List of female stock characters

This is a list of stereotypical female characters. These stock characters play off of popular stereotypes of women (e. g. innocence, helplessness, etc.,) or, more recently, attempts to break these stereotypes (e. g. women's rights, feminism., etc.)


 * The California Girl: a usually blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who only eats health food and loves the environment more than anything else. Dawn Schafer from The Baby-sitters Club series and Melody Valentine from Josie and the Pussycats are examples of this character.
 * The Femme Fatale, the vamp, La belle dame sans merci, the Black Widow: the beautiful, seductive, but (traditionally) evil woman who leads the hero to his doom.  Examples include Poison Ivy from Batman, Lady Macbeth, the Dragon Lady from Terry and the Pirates and many women in film noir. In more modern fiction, femme fatales aren't necessarily evil, but are simply women who use their looks and female charisma to get what they want. More often, they are protagonists, supporters of protagonists, antiheroes, or villians who switch sides, rather than all-out antagonists. Examples include, Gabrielle Solis and Edie Britt of Desperate Housewives, Catwoman, and Nami of One Piece.
 * The Hooker With a Heart of Gold: a young, attractive sex worker who, despite her lowly status in life, is a world-wise and compassionate person. Examples: Vivian Ward from Pretty Woman, Belle Watling in Gone with the Wind, and Inara Serra from Firefly.
 * The Ingénue: a sweet, beautiful, and virginal maiden, in mental or emotional rather than physical danger, usually a target of The Cad.  Usually a fawn-eyed innocent.  A prime example is Reese Witherspoon’s character in Cruel Intentions, as well as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera.
 * Cinderella or The Pretty Ugly Girl: a “Girl Next Door” type who is supposed to be somewhat plain-looking, yet is actually quite attractive—the most famous examples being Cinderella herself and Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island.  Usually, the girl’s mother is either completely absent or is, of course, a Wicked Step-Mother.  Her father is usually distant or uninvolved with her. Often this character is contrasted with someone considered the Beautiful or Popular Girl.
 * The Damsel in Distress: the young, beautiful, virginal woman who must be rescued from some cruel fate by the Hero à la Penelope Pitstop, Daphne Blake, Princess Peach,  Aerith Gainsborough, Rinoa Heartilly, and Gwendoline in The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak.  This archetype is now often subverted, with the damsel being secretly formidable and waiting for the right moment to strike back (such as Amy Rose or Princess Fiona,) or learning to do it as the story advances and she leaves her initially passive attitude.
 * The Dumb Blonde or Bimbo: Often also a Damsel in Distress or Ingenue, but may be simply unintelligent but attractive.  Could also be just plain silly/comic relief-such as Brittany Taylor in Daria, Melody Valentine in Josie and the Pussycats, and Karen Smith in Mean Girls.  Occasionally the Dumb Blonde isn’t actually blonde, just dumb.  Marilyn Monroe portrayed this stereotype in a number of movies.
 * The Nerd Girl: differs from the Pretty Ugly Girl by being less wholesomely mainstream.  She doesn’t dress fashionably and may be intensely interested in some specialized area or notable for her intelligence.  Deb in Napoleon Dynamite is a classic Nerd Girl (she wears her hair in an unusual way, dresses in loose, unfashionable clothing and is into photography).  Darla Simmons in Martin Mystery is another example, as is Gadget Hackwrench (Chip and Dale's Rescue Rangers). The Nerd Girl is often kind and goodhearted, and may be quite attractive, or have the potential to be so with some “tidying up” (like Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and Ami Mizuno in Sailor Moon).  Like the Pretty Ugly Girl, she is explicitly contrasted with the beautiful but shallow popular girl (who is frequently a Dumb Blonde).
 * The Nurse: typically a woman who finds the hero or villain injured, and nurses him back to health. She falls in love with him, but will never have her love returned because of his love for another or his plans for conquest. Examples include Michal Amagi from Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure and Hana from The English Patient. Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings (at least in the film adaptation) also bears similarities to this character type towards Aragorn.
 * The Popular Girl: a girl who is well-liked and appreciated at her school, but is often mean and prissy to less popular girls. She often has sidekicks who follow her everywhere. In recent times, this character type has gained the appellation “Queen Bee.” Examples include Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Stacy from the GirlTalk series of books, Regina George from Mean Girls, Alana (later Bianca) from That's So Raven, and Harmony Kendall and Cordelia Chase of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
 * The Tomboy: a female character who is “one of the guys.”  Usually displays superior physical or athletic prowess.  Because of her attitude or activities, is sometimes, (but not always) a Pretty Ugly Girl.  Some Tomboys exhibit a deep-seated or transient envy of more feminine girls, usually when confronted by a boy she likes.  Examples include Holly Short in the Artemis Fowl series, Éowyn from The Lord of the Rings, and Pepper in Good Omens. The character Tex in Red vs Blue could be considered an exaggeration of this archetype.
 * The Adventuress: A female character who takes on an adventure-hero role, especially from periods (such as the Victorian and Edwardian eras) where such activities wouldn't be considered "ladylike". Examples include Kate Reed in Anno Dracula, Evelyn Carnahan in The Mummy, Elizabeth Swan of Pirates of the Caribbean and sequels and Charley Pollard in Doctor Who.
 * The Warrior Heroine: A female hero who has many characteristics of traditional male heroic stock characters. The Warrior Heroine is sometimes prejudiced in her line of work by misogynist male characters, but always manages to come out on top. Many Warrior Heroines are Adventuresses. Some are also Femme Fatales or Tomboys, but do not necessarily have to be either. If the Warrior Heroine is of royalty, she is also a Warrior princess.
 * The Motor-mouth: a female character who just doesn't know when to shut up, hold her silence or keep a secret, regardless of whatever harm that could befall her or her companions. Either for truth be known, uncontrolable urge or simply because they want to, these women will not simply put a lid on it.

fr:Catégorie:Stéréotype féminin