The cultural and sexual stereotype of the
girl next door is invoked in
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming
femininityFemininity refers to qualities and behaviors judged by a particular culture to be ideally associated with or especially appropriate to women and girls....
, as opposed to the culture's other female stereotypes such as the
tomboyA tomboy is a girl who exhibits some characteristics of the gender role of a boy.This social phenomenon typically manifests itself through some of these characteristics:*The wearing of typically masculine-oriented types of clothes....
, the
valley girlValley Girl is a term originally referring to affluent upper-middle class girls living in the bedroom community neighborhoods of San Fernando Valley....
, the
femme fataleA femme fatale is an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetypal character of literature and art...
,
girly girlGirly girl, alternatively spelled girlie girl, is a slang term for a girl or woman who chooses to dress and behave in a traditionally feminine style, such as wearing floral dresses, blouses and skirts, and talking about relationships and other activities which are associated with the traditional...
, or the
slutSlut or slattern is a pejorative term meaning an individual who is sexually promiscuous. The term is generally applied to women and used as an insult or offensive term of disparagement, meaning "dirty or slovenly." It may also be used as an expression of pride in oneself or envy at the sexual...
. The male equivalent is the "
boy next doorThe boy next door is an archetype of storytelling. He is often invoked in American contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming, or "average" masculinity. He is a young man who is just discovering his physical and spiritual strengths, and still maintains an innocent wonder about them...
". An example of each is found in
Thornton WilderThornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. His best known work is his play Our Town.-Early years:...
's
Our TownOur Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. The play is set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, modeled upon several New Hampshire towns in the Mount Monadnock region: Jaffrey, Peterborough, Dublin, and others. Using metatheatrical devices, Wilder sets the play...
, in the characters of Emily Webb and George Gibbs; or in
Mark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is extensively quoted...
's
The Adventures of Tom SawyerThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a popular 1876 novel about a young boy growing up in the antebellum South, in the town of "St Petersburg", inspired by the town of Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River, where Mark Twain grew up....
series, in the characters of
Tom SawyerTom Sawyer is the protagonist and title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . He appears in three other novels by Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Tom Sawyer Abroad , and Tom Sawyer, Detective .Sawyer also appears in at least three unfinished Twain works, Huck and...
and Becky Thatcher.
In the idealised American context, falling in love with the "girl next door" is an archetypal
romantic fictionThe romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
.
The cultural and sexual stereotype of the
girl next door is invoked in
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming
femininityFemininity refers to qualities and behaviors judged by a particular culture to be ideally associated with or especially appropriate to women and girls....
, as opposed to the culture's other female stereotypes such as the
tomboyA tomboy is a girl who exhibits some characteristics of the gender role of a boy.This social phenomenon typically manifests itself through some of these characteristics:*The wearing of typically masculine-oriented types of clothes....
, the
valley girlValley Girl is a term originally referring to affluent upper-middle class girls living in the bedroom community neighborhoods of San Fernando Valley....
, the
femme fataleA femme fatale is an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetypal character of literature and art...
,
girly girlGirly girl, alternatively spelled girlie girl, is a slang term for a girl or woman who chooses to dress and behave in a traditionally feminine style, such as wearing floral dresses, blouses and skirts, and talking about relationships and other activities which are associated with the traditional...
, or the
slutSlut or slattern is a pejorative term meaning an individual who is sexually promiscuous. The term is generally applied to women and used as an insult or offensive term of disparagement, meaning "dirty or slovenly." It may also be used as an expression of pride in oneself or envy at the sexual...
. The male equivalent is the "
boy next doorThe boy next door is an archetype of storytelling. He is often invoked in American contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming, or "average" masculinity. He is a young man who is just discovering his physical and spiritual strengths, and still maintains an innocent wonder about them...
". An example of each is found in
Thornton WilderThornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. His best known work is his play Our Town.-Early years:...
's
Our TownOur Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. The play is set in the fictional community of Grover's Corners, modeled upon several New Hampshire towns in the Mount Monadnock region: Jaffrey, Peterborough, Dublin, and others. Using metatheatrical devices, Wilder sets the play...
, in the characters of Emily Webb and George Gibbs; or in
Mark TwainSamuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is most noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has since been called the Great American Novel, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He is extensively quoted...
's
The Adventures of Tom SawyerThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, is a popular 1876 novel about a young boy growing up in the antebellum South, in the town of "St Petersburg", inspired by the town of Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River, where Mark Twain grew up....
series, in the characters of
Tom SawyerTom Sawyer is the protagonist and title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . He appears in three other novels by Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Tom Sawyer Abroad , and Tom Sawyer, Detective .Sawyer also appears in at least three unfinished Twain works, Huck and...
and Becky Thatcher.
In the idealised American context, falling in love with the "girl next door" is an archetypal
romantic fictionThe romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
. Unlike the
femme fataleA femme fatale is an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetypal character of literature and art...
, the girl next door does not have hidden plans of her own, because her character and personality are open and straightforward, and because her social, economic, and sexual intentions do not need to be concealed. Unlike the
princesse lointaineA princess lointaine or princesse lointaine, is a stock character from medieval romances. The romantic interest of many knights errant, she was usually a woman of much higher birth, often far distant from the knight, and usually wealthier than he was, beautiful, and of admirable character...
, she seldom is richer or of a higher social status than the boy protagonist. The girl next door likely is a girl whom the protagonist has known most of his life, but in the past could not appreciate the depth of his feelings for her because of his youth.
The girl next door is always physically in close range, yet simultaneously detached from the male
protagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, video game, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to share the most empathy...
(she need not literally live next door). She is the sweet-tempered girl he sees daily, a really great 'pal' friend, hence the "perfect" girl to take home to his parents. Often, she is a sexual
virginA virgin is, originally, a woman who has never had sexual intercourse. Virginity is the state of being a virgin. It is derived from the Latin virgo, which means "sexually inexperienced woman", used typically of adolescents, but also of older women, and even goddesses.As in Latin, the English word...
, and, because of that, her "innocent" manner is the façade of many American erotic fantasies portraying her "girl next door" image as the pretense behind which is the true, very sexually aggressive woman. The friction of these contradictions in the
archetypeAn archetype is an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype after which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all...
is the key story theme in the film
The Girl Next Door (2004).
Examples
- Betsy Booth (Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years, Garland attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist, and on the concert stage. Respected for her versatility, she received a Juvenile Academy...
) in Love Finds Andy HardyLove Finds Andy Hardy is a 1938 romantic comedy film which tells the story of a teenage boy who becomes entangled with three different girls all at the same time. It stars Mickey Rooney, Lewis Stone, Fay Holden, Cecilia Parker, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford, Mary Howard and Gene...
, Andy Hardy Meets DebutanteAndy Hardy Meets Debutante is a 1940 American family film comedy directed by George B. Seitz. The film stars Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney, Cecilia Parker, Fay Holden and Judy Garland. This is the 10th of the Andy Hardy film series.-Plot:...
, and Life Begins for Andy HardyAndy Hardy was a fictional character played by Mickey Rooney in an MGM film series from 1937 to 1958. Spanning over 20 years, the 16 movies were based on characters in the play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol....
- Betty Cooper
Elizabeth Ann "Betty" Cooper is a fictional character of Archie Comics, the blonde-haired daughter of Hal and Alice Cooper. Betty likes sports, and is also a cheerleader. Betty was created in December 1941. Her older brother Chick Cooper and older sister Polly Cooper have both moved out of ...
from Archie ComicsArchie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenage Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Forsythe "Jughead" Jones characters were created by...
- Iris Gaines (Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as deranged stalker Alex Forrest in Fatal Attraction...
) in The NaturalThe Natural is a 1984 film adaptation of Bernard Malamud's 1952 baseball novel of the same name. The film was directed by Barry Levinson and stars Robert Redford...
- Emily Jones (Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks is an American actress whose TV and film appearances include Scrubs, the Spider-Man films, The Uninvited, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, W., Zack And Miri Make A Porno, and Role Models.-Early life and education:Banks was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, as the oldest of four children of...
) in Definitely, MaybeDefinitely, Maybe is a 2008 romantic comedy film directed by Adam Brooks, and starring Ryan Reynolds, Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks, and Abigail Breslin.-Plot:...
- Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar
Danica Mae McKellar is an American actress, mathematics author and education advocate. She is best known for her role as Winnie Cooper in the television show The Wonder Years, and now as author of the two New York Times bestsellers, Math Doesn't Suck, and Kiss My Math, which encourage...
) on The Wonder YearsThe Wonder Years is an American television dramedy created by Carol Black and Neal Marlens. It ran for six seasons on ABC, from 1988 through 1993. The pilot aired on January 31, 1988 after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl XXII....
- Lana Lang
Lana Lang is a fictional, supporting character in DC Comics' Superman series. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist John Sikela, she first appears in Superboy #10 ....
(Kristin KreukKristin Laura Kreuk is a Canadian actress. She is perhaps best known for her role on the American television series Smallville, in which she starred as Lana Lang for eight years...
) in the first several seasons of SmallvilleSmallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB, premiering on October 16, 2001...
- D. J. Tanner (Candace Cameron) from Full House
Full House is an American television sitcom that ran from September 22, 1987 to May 23, 1995 on ABC. Set in San Francisco, California, it chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner who, after the death of his wife in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and...
- Alice from the well-known Smokie
Smokie is an English rock band from Bradford, Yorkshire who found success in Europe in the 1970s.-Early years:Originally called The Yen, then The Sphynx and later Essence, the band was formed in 1965 at St. Bede's Grammar School in Heaton, Bradford...
song "Living Next Door to Alice"
- Marissa Cooper
Marissa Cooper is a fictional character from the FOX television network series The O.C.. She is portrayed by Mischa Barton. She is considered the main protagonist of the series, along with her love interest Ryan Atwood.-Characterization:...
(Mischa BartonMischa Anne Marsden Barton is a British-American film, television, and stage actress, perhaps best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in the American television series The O.C....
) from The O.C.The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
- Penny
Penny is a fictional character on the CBS television series The Big Bang Theory, portrayed by actress Kaley Cuoco. Penny is Leonard and Sheldon's neighbor across the hallway and is a "cheesecake-scented goddess" in the words of Wolowitz...
(Kaley CuocoKaley Christine Cuoco is an American television actress, best known for her roles as Bridget Hennessy on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules, Brandy Harrington on Brandy & Mr...
) from The Big Bang TheoryThe Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created and executive produced by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. It premiered on CBS September 24, 2007....
- Mary Jane from Spider-Man
See also
- All-American (disambiguation)
The term "All-American" may refer to:*All-America athletic team*Nickname of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army, so called because the initial recruits came from all of the then-48 states of the U.S....
- Girly girl
Girly girl, alternatively spelled girlie girl, is a slang term for a girl or woman who chooses to dress and behave in a traditionally feminine style, such as wearing floral dresses, blouses and skirts, and talking about relationships and other activities which are associated with the traditional...
- Ingenue
The Ingénue is a stock character in literature, film, and a role type in the theatre; generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent and wholesome....
- Yamato Nadeshiko
is a Japanese word meaning "personification of an idealized Japanese woman", "ideal" in the historical context of the patriarchal, traditional culture of Japan...
Further reading
- Deborah Jermyn, "Death of the Girl Next Door": Celebrity, Femininity, and Tragedy in the Murder of Jill Dando, Feminist Media Studies, Vol. 1 No. 3 (Nov. 2001)
- Michael Levine, Feeling For Buffy — The Girl Next Door in Michael Levine and Steven Schneider, Buffy and Philosophy, Open Court Press 2003
- Frank Rich
Frank Rich is a center-left New York Times columnist who focuses on American politics and popular culture. His column ran on the front page of the Sunday Arts & Leisure section from 2003 to 2005; it now appears in the expanded Sunday Week in Review section.-Early career:Rich graduated from Harvard...
, Journal: The Girl Next Door, New York Times, Feb. 20, 1994
- Michael Walker, SHE SPITS ON THE GIRL NEXT DOOR, Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California since 1881. It is distributed throughout the Western United States. It is the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in the United States and the fourth-most widely distributed newspaper in the United States...
, Feb. 6, 1994
- Elizabeth Wurtzel
Elizabeth Lee Wurtzel is an American writer and journalist famous for her work in the confessional memoir genre. She is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School. she is employed by Boies, Schiller & Flexner in New York City.-Early life:...
, Women: Read my lips: Are you a girl next door or a second wife?, The GuardianThe Guardian is a British daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation .The Guardian Weekly, which circulates worldwide, provides a compact digest of four newspapers...
, Dec. 22, 1998
External links