The Difficult Woman Trope: How The Label Evolved & Why It Sticks
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Published 2023-10-17
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CHAPTERS
00:00 - The Evolution of the Difficult Woman
01:28 - The Evolution of the Difficult Woman
02:56 - Portrayal of Women in 1980s Movies
04:18 - The Evolution of the Difficult Woman
05:44 - The Difficult Woman Archetype
07:11 - The Representation of Women on Screen
08:42 - Complex and Flawed Female Characters
10:09 - The Difficult Woman in Popular Culture
11:36 - The Evolution of the Difficult Woman Trope
13:05 - Outro
CREDITS
Executive Producers: Debra Minoff & Susannah McCullough
Chief Creative Director: Susannah McCullough
Associate Producer: Tyler Allen
Writer: Ellie Slee
Narrator: Jessica Babineaux
Video Editor: Tyler Allen
#tropes #movietropes #sexism #feminism #tvtropes #videoessay #socialcommentary
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The Difficult Woman Trope: How The Label Evolved & Why It Sticks
All Comments (21)
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WATCH MORE - Another female trope that could be called "difficult" is the Neurotic Type A Woman. Here's our TAKE: https://youtu.be/5Aq9b2XfrWY
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We're all difficult. People do tend to have issues with women who choose to prioritize their needs first.
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The "Difficult Woman" is usually a woman who is smart and doesn't suffer fools gladly.
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I loved that line in Scandal so much. "I am not the girl the guy gets at the end of the movie. I am not a fantasy. You want me? EARN ME." So freaking powerful.
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My grandfather called my mom (his daughter in law) called my mother difficult when she demanded that his son get a job when she was working double shifts while 8 months pregnant. A difficult woman is often (not always, but often) just a woman who refuses to be treated like sh*t by men who refuse to step up.
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It doesn't help that we have a label like "mean girl". It suggests that girls and women are supposed to always be likable or not have any negative personality traits. It's very narrow.
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The role of women is to be good mothers but nobody say that the men's role is to be good fathers.
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It was brief, but I'm glad black women were mentioned in this take. As stated, the "difficult woman" stereotype, as well as the "angry black woman" stereotypes are still a very real issue for us. While feminism has made strides for most women, it hasn't been as big of a boon to woman of color.
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Thank you for mentioning black women being stereotyped as more “ difficult “ and “ angry “. I noticed that anytime I stood up for myself I was considered the “ angry black woman “ even when people were racist and sexist to me. I was considered the bad girl just because I defended myself. I feel like society uses this stereotype to silence black women.
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RICH SINGLE AUNT TROPE! ❤ and how it changed from being a failure to being an inspiration for new generation of women! Before it was almost a threat, now it is celebrated! ❤ it really shows how times changed
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As an autistic woman who struggled with people-pleasing in the past, it feels great to not feel obliged to attent to others' needs over your own all the time. To oblivion with any Patriarchy wanting it to feel easy for themselves to treat women as mere second class citizens without consequences.
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Times like this make me appreciate characters like Diane from Parks and Rec who, despite being a supporting character, is never berated or dismissed as "difficult," with even her apology being deemed unnecessary when meeting Ron.
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It’s funny because if these women weren’t “difficult” they’d be considered “Mary Sues”. Damned if you are, damned if you aren’t.
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The first women from Hollywood that immediately come to mind due to this label are Meghan Fox and Katherine Heigl. Both suffered immensely simply for being themselves and standing up to the sexist Assholes in the industry. I'm glad both had their redemption.
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The original "difficult woman" in the Western tradition has got to be Eleanor of Aquitaine (played perfectly by that other "difficult woman", Katherine Hepburn in "A Lion in Winter"). A true hero(ine) who wasn't a fictional character and broke every conceivable taboo in the Middle Ages...
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I love this analysis it highlights that so much really hasn't changed when It comes to female representation on screen and that women who assert themselves or express their needs are still victims misogynistic attacks which directly translates into real life.
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Katharine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich really were the OGs.
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I’m a “difficult woman”. Took me forty years to realize I’m not the issue, it’s the expectations placed upon me by society and others. Can’t make everyone happy, so I work on making sure I’m taking good care of myself.
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“It’s doesn’t take much to be a difficult woman, that’s why there are so many of us”
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Waiting for the Oldest Sibling Sacrifice Trope like in the Hunger Games, or in Avatar Way of Water
