YES YES YES AND MILLION MORE YESES

YES YES YES AND MILLION MORE YESES

your character’s the damsel in distress. how’s that workin’ out?

this trope depicts women as helpless, let’s be real here.

thread by @fictionalturtlenecks <3

— all I see of this trope are women who are desperate for their prince charming/knight in shining armour to come & save them from certain doom when they could easily save themselves… we’re not helpless, y’know.

if you’re making ONLY girls the victims in your story, I think there’s a problem (typecasting/sexism)

has misogynistic origins. & it’s rare to see it as something progressive

teaches girls that they need a man to save them when they’re in trouble

I just want to see the girl NOT being the one who has to be saved. it seems like a stereotypical gender role

it can be written well! especially if the girl is also saving others & is in a situation where it makes sense for her to be the one saved

please no “she needs saving! even though she can do it herself! we need the love interest to help when they don’t need to!”

it should show more women that can fight & be independent. they don’t have to rely on some guy to save them in every single situation

I seriously cannot express how much I hate this trope; it’s usually sexist, it just is

it always has to be a female character. give me men that need help too!

it’s not the worst thing. there could be worse tropes.

it gives young girls the idea that they’re helpless, that they need to wait for their prince charming.

it makes younger boys think that they need a submissive woman, not capable of doing anything herself.

HOW LONG DOES SHE HAVE TO WAIT TO BE SAVED?

what would be cool is if the roles were reversed. if it wasn’t a guy & a girl. the possibilities are endless.

why does the girl never do anything to save herself? why does the girl have no basic intelligence? if we’re going to be writing that, can we factor that in?

unless you give it a twist like they did in shrek because that was perfect

make it male version & a little less “in distress” or less “helpless” (it would be an interesting idea)

while it’s a controversial trope, if written in a way where it’s not too helpless it would be a good trope.

at least give her a good reason why she can’t save herself

it makes the character seem like they’re not independent

women are girlbosses & we don’t need men. this trope can d!e. might reconsider if it’s wlw

this trope was ages—& I mean AGES—ago. these days, it’s offensive & misogynistic

suggests that women are helpless & require (usually) a man to save them

I hate when a female fighter is turned into a damsel for no good reason

more male characters being in distress that doesn’t make them “less manly” or whatever

as long as the girl isn’t a complete shell of a human being

it can be a lot of fun if we see the “damsel” trying to figure out how to escape. if they just sit there passively & wait to be rescued, it’s very dull.

there was too much of this before the 2000s, but now w/ so many “girlboss” protagonists, it feels like it’s become cool to refuse help

everyone, regardless of gender, should be feeling safe & comfy w/ receiving help

sometimes problems in life are easier to solve w/ more people

STOP associating the damsel in distress trope w/ romance

it doesn’t always have to be a guy who is giving the help. it can be a girl or themself!!

as long as the damsel isn’t the only female & there are competent women too

negative version of the maiden archetype. to become a hero, she must learn to save herself

male characters as the “damsel”? yes please

the takes on this trope where the cliché is twisted in some way >

more linked to classics & disney, definitely not necessary anymore. fairly outdated

it would be funny to put a man as the damsel in distress for once

it’s highly outdated & promotes both male saviourism & the idea that all women are helpless

“I’m a damsel. I’m in distress. I can handle this. have a nice day.”