The “school beauty/goddess” trope is kind of dumb

Varstark

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"Trope X is unrealistic, junk and tiresome."

"Yeah, but trope X is a reflection of simple human desire."

"But what about great, artful literature with true exploration, spiritual revelation and emotional danger that gives us a genuine human experience? Why put up with masturbatory power fantasy instead of something like The Alchemist?"

"This ain't the film industry and you ain't Martin Scorsese."
 

bigbear51

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ye, that's one thing i dislike about most forum posts here. they'll let out a deluge about how they don't like BL or gender bender or isekai harem ecchi smut and when you call them out for it they defend themselves as a "critic". no, you dumbfuck. you walked into that sushi store knowing you don't like sushi. that isn't a "critique", that's your poor attempt at justifying your subpar time management skills.
If I were to have any issues with this specific thread is that it's not even handed critique at all. Everyone's focusing purely on it basically being that queen bee when it's a trope that also occurs with studs of a boy too. Like yes, it's there to be wish fulfillment for certain readers. Liking it or disliking it has nothing to do about any level of sophisticated taste for someone.

Now that doesn't mean I think you can't criticize the trope. There are certainly plenty of bad stories using this in a lazy manner. And I'm sure some people will find a way to make it "problematic" in some way too. Been a while since I've seen someone complain about gender bender or BL on her lately. Mind you I don't care for either of the genres. I don't seek them out, not that I can avoid the former considering its popularity on this site. Though I recall that a thread on here about people complaining about GB because most stories don't follow their sensibilities on certain groups, but that's a while ago.
 

Shomin

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I’ve seen this trope multiple times throughout the various novels, mangas, and anime I’ve watched and find it pretty dumb. Before I got into high school I thought it was just exaggerated, but now I just think it’s bullshit. Are there pretty girls in my school? Yes. Is there an indisputable #1 beauty every guy (excluding those in a relationship and those who aren’t into girls) in school wants to date and or f’’k? No. I know the tropes are exaggerations and it’s likely different in other places but it still feels painfully unrealistic seeing so many dudes ass kissing and meat riding for girls. What do you guys think?
Hmmm... it really depends on culture and environment.
It is quite accurate for some schools in the west and "uniform-free" schools.
Also different classes have different kind of peer pressure.
If the school practice class division by grading, you'll realises that top classes will have peer pressure on grades.
Examples: Top student will be the celebrity of the peer... etc...
Some schools dedicated to train national athletes, will also have another kind of peer pressure.
As for the general "beauty" as a form of pressure. Yes, it exist. That's why teachers trying hard to educate teens about self love and self esteem.
In the story, they simply exaggerate the phenomena. But it doesn't mean such phenomena never exist.
A lot of teen pregnancy cases where swept under the carpet.
You probably never knew about it, until you yourself work in the school.
It is more prominent if you look at less privilege schools though.
 

CarburetorThompson

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All the girls who were attractive and popular at my high school now look like they’ve aged 10 years in just 2. Due to copious amounts of heroine.
 

RepresentingWrath

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It's a simple exaggeration of reality because it's fiction. Half of the tropes are dumb, with exaggeration being the reason. For example, an absurdly sharp blade trope is just as dumb.
 

BenJepheneT

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For example, an absurdly sharp blade trope is just as dumb.
i just want to add to this for a hot second on people the common critique people make on the "katanas are weak as hell irl and are unrealistically sharp and wieldy in fiction" point as a genuine downside.

I'm gonna toot an old horn here but as always, realism isn't a direct allusion to quality. consistency, on the other hand, is. katanas may be unrealistically sharp in fiction but if they remain consistently sharp throughout the duration of said fiction, it can be used to the story's strength. it's maintaining a through-line throughout your story and giving a concrete pillar for the story to sit on. if you start off your story with some One Piece Zoro onigiri type sharpness in your katanas but suddenly veer off into realism territory in order to gain authenticity points, you're doing nothing but shooting yourself in the foot. it'll just become this glaring inconsistency where the katana is useful in one plot point and vice versa the next. now you've proven a part of your story's element to be untrustworthy, and that'll affect the rest of your story's potential suspense, since you've essentially told the audience you're not above changing your in-universe mechanics willy-nilly for arbitrary reasons.

you want to have realism or absurd fun or somewhere in between? whichever works, so long as you stick to it. fast and furious, as a franchise, is an example to this. as standalone movies, they are able to hold themselves but as a franchise?

after seeing dominic toretto level a parking storey with a stomp of his foot and manage to drive out of it alive after WHILE aiding in blowing up a helicopter (that happened in 6, I think), it's hard to take the semi-truck flip crash from the first movie seriously anymore.
 

T.K._Paradox

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i just want to add to this for a hot second on people the common critique people make on the "katanas are weak as hell irl and are unrealistically sharp and wieldy in fiction" point as a genuine downside.

I'm gonna toot an old horn here but as always, realism isn't a direct allusion to quality. consistency, on the other hand, is. katanas may be unrealistically sharp in fiction but if they remain consistently sharp throughout the duration of said fiction, it can be used to the story's strength. it's maintaining a through-line throughout your story and giving a concrete pillar for the story to sit on. if you start off your story with some One Piece Zoro onigiri type sharpness in your katanas but suddenly veer off into realism territory in order to gain authenticity points, you're doing nothing but shooting yourself in the foot. it'll just become this glaring inconsistency where the katana is useful in one plot point and vice versa the next. now you've proven a part of your story's element to be untrustworthy, and that'll affect the rest of your story's potential suspense, since you've essentially told the audience you're not above changing your in-universe mechanics willy-nilly for arbitrary reasons.

you want to have realism or absurd fun or somewhere in between? whichever works, so long as you stick to it. fast and furious, as a franchise, is an example to this. as standalone movies, they are able to hold themselves but as a franchise?

after seeing dominic toretto level a parking storey with a stomp of his foot and manage to drive out of it alive after WHILE aiding in blowing up a helicopter (that happened in 6, I think), it's hard to take the semi-truck flip crash from the first movie seriously anymore.
While katanas aren't the God sword people often wank it to be, it still served a purpose. (Which was usual cutting down unarmed peasants or foes that drew in close enough past polearms and archers.)

I mean there is no way people would make a terrible sword design and stick to it for so long.
 

Kenjona

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I have seen this trope in real life. One school I went to had only 1 class per grade for 6th-8th. So yeah we had a "School" Beauty", but she was a nice person and she dated High School guys. The other time I run into this trope, was in the military, and yeah most were self entitled B*tchs. But when you have 100+ guys all chomping on the bit to "get some" even if they know they never will, they act like their IQ dropped a few to many points, it kind of goes to your head I suppose. Of course that was when it was roughly 5%-20% females to male ratio.
 

Irl_Rat

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There is one thing that we should be able to conclude from this thread. And that is regardless of whether a trope or story element is realistic or not, it does not mean you can't enjoy it. Not everything you consume has to be a work of art. If you enjoy something, enjoy it. Unless it would send you to prison. In that case, please give me your address, license plate, and other identification so I can get some cash.
 

aattss

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I agree about how this trope is bad writing that makes stories less enjoyable. It creates drama based on people behaving like they're not actual people for the sake of a shallow change that only affects metrics that don't actually matter to the story or the reading experience.
 

BenJepheneT

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Unless it would send you to prison. In that case, please give me your address, license plate, and other identification so I can get some cash.
I have 6 TB of cheese pizza stored across 3 different external hard drives. I live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20500. My license plate includes the numbers 800 002. My other defining features include a set of white, greying hair, a wrinkled face, and a knack for falling over perfectly propped sets of staircases. Please don't ask anything above 5 figures; I don't get paid that much and even then, I'm overcompensated for my job.
 

Katsuya

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Honestly, I can understand why you don't like the school beauty stuff. Like I can really get it. It's dumb and stuff. Honestly, I don't really think I like it much. I mean, it's kinda annoying to see. 'She's the prettiest girl in the whole school' and blah blah. also, having them like gods and the people close/get involved in any slight way get bullied- yeah, no my thing.

It is useful though. This troupe adds more to the school life genre/part of the story and stuff. Also, adds things to the love. like... idk. But, ig it depends on how you use it.
 

LilTV1155

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Not only the trope sexual objectify characters of romantic/harem interest potentials. It weaken their IQ, EQ and their skills that they were known for in school. What's left of that is either high-strung TSTL vainity /arrogrance which is their dignity and aggro magnet ability, but being smart is something below them or reserved for MC (both female & male)?
.
They don't really deserve that title of "School God/Goddess" because 1) they are humans, not gods 2) they are not actual guardians tasked with protecting the school or students from whatever, 3) Their strongest points are mentioned, but somehow forgotten elsewhere only for MC to pull their shit out of the messes they made 4) they are students, teenagers with puberty and hormones on the mind where IQ & EQ get trashed.
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Read a few stories (names long forgotten) that has "School Beauty/etc." and most characters with this title tend to come off TSTL pride drama and only a pretty face/sexy bod to make up for overexaggerated status personality and getting on reader's nerves.
 
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