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Critical Analysis Abstract: 10 Things I Hate About You & The “Not Like Other Girls” Trope

The phrase, “not like other girls,” is commonly used to describe a person or character that is quirky, emo, a loner, intelligent, or independent. In film, this description typically has a positive connotation – at least, it’s meant to. A common consensus is that the trope upholds negative stereotypes about women or the group the character is “unlike.” TV Tropes states that by using or conforming to this trope, “it’s implied that your gender is inferior by default,” (TV Tropes). On the other hand, many people are in support of this trope and its success within media.

10 Things I Hate About You, directed by Gil Junger, tells the story of a young girl trying to navigate popularity and relationships all while being held back by her ill-mannered older sister. Julia Stiles’s character, Kat Stratford, the ill-mannered older sister is “not like other girls.” Although she is blonde-haired and attractive, she doesn’t socialize or go to parties, and despises a lot of things. If she were compared with other female characters in the film, they’d appear to live in different universes. What can we learn from the film and how has 10 Things I Hate About You provided a framework for new films to follow to success? Why have screenwriters continued to push characters with such a controversial trope? This critical analysis attempts to answer these questions, as well as analyze the trope’s influences on the films that followed this popular 90s film and the industry as a whole.

Keywords: film, not like other girls, trope, success, influence, stereotypes, controversial, writing

Works Cited

TV Tropes. “Not Like Other Girls.” TV Tropes, https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NotLikeOtherGirls.

Academic department under which the project should be listed

RCHSS - English

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Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Anna Weinstein

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Screenwriting Commons

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"10 Things I Hate About You" and the "Not Like Other Girls" Trope

Critical Analysis Abstract: 10 Things I Hate About You & The “Not Like Other Girls” Trope

The phrase, “not like other girls,” is commonly used to describe a person or character that is quirky, emo, a loner, intelligent, or independent. In film, this description typically has a positive connotation – at least, it’s meant to. A common consensus is that the trope upholds negative stereotypes about women or the group the character is “unlike.” TV Tropes states that by using or conforming to this trope, “it’s implied that your gender is inferior by default,” (TV Tropes). On the other hand, many people are in support of this trope and its success within media.

10 Things I Hate About You, directed by Gil Junger, tells the story of a young girl trying to navigate popularity and relationships all while being held back by her ill-mannered older sister. Julia Stiles’s character, Kat Stratford, the ill-mannered older sister is “not like other girls.” Although she is blonde-haired and attractive, she doesn’t socialize or go to parties, and despises a lot of things. If she were compared with other female characters in the film, they’d appear to live in different universes. What can we learn from the film and how has 10 Things I Hate About You provided a framework for new films to follow to success? Why have screenwriters continued to push characters with such a controversial trope? This critical analysis attempts to answer these questions, as well as analyze the trope’s influences on the films that followed this popular 90s film and the industry as a whole.

Keywords: film, not like other girls, trope, success, influence, stereotypes, controversial, writing

Works Cited

TV Tropes. “Not Like Other Girls.” TV Tropes, https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NotLikeOtherGirls.

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