A number of films, including The Virgin Suicides, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Looking for Alaska, and most effectively, 500 Days of Summer, capture various levels of the elusive manic pixie dream girl.
The manic pixie dream girl is a fascinating troupe that romanticizes the free-natured, supportive, goofy, ‘girl next door’ type. The manic pixie dream girl serves as a literary foil for her male love interest.
Our leading man lacks a sense of self, but once placed next to a manic pixie dream girl, is revitalized and healed. On-screen, she dominates the narrative. Her personality is big, she is quirky, and most importantly she gives her love interest a purpose.
What is the impact of male expectations on women within the manic pixie dream girl trope? Moreover, how does a toxic media environment play into this?
HerCampus correspondent Makena Mooney states, “A manic pixie dream girl is the type of girl that is built from a man’s perspective”. We see this best in 500 Days of Summer, where leading man Tom’s expectations are shown alongside reality with the use of a split screen. Tom’s view of his proximity to Summer is completely distorted. His continual disregard for her boundaries in not wanting a relationship culminates in an awkward dinner party which leaves Tom feeling let down.
Harrison Swales, a TV-Video Production major, claims “Male characters expect this attitude that is adjacent to the typical depiction of women. There’s no nuance and her sole role is to be the crutch of the male character. She’s this thankless support that doesn’t get in the way. Maybe her interests align with theirs. The impact of her counterpart’s expectations is that she is sidelined and seen more as an object. The sole purpose of this woman is to be gawked at for being different – It degrades them.”
In a self-referential scene of 500 Days of Summer, Tom and Summer watch The Graduate, a movie working with a similar theme of male expectations and the unwarranted romanticization of women. Upon finishing The Graduate, Summer is seen crying. She sees the final moments of the film as a young woman’s loss of autonomy. Conversely, Tom’s reaction is quite the opposite, as within the first five minutes of 500 Days of Summer we are told Tom’s conception of love derives from “a total misreading of the movie The Graduate.”
Time after time, television and film reflect the manic pixie dream girl. Far less, do we dig into characters like Tom, who reflect a real societal problem. If male fantasy derives from media and socialization as it did for Tom, how do we reconcile with a population of men that do not experience their expected, possibly ingrained romantic outcome?
These questions with an in-depth look into involuntary celebate incel culture and the role it plays in today’s society will be explored.