What is Manic Pixie Dream Girl exactly and when it started?
Well, the term Manic Pixie Dream Girl was first coined by Nathan Rabin. “The Manic Pixie Dream Girl 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.” That’s what he wrote. He used it to describe Kirsten Dunst’s character in Elizabethtown.
Other movies that have been described as having MPDG character are Breakfast at Tiffany’s, New Girl, Garden State, 500 Days of Summer, and a lot more. Usually, MPDG shows these traits: quirky, adventurous, free, wild, pretty with dyed hair and a strange choice of clothes that suited her, and usually, MPDG has a fear of loving someone/being abandoned or having non-committed relationship. The MPDG is a girl who loves indie music or this girl with dyed hair that has this cool ideology of life. It’s the girl who drags the boy and shows him how to have fun in a weird way. The MPDG will lure this lame boy with no motivation whatsoever and gloomy attitude and show him the infinite mysteries of life and adventures through unique perspective. The poor boy will be head over heels in love with this amazing, unique girl and once the boy starts demanding a committed relationship, the MPDG will go through this nervous break down and just abandon him, leaving his heart broken in pieces, begging for her to not leave.
Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind
In conclusion, MPDG has no life purpose. It’s made out of Male Fantasy to help achieve the lame boy’s dreams. And once he already knew the life’s infinite mysteries, any traces of the MPDG’s character will disappear.
I’ll be honest.
I love MPDG – even though several articles have stated that MPDG is not a great character with no character depth, background, real goals and etc. In fact, I admire MPDG – they are free-spirited, they are not chained to what boys told them to, I think they are not seeking for boys’ validation, they do what they want to do, they live to please themselves (though it is stated otherwise) and those are attractive qualities to have.
Instead, Damsel-in-Distress movie trope is the one we have to avoid and should not be our role models. They live waiting for help from a man who will sweep them off the feet and disappear into the sunset. Wake up, stand up for yourself; there’s no boy who will help you. The only one who can help yourself is yourself.
It’s not MPDG’s faults to begin with. Boys are the one who create the characters and the MPDG’s movies are mostly (I am open to any exceptions) told in the boy’s perspective. By watching the movie, we are merely looking at the idea of the girl (the so-called MPDG) that the main character made in his head.
If anything, blame the boy.
So, that’s my opinion. What about yours? Feel free to leave any opinions regarding the matter.
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