Down with the Manic Pixie Dream Girl!

Melanie Torres

Too many guys think I’m a concept, or I complete them, or I’m gonna make them alive. But I’m just a f**ked-up girl who’s lookin’ for my own peace of mind; so don’t assign me yours.

– Clementine Kruczynski

I remember the first time I was compared to the term, “Manic Pixie Dream Girl..” A boy I had liked referred to me as “Ramona Flowers” from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World as a way to belittle me. My face scrunched up at the thought. I had been cursed with the worst insult: being nothing more than an object of desire.

Ramona Flowers and Scott Pilgrim from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Pinterest

The term, “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” was originally coined by Nathan Rabin when writing a review for Elizabethtown (2005). In this review he describes this archetype as a woman who, “...exists solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” After reading this quote all I could think was:  Damn, do I attract a lot of these brooding men? Time and time again boys have walked into my life, taking what they have seen in movies and expecting me to save them from their own dreary lives. Whether that be by hoping that I would provide them the motivation to keep on going or by saying: I’m not like other girls, and fulfilling the projected fantasy they had attached onto me.

I was discussing this pattern with my friends when I realized it was not just me going through this. It had happened to every single one of my feminine presenting friends who dared to have dyed hair or an unusual way of dressing. Not even my best friend, a transmasc person, was spared from this curse. Having men almost view him as a silly cool girl who happened to not conform to gender norms. These “brooding men” will romanticize your boldness, your individuality, your independence – and within this he will think he has found his dream girl. Hell, sometimes they even fantasize about what could be wrong with you. However, once he realizes you do not perform for him, he will grow to resent you.

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl | Pinterest

My main issue with being seen as a reflection of this archetype is that it is a shallow view of a woman, simply an ideal that does not exist. Consistently, I and many other women have been unwantedly placed upon a pedestal of admiration. By being perceived as this otherworldly being, I have been stripped of everything that had made me human. How bold of some to assume my actions are dictated by whether it will make them  find me attractive or not. I am a full-fledged person that exists outside of your narrow view on life. I will get upset, scream, shout, and cry, because ultimately, what they want is not  a woman, it is a dream. 

P.S. We do not breathe just to exist within your gaze!

Strike Out,

Melanie Torres

Editor: Bruno Montenegro


Melanie Torres is a freshman at Florida International University majoring in English. She is currently a part of Strike Magazines Miami editorial team, with this being her first semester a part of the magazine. She aims to focus her work on the current pop culture and how that influences everyday people like her. Outside of writing, she enjoys the pleasures of painting and creating short films.

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