A Female Trope Come True

    Television has always fascinated, entertained, and captivated audiences in ways which continue to be scrutinized even to this day. Since the days when female stars rose to power and began acting in ways that were against the status quo, it saw the rise of a female trope known to some people as "manic pixie dream girl." This is the type of character where the females are strong-willed, and actually have character development on their side instead of appearing all bland and boring. For this blog, one female character from one of the most famous sitcoms of all time will be examined.

     Elaine Benes, the head-strong, career-driven, independent woman played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus (arguably, her most famous role to date) in the hit 90's sitcom, Seinfeld, shows how females can actually be a big part of the story and show without using any of the cliches involving those women that are unable to function without having to rely on their partner for things. Elaine has a job, dates men on her own terms, tends to give good advice, and is, above everything else, arguably the smartest and most logical of the 4 central characters.

While not initially a part of the show's pilot, she appeared in the very next episode after her and Jerry break up, and while in the old days, while there might have been the quest to try to win back the man she lost, Elaine realizes that both she and Jerry are meant to be friends, and they are seen hanging out together in almost every episode. She also dates a wide variety of men, probably more often than any of the other main characters combined, throughout the show's run.

     Elaine's character is also different as she has a stable job, a publisher at Pendant Publishing, something that was frowned upon for women back in the days of 50's and 60's shows. The thing about Elaine's character is that although she is not the most prominent main character on the show, a number of story lines still revolve around her rather than seeing her just merely sitting on the sidelines and reacting to stuff as they occur. This also ties in to her fierce independence, and along with the likes of women such as Katharine Hepburn, shows that women can be financially independent and successful while still maintaining their feminine image.

     With all of her accolades, it is also important to point out that Elaine is not ugly, quite the opposite, in fact, as many of the side characters have expressed a desire to try to woo and win her over. One of them is Jerry's rival, Newman. We all know who Newman is: overweight, bespectacled, goofy, greedy, and works as a delivery post man. However, the roles are switched as he and other men lust after Elaine like a ripe apple off of a tree. This most likely explains why Elaine is such a serial dater in the series.

     Elaine is just one example of female leads in T.V. shows that break the societal norms of gender roles that is often portrayed in the media. She is definitely one of those characters that can be described as, in Nathan Rabin's words, as a "manic pixie dream girl."