The 15 Most Problematic Tropes Hollywood Still Won’t Kill

Movies and TV shows often use familiar story patterns to quickly introduce characters and get the plot moving for a wide audience. While these patterns are helpful for writers, some have become overused clichés that reinforce harmful stereotypes or demonstrate poor writing. These clichés can unfairly portray certain groups or even make unhealthy behaviors seem appealing, all in the name of entertainment. Viewers and critics are now demanding more thoughtful and realistic stories. Here’s a look at fifteen common clichés that writers keep using, even though people are starting to push back against them.

The White Savior

Stories often depict a white main character saving people of color from difficult situations or past injustices. This approach can portray minority characters as powerless and needing help from others to gain freedom or respect. Films such as ‘The Help’ and ‘Green Book’ have been criticized for telling these stories from a white point of view, focusing on the personal journey of the rescuer instead of the strength and independence of the community they are trying to help.

Bury Your Gays

It’s a common trope in TV and film that LGBTQ+ characters experience brief moments of happiness – often after starting a relationship – only to meet a tragic end. This pattern can feel like these characters are disposable, or simply exist to further the story of a straight character. Fans have pointed this out in shows like ‘The 100’ and ‘Killing Eve’, where lesbian characters were killed off in violent ways. This reinforces the harmful idea that same-sex relationships are doomed to end tragically, instead of being shown as lasting and fulfilling.

Women in Refrigerators

It’s a common trope in stories for female characters to be harmed or killed – often to drive the plot forward by motivating a male character’s quest for revenge. This originated from a comic book storyline where a hero discovered his girlfriend had been murdered, and the imagery was so striking it became a shorthand for the trope. This device often reduces women to objects whose purpose is simply to advance the story of a male character, ignoring their own potential for development and treating their suffering as a tool for someone else’s growth.

Born Sexy Yesterday

It’s a common trope in movies to have a powerful, otherworldly female character who seems childlike and relies on a regular man to understand everyday things. Often, these women are physically stunning and possess incredible abilities, but they’re portrayed as innocent and needing guidance. Films like ‘The Fifth Element’ and ‘Tron: Legacy’ showcase this. This setup creates an uneven power dynamic where a woman’s naiveté and dependence are often presented as attractive qualities.

The Magical Negro

In many films, Black characters are often relegated to the role of wise guides or helpers who exist primarily to support the white main character’s journey. These characters rarely have their own complex stories, motivations, or goals beyond assisting someone else. Movies like ‘The Green Mile’ and ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance’ exemplify this pattern, using Black characters to help white protagonists find redemption. This limits meaningful representation of Black characters, portraying them as existing solely to serve the needs of others.

The Manic Pixie Dream Girl

In many movies, unusual female characters are used to help serious male characters learn to enjoy life and embrace the unexpected. However, these women are often defined solely by their oddities and don’t have their own ambitions beyond helping the male lead with his personal journey. Films like ‘Garden State’ and ‘Elizabethtown’ showcase this, where the female character feels more like a tool for the male character’s self-discovery. This suggests a common idea that a woman’s purpose is to ‘fix’ troubled men with a bit of fun and spontaneity.

Queercoded Villains

Villains in stories are frequently portrayed with traditionally feminine qualities or overly dramatic behaviors to suggest they are bad or different. This connects ways of expressing gender and sexuality that aren’t considered typical with negativity and a lack of trustworthiness. Classic Disney films like ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Aladdin’ showcase villains using these kinds of coded behaviors, while the heroes always fit traditional ideas of masculinity. This can subtly lead viewers to associate qualities often seen in LGBTQ+ people with something evil or incorrect.

The Funny Fat Friend

Plus-size actors are often typecast as funny side characters who help the main, typically thin and attractive, character. Jokes often center around their weight, relying on self-deprecating humor or physical gags. For example, movies like ‘Pitch Perfect’ use characters like Fat Amy for comedic effect, while romantic storylines are usually given to thinner actors. This pattern pushes larger bodies to the background and implies they aren’t deserving of complex stories or romantic attention.

Hollywood Autism

It’s common to see autistic characters in movies and TV shows as emotionless geniuses with one amazing skill. This doesn’t reflect the wide range of experiences within the autism spectrum and often simplifies individuals to just a plot device. Films like ‘Rain Man’ and ‘The Accountant’ emphasize these exceptional talents over the everyday challenges faced by neurodivergent people, which creates unrealistic ideas about what autism actually looks like.

Stalking Is Love

Many romantic comedies and dramas portray someone repeatedly ignoring a person’s ‘no’ as a passionate act of love. Often, the man who won’t give up eventually wins the woman over. Movies like ‘The Notebook’ and ‘Twilight’ make this kind of behavior seem romantic, even though in real life it would be frightening and against the law. This common storyline can make harassment seem acceptable and downplay how important it is to have consent in a relationship.

The Angry Black Woman

Black women are often shown as overly aggressive, loud, and irrational in movies and TV shows. This harmful stereotype ignores their legitimate feelings and makes them seem naturally hostile or hard to get along with. Reality TV and dramas frequently use this simple, negative portrayal to create drama. This not only dismisses the emotions of Black women, but also reinforces damaging biases in real life.

The Disposable Sex Worker

In many crime shows, sex workers are often portrayed simply as victims in murders, used to highlight a villain’s brutality or a city’s harshness. They’re rarely developed as characters – often appearing without names or personal histories before becoming evidence. Shows like ‘CSI’ and ‘Law & Order’ have frequently used this plot device to begin a new case. This practice reduces sex workers to objects and implies their lives matter less than those of other people.

Rape as Backstory

It’s common for stories to use sexual violence as a quick way to show a female character is strong or emotionally closed off. This often implies that a woman needs to experience trauma to become powerful or capable. The show ‘Game of Thrones’ received criticism for portraying sexual assault as a way for its female characters to develop, suggesting that enduring such violence is necessary for them to become strong.

The Asian Nerd

Asian characters in movies and TV often get stuck playing the same types of roles: highly intelligent but socially awkward. This not only takes away their individuality and romantic potential, but also reinforces the harmful idea that all Asians are successful students. Films like ‘Sixteen Candles’ and ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ use these tired stereotypes for quick jokes or to fill out scenes. Ultimately, this limits how Asian characters are seen on screen, reducing them to a very narrow and often unflattering set of characteristics.

Age Gaps in Casting

It’s common to see male actors paired with much younger women in movies, which perpetuates the unfair idea that men improve with age while women don’t. Films starring actors like Tom Cruise and Liam Neeson frequently feature women in their twenties or thirties as love interests, even though it doesn’t reflect realistic relationships. This practice not only shapes how audiences view age differences in romance but also creates fewer roles for older actresses.

Please share your thoughts on which Hollywood tropes you find most frustrating in the comments.

2025-11-27 23:16