Bear with me if this isn't well put together. I'm just in a rant-y, I-want-to-scream-in-all-caps mood right now. Sorry not sorry if this offends anyone because I've had these thoughts bottled up for a while.

aNYwaYs,

If I read one more book/fic/whatever the hell I stumble upon that depicts a traditionally feminine character as a narcissistic, evil whore simply because she likes doing her makeup and cooing over cute things I'm going to s c r e e c h.

It's at the point now where if I see the author's describing how a random character is wearing makeup that I know this character is going to be written horribly.

Why? Why, why, why, why, why is this such a common trope?

Being girly doesn't mean you only care about your looks. Being girly doesn't mean you shame others for how they live less traditionally girly lives. Being girly doesn't mean you're a bad person.

So why do so many fics depict girly characters like this?

Yeah, I get it that it's easy to make a cliché "mean girl" character. Even better, let's make her a cheerleader! It's not like we have an abundance of horrible mean girl cheerleader characters, right? The kind who only care about their appearances and popularity.

It's not like there are real-life popular girls and cheerleaders who act like "normal" girls with some human decency. Nah, all of them are egotistical airheads who want to destroy the lives of everyone else because they're intruding on their territory.

That's not how the world works.

Okay, there are some girls who act like those evil Wattpad mean girl cheerleaders. And those girls are girly. So people associate "mean" with "girly."

b o i ,

It's unbelievably unfair to group all feminine girls who share a couple interests with them (ex: makeup) into this one shallow, vicious stereotype. My eyes roll into the back of my head when I see writers I genuinely like give into this cliché by making their MCs suffer simply by being in the presence of a girly girl.

How many times have you read a fic that goes like: "Beth groaned in annoyance as Sharpay Francesca Paris Chanel de Thot started bawling over her unfortunate situation. She hated high maintenance people—she would never stoop to Sharpay's level! After all, Beth iSn'T LIkE oThER giRLS!"

Hnnnngh. Saying characters are annoying and weak for crying is a fight for another day.

Back to the subject at hand, I understand that not everyone likes girly things like dresses or chick flicks or the color pink. That's cool. I have no problems with it because it's your life; do what makes you happy. Who am I to judge what's bringing them joy if it's not harming anybody? You do you, honey boo. Respect my interests, and I'll respect yours.

But the thing is so many people don't respect girly interests. They wave them off as being frivolous and vain and materialistic and all that crap. They degrade them. Bash them. Girly interests are the butt of the joke.

And it's upsetting 😔

As a girly girl who loves boy bands and malls and silly Snapchat filters and boy oh boy do I love pink, all I'm asking is this: please respect girly interests.

You can have mean, annoying characters who are girly, but don't make them mean and annoying because they're girly.

It's just... I'm tired of this stereotype.

😕

P.S.

I just want to make it extra, extra clear that I am not bashing non-girly girls nor am I defending those arrogant asshats who pick on less girly girls because they're not traditionally feminine!!!