Manic Pixie Dream Girls

I got the idea a few weeks ago to write about the manic pixie dream girl cliche, so I started researching, but that research inevitably led me to a New Girl marathon on Netflix, which got me thinking about the characterization of "whimsical" female characters in media, which inspired me to write this post which led me back to (500) Days of Summer and Breakfast at Tiffany's so I've been stuck in kind of a vicious circle with this post.

Anyway, the term manic pixie dream girl was originally coined by Nathan Rabin in a critique of Kirsten Dunst's character in Elizabethtown. He says: "The Manic Pixie Dream Girl exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." Ever since he wrote this in 2007, the manic pixie dream girl trope has been examined, analyzed and critiqued to death - so, naturally, I decided the internet wouldn't be complete until I added my own thoughts to the mix.

Manic pixie dream girls are often youthful or childlike, and are characterized by their free-spirited, whimsical ways. When taken over the top, they can seem shallow and frivolous, but usually they're eccentric and lovable, with an unquenchable enthusiasm for life.

Zooey Deschanel is basically the manic pixie poster girl.

At first, these characters might not seem negative. They're unique (or at least appear so), they're comfortable being different from the herd, and they're contrary to the shallow female stereotype commonly found in other media. They even seem inspiring. I mean look at them, running around dyeing their hair cool colors and wearing adorable dresses and living life to the fullest. I'd love to re-create (500) Days of Summer - running around Ikea is a lifelong dream of mine, and I wouldn't mind inspiring Joseph Gordon-Levitt to dance in the park with bluebirds and fountains.

Ironically, the main flaw in the manic pixie dream girl character is that, well, she has no flaws. She is totally in control, completely balances her (off-stage) life and job, and is basically a paper doll in vintage boots; her life is reduced to a series of quirks. She experiences no character development, because she is not meant to be a developed character - she's written to help the male protagonist find himself and fully realize his potential. She'll go on adventures only to drag a sensitive, nerdy, lost man behind her, infusing his previously drab life with sparkle and shine. Basically, manic pixie dream girls exist to inspire men. They're an idea, a muse whose presence will complete the lucky man they're with.

This concept of a perfect woman falling in love with a flawed man and "saving" him, helping him to explore his world, or just encouraging him to relax, has been around for centuries, and is harmful for many reasons. Not only is this concept detrimental to women, preaching that a women exists solely for the benefit of a man (and that she must settle for a man who isn't her moral and intellectual equal), it isn't great for men either: it teaches that he can only reach his full potential if he finds his dream girl to complete him.

But dream girls are just that: a dream. They can't exist in the real world, because no one can (or should!) exist only for the benefit of someone else. Clementine, from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, summarized this notion perfectly: "Too many guys think I'm a concept, or I complete them, or I'm gonna make them alive. But I'm just a fucked-up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind; don't assign me yours."

Being quirky, impulsive or whimsical doesn't make a character a MPDG - it's when she exists only in regard to the male protagonist. A great example of this is Lorelai Gilmore, from the show Gilmore Girls. She's quirky, childlike, and playful, and she has a business, a relationship with her family (particularly her daughter), and interests and hobbies; she is a fully developed character in her own right.

So how do you know if a character is a manic pixie dream girl? It's pretty simple, really. Does she ...
-Have a life separate from the man interested in her? (cheating on him with someone else doesn't count)
-Have a plot separate from that of the male character?
-Have a job, interests, friends that aren't directly related to the male character?

This video, the first in a series that discusses tropes of women in pop culture, is the perfect summary of a manic pixie dream girl.

~Maya

p.s. I got way too carried away researching this post, mainly because honestly, I like reading about this and I really like some aspects of these characters. I just don't like how they're portrayed in relation to their luuuuurve interests. So, in no particular order, here are some of articles I found about the manic pixie dream girl trope:
The original MPDG critique, by Nathan Rabin, can be read here.
You can find a list of MPDGs in movies here.
A defense of the MPDG can be found here.
Some reasons why it's time to retire the term manic pixie dream girl can be seen here.
Finally, some consequences of the cliche can be see here.