The Girl Who Doesn't Know She's Pretty Trope
I took a look at my Goodreads reviews for the first time in a while recently, and I gotta say I was pretty blown away by how many people have been loving Class of 1983! :O
There were a few reviews that weren’t so great, which is always a bit of a bummer for authors to see, especially indie authors who really only only have themselves to blame when people don’t like their stuff. But hey, I write books about time travel, witches and the 1980’s, they were never going to be for everyone!
One of the reviews mentioned my use of “the girl who doesn’t know she’s pretty trope” and it got me thinking.
I mean, it’s true, this trope is indeed present in my first book, and it is something that is used a lot in YA fiction, teen movies, TV shows, just about anywhere that teens can be found.
And I totally get that people are over it.
You want female characters to be empowered and not need a man to tell them they are pretty. I hear this!
But I don’t know about you, but I’ve never met a teenage girl who knew she was pretty.
I used to be a high school teacher, so I knew a lot of teenage girls. I can’t think of a single one who had any confidence about her appearance, or anything about themselves really.
I certainly didn’t think I was pretty when I was a teenager, in fact, most grown ass women I know don’t know how beautiful they are.
I don’t think we’re overusing the girl who doesn’t know she’s pretty trope. I think we have a problem with society that makes girls relate so darn much to it.
Girls are programmed with messages about how important it is to be pretty from pretty much the moment they are born.
We tell little girls how pretty they are, they watch TV and movies that are full of unreachable (for most of us) beauty standards. Before girls even hit puberty they are already conditioned to believe that being pretty is pretty much everything.
Then when they hit their teen years the fashion and beauty industry gets its claws out and starts telling girls they need to spend all their allowance so they can be as pretty and confident as the girls in their advertisements.
Girls are constantly told they aren’t pretty enough. Everywhere they turn some magazine, advertising, billboard, TV show is showing them unrealistic expectations of beauty.
Then there’s high school. Does anyone get through their high school career without being told at least a couple of (hundred) times how unattractive they are?
And for the few who are able to say - screw this! And go off on their own journey of self-love - I salute you. Please write a book full of bad ass characters who do not subscribe to this trope.
But for the girls who don’t think they’re pretty, I see you. I was you. Hey, sometimes I still am you.
After all, you can only really write what you know, right?
So why did I use the girl who doesn’t know she’s pretty trope? Because that’s the trope of my teen years, it’s the trope I lived every day through my high school experience.
Is it still a trope if it’s just your actual life?
I know what it’s like to not know you’re pretty and then suddenly find yourself dating one of the most popular boys in school. I also know what’s it’s like to be dumped by that boy for a prettier, blonder more popular girl and go back to thinking you’re not pretty enough again.
But you know what, it is getting better! Slowly, but things are changing!
Advertising standards are getting a little stricter and many big brands are now using models of all shapes and sizes and backgrounds which is soooo exciting!
Girls are more becoming more empowered every day and they are flipping the script!
And hopefully there will be less girl who doesn’t know she’s pretty trope in the future, because girls will just no longer relate to it.
Love,
Victoria
x
