of this is the first x-men trilogy

[@vedikamishra009]

For example, Tall Girl

[@sutyinszkializ9115]

Agree.I spent my high school years idealizing good looking guys with not so good personalities.

[@Saucepv897]

When the redhead from Riverdale said "False. You have been in love with the idea of Archie for the past ten yrs" 👏👏👏👏👏

[@gkgk6439]

andrea saucedo I haven’t watched Riverdale but I LOVE Cherryl Blossom!

[@Mskittenlover12]

Cheryl Blossom ❤

[@juliamp666]

FACTS!!!! Bughead forever!! I hate the idea of Betty and Archie, they don't work together

[@veronica5819]

Yes!!! Cheryl was spilling facts.

[@zendayasfruityfrenchfry1784]

@@juliamp666 Barchie will RISE! Jk...I couldn’t care less

[@gailism]

Idk if I'd agree that Forrest turned Jenny into anything... On every step of her journey, she made her own choices. She grew as a person on her on terms. In the end, she finally found peace with herself & dealt with her trauma, and only then did she feel worthy of the love, admiration, and security Forrest had for her.

[@MinkytheMinkY]

Yes, but through his eyes, she was and acted accordingly. I loved Jenny's flaws, for the longest time she was the realest I've seen on film.

[@MichaelGreenOfficial]

@@MinkytheMinkY "Real" shouldn't equate to being a terrible all around person

[@MinkytheMinkY]

@@MichaelGreenOfficial yeah, she was terrible. But I also had neighbors like her. So it felt grounded in reality, one that Forrest would overlook.

[@tanzida2165]

@d puski oh my God. jenny had her own problems and her own life. also, she didn't "friendzone" him. she honestly believed she wasn’t worthy of him and her life was just trouble. and just because he loved her doesn't mean she HAD TO reciprocate. she never lied to him to keep him around, did she? she never told him to wait for her.

[@MinkytheMinkY]

I mean, Jenny started off as an abused child, and she tried to find ways to escape. Her tragedy, though pervasive bc some people do find ways out, seems true to form. You could say she's a complicated character, as OG poster to this thread alludes to. Yes, her actions are unwise, perhaps terrible, but often they were self harm rather than selfish. We, as the viewers wanted a different story. Some could perceive injustice that she veered off course from GND and when she did attempt domesticity with Forrest, whether mercy F* or not, she died. She left a gap in GND continuity and a child behind.

[@Whatsinaname_]

May you please do the white savior trope.

[@luciacesarbraceras9671]

This.

[@remytherat2929]

*cough cough freedom writers

[@1025littlefrog]

This. 👆🏿

[@kazuzart1582]

@@remytherat2929 isnt freedom writer based on true event? The amerivan football movie wirh sandra bullock would be way more accurate...

[@shermaynebrown5165]

Are they ready for this tho??????

[@komal146]

She's the grounded, long term version of manic pixie dream girl, right?

[@Ikaros23]

@@CCLOSPINA cant you read?.

[@trinaq]

She's the cousin of the Cool Girl and the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, only more down to earth, feminine and dependable. 😺

[@ellaenchanted8407]

I guess the manic pixie is too wild to wife up and the GND has all the pros of manic pixie but she doesn't possess the mystery, unpredictability or ambition, making her the "perfect" wife. Now I want to see a movie with both these girls.

[@melissawalsh8760]

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl lives only to help a guy improve his life. The Girl Next Door doesn't live to change a guy nor does she want a changed man. She's who a man turns to when his big life change turns sour. Like the man who picks the Manic Pixie Dream Girl moves forward in life while the man who picks the Girl Next Door moves back to what he's used to.

[@revival9313]

Those two traits are the metaphorical backbone of the manic pixie. The only two similarities I see between these tropes is that they're both girls and the male character loves them at some point.

[@melyserenidad6527]

I like that in Riverdale Betty still maintains her sweet girl aesthetic but her character quickly develops to actually be more of a dark, twisted inversion of the GND and that she pairs with outsider Jughead not because they’re opposites but because they are actually very similar just in different packages.

[@tochiiii]

Melissa Angelik that’s a nice explanation of it

[@veronica5819]

Such a beautiful description, honestly.

[@monabohamad2242]

Melissa Angelik the last few lines for some reason somehow imo feel like they represent/include almost all and virtually EVERY opposites attract couple in:(eh idk): EVER

[@juanitamorgan5475]

Yeah and in season 2 she even confessed the drug head that she wanted to be a part of his world be outside snake to know that world even though her mom and dad have been trying to shield her from it all her life

[@stephennootens916]

This is was a pretty informative video, I have to admit that I often think of how the the bad girl/seductress gets screwed over in many stories, either she get's thrown aside or in the case of slashers she's kill or in mysteries turn out to be the killer. It often seem to that these storied were telling young man that they should not be with a woman who they are sexually desire in any way or a woman who shows her sexuality, they must be with someone which the they have no such desire towards or never express such desire. I never thought of how much the good girl is screwed over until now.

[@monabohamad2242]

If the good girl is the same as the bad girl/seductress then no wonder she gets screwed over Lol

[@monabohamad2242]

uh wait isn't it the opposite? aren't these stories "telling" men/people to be with somebody that they DO desire?

[@Chandasouk]

She was right in front of you the whole time!

[@trinaq]

Yes, and you only JUST realized how attractive and sweet she is at this very moment! What a coincidence, right?! 😂😉

[@eoincampbell1584]

Sure, you might have literally known her when you were both babies and unironically called her "like a sister" multiple times but suddenly you feel the overwhelming urge to marry her and wait till the wedding day to do anything physical!

[@ragejinraver]

That definitely happened to me in the girl of my dreams was right in front of my face the whole time . But when I realized she was the one it was too late . I still think about her wondering where would we be now if things were different . That's one of the bad traits of being young and dumb

[@monabohamad2242]

@@ragejinraver seems to me like there's this movie where in it it was apparently said that 'sometimes what you're looking for your whole life is right there like All along' it might just take you a while to realize it or something really maybe not everybody is gonna like notice/realize everything right away all the time and at all times

[@juanitamorgan5475]

In an episode of Riverdale Archie looks through his window and saw Betty and I've been following the series for a few months now cuz I've been watching it and he realized at that moment and also did I that Archie finally actually saw Betty Cooper for the first time the girl who wasn't just the girl next door but much more than he never realized that she was so this analyzation of the girl next door throat is so true

[@ery3610]

being the girl next door sounds depressing

[@somedude8346]

Yeah it kinda devoids anything that makes the person interesting outside of the trope

[@TheSongwritingCat]

All patriarchal ideals are depressing

[@ery3610]

brushfyr yes, i am a woman and no you’re very wrong and completely missed the point of my comment, i was never talking about being “the boy next door” i was talking about being “the girl next door” so you comparing both genders together makes no fucking sense, and just shows everyone you’re misogynistic as fuck, you do NOT get to compare men and woman and say being a woman is easy, woman give birth, bleed out of their vagina every month, get scared to go out alone because we’re afraid we might get raped. I don’t know which girl broke your heart and made you think like this but most girls aren’t like this, and woman put WAAY more effort into themselves then men, most woman aren’t just attracted to guys because of their looks they’re attracted to their personality’s, being fat does not make a woman any less attractive ( same for a guy) and no 4 out there would think they deserve a 10, but when an ugly guy gets in a relationship with a pretty woman their ego gets the best of them and they end up fucking up (this isn’t for every relationship but this happens more often) it’s not woman’s fault men make fun of each others physical appearance. Please leave this comment section and be a misogynist somewhere else.

[@thesleepydot]

thisiskyle fromladybird it does..

[@IshratJahan-dh3ev]

I mean... being shy, insecure (unaware of her own beauty), modest, feminine, sweet and attractive all at the same time isnt really boring. There are girls like that who are naturally like that but just not as much as the other confident and loud girls out there. Just bc you dont relate to it doesnt mean girls like that are uninteresting🤷‍♀️

[@isabellasimonetti6126]

The thing with the girl next door is that a lot of girls like idk me are attracted to this sweet down to earth girl bc we identify with her and there isn’t other kind girl in movies and shows, but then they ruin her making her be defined by a “home” when usually this girls always want so much more

[@cocob0l0]

I’m basically the same too. Literally a girl next door to my current boyfriend. What ruins it for me is that is girl next door in movies is literally the fact that they’re accessories of the male protagonist. When the bad girl breaks his heart, it doesn’t matter, because the girl next door is waiting for him back home. It makes her purpose in movies as just the “love interest” and not a girl, with hopes and dreams and all that.

[@monabohamad2242]

@@cocob0l0 maybe that's why anti-feminism is apparently a thing eh idk

[@specialnewb9821]

As someone who does love GND types, the GND is the starting point for your interactions but the best part is getting to know the whole person.

[@lhallnance]

Ooo! Do the other woman please? Like mistresses or side chicks

[@Amy-nl7sf]

Way back in the day on tumblr, there was a post that suggested that this troupe is lazy and often kind of blank. Yay, she displays basic kindness and compassion! It's not a personality. I feel like this video elaborates and challenges that. Love this channel.

[@notmyopinion4981]

I identify as a girl next door type, tho the newer types who are suppossed to be more dynamic ruin this trope for me. I am 22 and still a virgin, take baby steps when it comes to sexuality(i have a bf for a few years now), but the girl next door, the modern version, is often sexualized. If producers want to make a girl more 'modern and independet' they just hyper up her sexuality, which is just so unrelatable for many girls out there. I am not someone who 'finds herself' by 'experimenting sexually'. People, woman have more facettes than just their sexuality which makes them one or the other. There seems to be some sort of fantasy corolation between being a virgin=innocent and shy, sexually activ=confident and kinda dangerous. Why is that? It's stupid. And is not how real people are.

[@pauv807]

"If producers want to make a girl more 'modern and independet' they just hyper up her sexuality", you are right, i've never noticed that before. Now, if the character have no casual sex is a "false character", when in reality many people are that way.

[@TheYoungKilljoy]

You're so right. I've always complained about this and I thought I was crazy for seeing how sexuality is used as a device to make women more interesting, instead of other facets of our characters. I wish there were more script writers who see this too and humanise women

[@isabelacuenca7503]

Am I the only one that wonders how is it that they’ve seen so many shows and movies?

[@DG-gx4sg]

This is literally their job

[@kenzij]

It's not that hard when you love film/ study film/watch film as your job

[@TheSongwritingCat]

Funny. I was thinking about how they need more references. They talk about Riverdale A LOT.

[@crystocious6715]

This is why I love this channel. It truly helps to deconstruct all these weird ideas of femininity and relationships that have seeped into my subconscious. Thank you for drawing them out and exposing it to the light. ✨

[@eris2178]

Anybody remember Sky High? I think that's one of my earliest exposures to this trope.

[@lilithcrow6675]

Thank god, I thought I was the only person who remembered this movie

[@yuimaaaru_ai19]

Yes! I was hoping this would come up

[@gaesimp__]

I actually love Sky High 😅

[@tyrant-den884]

@@gaesimp__ it's the best.

[@tyrant-den884]

At least EVERYONE is a trope in that.

[@BellaMusical]

Lots of people here have pointed out that this trope is quite misogynistic. I think it depends completely on how you do it. If the story is only told from a guy's perspective and the girl is a one dimensional accessory, then yeah, it's pretty bad. But when the story is about two equals who grow up together as best friends, I think it's really sweet. In some movies and series, both characters see each other as "the safe option" or the best friend, the one who knows everything about them. Of all my friends I have as an adult, I have only known one of them before puberty, and that makes the relationship very special. So I can understand that a similar situation between a girl and a boy who fall in love later on in life is also special. I think the relationship between Forrest and Jenny is more about "the boy next door" than the "girl next door", since Jenny is the one who has a screwed up life until she eventually settles for good old, trustworthy Forrest.

[@dithaingampanmei]

Yeah it depends on the story. If it is an event-focused storyline, it won't give much time to secondary characters(If the Protagonist is a guy, his girl-next-door will obviously have less depth) If the story is character-driven, then they can afford to delve deeper into who she is as a person.

[@monabohamad2242]

@@dithaingampanmei for some reason the former seems kinda of more common somehow than the latter

[@daryllepedrosa692]

I love this. I love how this trope is being shifted into one where she can take her power back. The ending theme was really inspiring too.

[@monabohamad2242]

Except there's no power to take back lol

[@chrystalbla23]

The good girl next door, the innocent, the endearing, the sincere, the loving, the sweet one. The one who waits as long as the boy returns, the one who keeps by his side patiently, the one who has a kind heart, the one who has 'inner beauty'. This identity can never be separated from what a man sees her as, and will overlook her as a complex individual. Girls, just like boys, are just individuals on their own journey!

[@lilil9752]

This can go from very good by having them be their own character to a full on male fantasy on never having to fear ending up alone because the girl next door will always be there hanging up for him and i really hate that last one. Thats why i never liked the idea of Betty and Archie as a couple

[@trinaq]

I agree, I loved how they had Betty develop into her own character, and not just act as a prop for Archie to love, but someone with her own agency! 😍

[@dithaingampanmei]

Flip that around: A cute guy you've known since childhood. He's pure at heart, always knows what to say, and you can always rely on him for help. It sounds good, right? I wonder what's so problematic about this trope. Edit: Maybe I'm not American enough to get this.😝 My neighborhood boys have always been loud, reckless man-children who play cricket on the streets.

[@patheticgirl1000]

i don't think betty and archie would've worked in the beginning because it would've been detrimental to her character development. but now i think they could be good together

[@lilil9752]

@@dithaingampanmei Like i said, the trope done right can be a really romantic one but bad handled badly looks like someone who is just settling for that loyal person , and btw on Tv that trope can be problematic because (i forgot to mention) a lot of girl next door characters slut-shame their love rivals a lot . And about the flip, it´s the same , i know actual women who dated guys because they were loyal and avalaible , a safe bet, not true feelings.

[@dithaingampanmei]

@@lilil9752 thanx for that insight. I guess I have a tendency to assume everyone is like me and is honest with themselves.😅

[@odb339]

Jughead: you're the perfect girl next door Betty: I hate that word Me: "door"? *blinks* Me: oh "perfect"! Quarantine has turned my brain to mush

[@tochiiii]

Odera Bob-Osamor 😂😂 same

[@bouncyshak]

Nah same, that's just bad writing.

[@coffee_person938]

it took me a hot minute to understand that line-

[@Blue.1889]

Honestly he could've just said "You're the girl next door, you're perfect" and it would've fixed it, just that easily

[@MiLe-ql9ol]

I was like:”that’s more than one word tho” thinking she referred to all the etiquette “perfect girl next door” xd

[@easiersaidwithmeg]

Y’all should have included love and basketball. It’s the ultimate girl next door movie.

[@laurajones1832]

I love that movie!!!

[@ispeaktoaster6671]

Oh my god YESS

[@trinaq]

Indeed, it's such an underrated gem! 💎😻

[@FeelingFitFabFun]

So true. Unfortunately we are often overlooked

[@chauncie8201]

Yesssss

[@AndréVilaFranca]

I strongly recomend you the amazing comedy series DERRY GIRLS. Please give it a chance.

[@pronouncedneev]

God I love Derry Girls

[@johntshorter]

Love love love that show!

[@trinaq]

Yes, it's SUCH a brilliant show! 😍 I hope that they base an entire video around it, as they briefly covered Orla in "The Weird Girl"! 😁

[@Buttersnitzle]

Oh lord i love it too!

[@tochiiii]

What’s it about

[@Laura_Luminous]

The whole Betty "trying to explore her darker side" deal when nobody really takes her seriously is so similar to Laura Palmer's story in Twin Peaks!

[@McSnezzly]

I mean maybe but it’s a little more complicated since she was abused by Bob since she was young

[@Laura_Luminous]

@@McSnezzly Well yea, I would view Betty as the rather poorly executed vanilla take on Laura :D Twin Peaks is a lot darker in general

[@leventetakacs1641]

I mean Riverdale really isn't comparable to Twin Peaks

[@JohnDoe-xf8ew]

I actually really disagree with this comparison, though both characters are dark (Betty's darkness is pretty laughable, compared to Laura imo), they both represent different tropes. Laura may be seen as good in her community, but all those who are close to her understand her darkness. Laura is unable to pine for anyone because of Bob's destruction. Betty's mental illness does not really complicate her relationships, in fact it adds to her relationship with Jughead rather than conflicts it. A better Twin Peaks comparison would probably be Maddy or Donna as they both are the Madonnas to Laura's whore. In fact, the two start trying to emulate Laura's darkness to attract James.

[@meyerweinstock9567]

I thought that Twin Peaks was a restaurant chain...

[@floveury]

when you want to be the wholesome girl next door but you have no neighbours 💔

[@trinaq]

Indeed, you'll just have to settle for being the "Girl Next Door" in the figurative sense! 😉❤️

[@someguy9345]

Well you don’t have to literally live next door, but helps to be close enough ;)

[@GirlDo3]

You can be the girl next door without living near that person. You just have to be kind and cute and innocent and have a guy pick you after he realised he wanted you more than the wild girl lol.

[@margea2400]

I think you didn't get the point they were trying to make. You don't need anyone next door. Just be whatever you want. Do whatever you want.

[@monabohamad2242]

@@margea2400 tho I'm guessing that's not really the purpose of the trope

[@areebasiddiqui5786]

How about the "new girl/boy trope" in teen movies.

[@annahereford3029]

FINALLY! I never understood this trope

[@shania9333]

Sameee

[@trinaq]

Me neither, apparently guys seem to want the wholesome, sweet girl, but don't realize it until near the very end! 😁

[@itzelgc4637]

Same!

[@poppyseed5270]

I feel like Americans take this trope for granted but outside of the US it's really not that common. It took me years to sorta get it...

[@danarodz3275]

Poppy Seed true it took me time to get the trope.

[@rainbellamy9693]

That last scene in S1:E1 of Riverdale always tears me up, I always empathized and saw myself in Betty in that moment.

[@ertfgghhhh]

Thank u for acknowledging that laura of "family matters" is the girl next door and just not a black character!!

[@lilithcrow6675]

I think you meant "not just"

[@Aster_Risk]

She really is a perfect example of that. I never thought about it since the show takes place in her house. 🤦‍♀️

[@MALAKYT]

just like Vanessa Huxtable from "The Cosby Show".

[@anikadiamond007]

Like Ashley Banks.

[@NealFowler]

I’d love to see a video about the gay best friend stereotype. It’s one of my most hated media tropes because of how dumb and reductive it is.

[@miamafalda1118]

It's so cringy, especially because it transfers to girls irl.

[@adannaoni8817]

Can you do “struggle love” and why women always feel to be in competition with other women

[@kionnakelly2918]

This! But I think the whole struggle love trope is way different than girls competing with other girls. It's also mostly only a thing within the black community and you see it more in real life.

[@latedala07]

I think one of my favorite sort-of subversions of the girl-next-door v femme fatale is in Legend of Korra, where Korra and Asami have (some) of each type's traits, and are pitted against each other over a boy. And then they date in Season Three and it's beautiful.

[@imbuffysummers]

Paper Towns is my favorite movie that utilizes this trope because it flips it on its head and more importantly was the movie that introduced me to how much I’m in love with Cara Delevigne

[@solllarque]

The last time l've been this early Screen Prism was still around

[@marie-ie5no]

@@danicemarielobrin that was the joke HAGAGAGA

[@jdg9825]

I wish there could be videos on the individual Desperate Housewives like there were on the Friends. "Girl Next Door" would be a good trope lens through which to look at Susan and Mike.

[@raraavis7782]

I actually used the search function, because I couldn't believe, they never covered those characters. Like, seriously? Get on it, The Take!

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

Ana psychology covers the series

[@raaychiel_2222]

To me the girl next door trope is just an accessory for the guy next door. She’s always been their for him, she’s only in movie or show to be with the guy. Often they male love interest is with a few other girls until he finally realizes his neighbor is kinda cute. Meanwhile the girl next door just stays single and waits for him to finally fall for her. It’s really sad honestly I’m ngl the love story with girl next door and her neighbor are really cute and romantic sometimes. But I think the trope has just gotten so boring and predictable. That’s why I like the way Riverdale changed the story between Archie and Betty. They really showed the toxic ness about the trope. How you shouldn’t be with somebody just because you guys have history or everyone expects y’all to fall in love. I’m glad they didn’t end up together because their friendship is great as more of a brother and sister dynamic.

[@Aaduska100]

Not sure if the Take has already done it, but I'd like to see some father tropes! 👨‍👧‍👦🙏

[@tochiiii]

Shank Adams 😂😂🤦🏽‍♀️

[@Aaduska100]

@Shank Adams Wow, that went from 0 to 100 real quick 😂😂✌

[@fatdaddyeddiejr]

Maybe when it's Father's Day. Just like they did one on Mother's Day.

[@upmapoha]

Any bollywood fans thinking About Naina from Kal Ho Na Ho, Naina from YJHD and Meera from Cocktail, Shraddha Kapoor from ABCD? I feel like every bollywood movie has this character.

[@dithaingampanmei]

Hi fellow Indian. I think its because our culture places a lot of value on selfless, pure, and energetic women. Not necessarily a bad thing. Its just that women who don't fit this description can still be valuable.

[@nicoleh1618]

Yes, most Bollywood movies have this good girl trope otherwise known as Sanskari Ladki. The male protagonist usually falls in love with this girl

[@harusicornelio5334]

I just realized that I would love a the take about the series ‘revenge’.

[@elenapelayo1]

Yessss!

[@fromthehaven94]

*How To Take a Great First Season and Turn it into Trash*

[@MerjemBejtić]

can you do the "cold girl trope" ? you know the one that rarely shows emotions and is somewhat emotionally detached?

[@dithaingampanmei]

YAAS! I am that trope😁 I want to see them analyze me.

[@c.eb.1216]

Sounds like it would intersect somewhat with the Hitchcock blonde type.

[@aesenalieva]

And men seem to love her so much

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

Also why they are desirable yet seen as lacking in wifey femininity (Bridget Jones vs Mark's first ex wife for example)

[@jessicavictoriacarrillo7254]

Also how that image is reviled or put through the wringer to become "sweeter" all because this is a woman who opts out of performing emotional labor or for self-preservation...like a man does

[@fionagreen5598]

This is the most relatable trope for me so far. I like the ending of this video. It was really powerful, and resonated with me.

[@sofiasalviano3045]

Trust me, being the girl next door sucks most of the time. People don’t see you, the see the idea you represent. They think your life is annoyingly perfect, when it’s far from that. They create expectations you can’t follow and criticize all the time, while claiming you’re ‘too perfect’.

[@kierabiera9476]

"Im ThE DaUghTer Of ThE BlACk HooD ThE NighTMarE FroM NexT DoOr"

[@AxxLAfriku]

SUPRISE! I am the funniest YTer evah!!!! Just kidding, it was no surprise. Everybody knew already. HAHAHHAHA!!!! That was an amazing joke (it was real talk though). WAWAWAWAWA!!!! Good afternoon, dear liera

[@trinaq]

I'm the almost sickeningly sweet girl that your dentist has nightmares about!😁

[@tochiiii]

I can’t with that shows writing

[@kellitaczi104]

and that’s on only watching the first season

[@itspienoon7883]

Riverdale is something else

[@kozo1325]

I think the word 'live up to' means so much to me because if I didn't live up as high as all the values seem, then I am a bad child, a misbehaving one, and a disappointing one. And as a child you never want your parents to not love you. I'm glad you help me in unpacking my emotional, thank you so much. I like myself now.

[@bubblegumloading__________7817]

Love you the take thank you for making this lockdown more fulfilling and smart

[@Applefablestudio]

Surprisingly this 'Girl Next Door' definition is really common in Asian media and comics as a leading girl. She's easy to like and relate to her down-to-earth nature, least likely to betray others. This type embodies the image of the good studious girl who grow up in a traditional household. I don't see much of a problem with it, but she will slowly evolve to be her own person?

[@NoName-dx1no]

Sometimes the girl would be more on the dumb or naive side instead of smart tho but a lot of them are poor, or from relatively humble households who is usually kind, innocent or hard working. Some of them are downright frustrating but some of them are nice just depends lol

[@jacquelinelugo5518]

This one hit close to home for me. When I was dating my high school sweetheart, I was told by my family who is Latin (Dominican) that I should stick by his side. He was in the military and my family saw him as someone of value. Yet we dated for two years and he knew nothing about me. I was just suppose to be this girl who then becomes a young women. Whose life is meant to fit his. I hated that due to my own insecurities and outside family pressure. I was putting myself in this box I didn't want to be in. I hated how everyone just said I was the perfect girl for him. Like wtf, my hope and dreams just weren't valid. Never again, also side note loved normal people

[@kimifw58]

But Riverdale's Betty is a psycho. Girls shouldn't look up to her. The whole show's terrible. Why do you keep dignifying it? Also, Archie's Betty does have other things going in her life. She's not _always_ competing for Archie's attention, if ever.

[@marklance5921]

@Chantel Chukwuezi But you missed the gay tickling competition in season 4 *True Story*

[@ddwhaley1304]

FINALLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE ACTUALLY READ THE COMIC THANK YOU!!!!

[@a.d.w8385]

The show is terrible but I see what they are getting at by describing her sojourn away from fhe girl next door trope. The show having terrible writing and character development is another analysis entirely. Would need an entire video on it.

[@Najmille]

The take wants to make their take accessible, riverdale is a good way to achieve that

[@itspienoon7883]

Riverdale is the epitome of bad high school tropes alike, but it's still watched by many viewers of that demographic. It was inevitable for The Take to NOT talk about that show, and even when it has astonishing awful female characters that fans still look up to

[@adrianneowings]

15:24 kind of reminds me of the jackie/marilyn campaign on mad men. love the video!

[@geniehossain3738]

Y’all really made me listen to the lines “Why in God’s name do you have this Halloween wig?” “She wears it when she has SEX with JUGHEAD!” and expected me not to howl with laughter?!??

[@AmetafJohora]

LMFAO

[@cheyenneheath1596]

Yes. .se x

[@mandrikino]

The final girl trope, please!🙏🙏🙏 Love your videos so much!

[@mandrikino]

Mmmm... what's the problem? Actually, I'm just suggesting, that's all.

[@Pinkladyisv]

I’m so happy you included Laura Winslow! She’s definitely a character I associate with this trope.

[@zoedebeus1239]

What if the girl next door and the seductive 'rival' girl fall in love and then the male protagonist realises he shouldn't define women by tropes and stereotypes.................wht if

[@mischr13]

I'd watch the heck outta that

[@tcrpgfan]

That's Legend of Korra in a nutshell.

[@NoName-dx1no]

@@tcrpgfan I mean Korra or Asami can’t exactly fit the girl next door archetype in my opinion, I can see Asami fitting the seductive rival girl archetype, but I don’t see that for Korra, she is more like the cool girl archetype to me tbh

[@adaon2282]

I’ve written too many stories about this

[@funtimeswithhanna]

Yes! I’m so glad you highlighted Normal People-easily one of the best shows of 2020

[@sirenachantal471]

The Nerdy Girl, smart girl. She’s always contrasted with a pretty girl, Scooby Doo, Big Bang Theory, etc. Are there any media examples where she’s just a girl - like most women who excel in science and math?

[@tcrpgfan]

Winry Rockbell from Fullmetal Alchemist definitely fits this. Although she has a lot of traits straight up associated with the GND, they make it a point to say that some of those elements of a GND are actually really hard on her and that while her childhood and adolescence were nowhere near as straight-up depressing nor horrific as the leads (plural) she is still an orphan being raised by her grandmother. As for her intelligence? She builds prosthetics, which do require a certain set of skills and knowledge of the human body.

[@monabohamad2242]

@strontiumXnitrate are you okay?

[@amandaadams1759]

@strontiumXnitrate Jesus, who hurt you dude?? It's pretty apparent that you haven't met a lot of women in real life.

[@aaaaaasthaaaaaa]

Girl next door reminds me of Erin and Kelly's song from office webepisodes 😂😂

[@icygirl97]

tbh i have been bingeing this girl character trope series with the core intention of finding out who I identify as, this literally girl next door video and all the build-up to it has rlly made me sit back and see how media has affected my identity. i would call myself a movie lover and I am starting to think that as I grew up I loved movies because they gave me a sense of who I should be in my own coming of age film. lmao this looks like a diary entry but I think I am going to take a break from movies and books and try to focus on creating my own story.

[@bovine_joni]

I love that with real life intersectional feminism you can be the GND, vixen, or both at the same time if YOU choose to be, not to further a man's character development or for his entertainment. Truly empowering!

[@dreamyanon5151]

IndiaJL Amen! Lolol love to be both and have unique nuance! Women were never really that one dimensional

[@basicradical3581]

Fr👏👏👏 women are too complicated to be just a whore, Madonna, girl next girl, cool girl whatever whatever. We come as complex mixes and matches

[@monabohamad2242]

@@kristyna907 yeah that totally refutes Christopher's solid,valid and sensical point

[@monabohamad2242]

@@dreamyanon5151 except in fiction

[@monabohamad2242]

@@Chris-rg6nm well said smart,intelligent and clever one well said👌👏👏👏👏👏

[@robertbarack1827]

TV tropes often dehumanize people, it really messed me up when I was 15, it tought me tho, to be the best version of myself instead of waiting for some girl to come and save me. I took a pretty devastating reality check and yeah, I say No one wants dependent people who don't have a life, Neither do you!

[@BoredLittleLady]

I have wanted to see multiple Take videos on ABCs Once Upon A Time for a long time. So much to explore in characters and themes.

[@quarantinedcosmonaut4082]

OMG! If I had a nickel for every time a guy described me as the girl nextdoor! Ugh! No I don't want to ever get married and I'm not going to be here when you're ready to "settle down".

[@revival9313]

You're not going to be there? Your username says otherwise.

[@UntakenNick]

Start buying cat food then.

[@monabohamad2242]

@@UntakenNick so you're saying that she's gonna be a sad lonely cat lady lol

[@angelavaldez5259]

This trope was my existence thru high school. It's being friend zoned and only being the source of comfort when he has a heartbreak

[@Laura_Luminous]

Wasn't expecting that glimpse of young James Spader. Swooooon

[@carlathedestructor2454]

I forgot how good looking he was back then!

[@shimas9695]

Ah, I love the Take. Just discovered it the other day, and have gone through a dozen videos. I love your deep dives/analyses of pop culture/society, and its manifestation in media. Amazing work! Keep it coming

[@neivilde.1242]

i know this is irrelevant but every time I see Jimmy Stewart all I can think about is the clip of him in bloopers saying "oh, you're following me, I didn't know that!"

[@directiontonarnia]

I wanna hug the creators of this channel. What amazing content you have !!!!♥️

[@jodiebug1]

It’s funny how contrived and short-sighted the “booksmart girl next door” I grew up with seems to me as I graduate with a PhD. It’s not necessarily deep to have ambition outside the home, and it’s certainly not shallow to make new humans and provide a loving environment for them to grow up in. It’s really tragic to me how I and so many of my friends were fed this message that you have to resist love and family to be truly fulfilled and independent.

[@monabohamad2242]

OMG THANK YOU AND FINALLY someone who isn't shitting on the girl next door trope

[@fabrisseterbrugghe8567]

My mother was a stewardess for United Airlines for most of the 1950s. She always said that United was the only airline that would hire her because they looked for girls next door. It got her out of her small town, which was something she very much wanted, and by the time she married my father and was required to retire, she was chief stewardess and thus the only female executive at United. I can tell you that she didn't wait around for anyone. And she's still pretty amazing at 87.

[@aina_walki7742]

Can you please do an analysis on the female psychopath/sociopath trope. For example villanelle from killing eve. Ps. Love your videos.

[@TechnicJunglist]

Glenn Close in fatal attraction

[@boogerdude]

Your exegeses of tropes is endlessly fascinating. I am an art historian so I really appreciate your critical breakdowns within their social context. . Are there other people you admire for similarly trenchant reviews?

[@hamdialihassan1048]

I would love to see damsel in distress trope explained or maybe the Mary Sue

[@unicornsprinkles3277]

Please do The Final Girl and the scream queen trope

[@eoincampbell1584]

The idea of falling in love with someone who you've grown up with from early childhood is weird to me because it's not actually a thing that happens much. When we grow up with people that makes us categorize them as sibling-like and not viable partners (statistically childhood friends rarely become a couple). It's also strange because it makes it seem like the only issue with incest is the blood relation. Overall it feels like a trope mainly written by people who didn't have siblings or sibling-like relationships with people of the opposite gender.

[@dithaingampanmei]

I think its because people change as they grow up. Sure, the girl-next-door might be someone you know inside-out. But you might not necessarily be still attracted to who she has become. Still, there's always an advantage to having a partner you truly know and trust. Marrying the girl-next-door is more common in previous generations, because as children, they had plenty of time to get to know each other.

[@monabohamad2242]

"it's also strange because it makes it seem like the only issue with incest is the blood relation" DUH that's kinda of what incest is maybe also if you have a stepparent and/or stepsibling(s): who have that kind of relation to you for LIFE

[@eoincampbell1584]

@@monabohamad2242 There's a lot of problems if you only define incest as bad because of the blood relation and possibility of inbred offspring. 1: Would that make homosexual incest less bad? 2: Clearly a stepparent or step-sibling relationship is also bad without any blood relation. 3: Wouldn't we be kind of marking people with genetic disorders as somehow aberrant and wrong from birth? 4: Wouldn't we be defining relationships by their possible offspring when many couples don't have kids (or even sex)? For those reasons I see focusing on the blood relation aspect of incest a mistake, because people lose sight of the real problem and end up saying things that sound an awful lot like eugenics. The problem isn't that your genes are too close (though that is also an issue), it's that the power dynamic is unhealthy and incestuous relationships are very likely to be founded on abuse and rape.

[@monabohamad2242]

@@eoincampbell1584 1:with all due respect,total stranger on the internt with the username Eoin Campbell,don't you think you're kinda of overthinking it? 2:dude/girl did I ever even mention anything about sexual orientation?:(lol/not trying to come across as a rude "homophobe" or anything and I'm not so sure what on earth does homosexual incest even mean exactly? seriously could you please kindly,politely and nicely make a bit of a elaboration on that please?): 3:sounds like you're basically and essentially in agreement with me on that part 4:sorry but could you elaborate a bit more please? 5:sorry again could you elaborate a bit more please?? 6:sorry again don't you think you're REALLY overthinking all of this BIG TIME???

[@monabohamad2242]

@@eoincampbell1584 sorry but also your reply to my reply to your 6 months reply old seems to hardly and barely actually has gotten much to do with what I actually commented:(maybe with the exception of the whole stepparent(s) and/or stepling(s) part):

[@clairewillow6475]

I’ve been told I have the “girl next door” look. Didn’t know what it meant at the time. But I think the person who said it to me just meant I didn’t have a fake tan or bleached hair 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@1okdude]

You ladies create incredible videos! The Take is awesome. Love your channel!

[@leslierae6416]

Could you do an episode on the Final Girl trope? I know you’ve touched on it in pervious videos, but a full fleshing out of that trope would just explode my horror loving heart in joy 💗

[@yoonmikim5663]

A study on the evolution of female friendship and relationships to other women over the decades might be interesting to explore.

[@larissabetty7020]

I always loathe this trope, but it’s so nice to see how it has changed over. This is excellent!

[@mclovinfromhawaii]

Love all your "trope" videos! Can't believe Mad Men's Jackie and Marilyn campaign didn't make it to the Madonna-whore complex explanation. :)

[@alicemanderson9605]

"Well.... Marilyn is really a Joan, not the other way around!"