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I’ve read a lot from people who think manic pixie dream girl is an inherently misogynistic term. I’ve held onto it because I think it’s useful shorthand for a certain type of badly-written female character who *only* exists to nudge a sad (or angry) man along on his... (1/5)
... journey of self-discovery. The type of female character who’s nothing more than a list of quirky traits perfectly chosen to challenge a sad man’s sadness. She doesn’t have her own independent character arc or really any interiority. (2/5)
Looking at Wikipedia, however, it seems like it’s being applied to any quirky, optimistic, or free-spirited woman who at any point aids a sad man. It doesn’t matter if she’s the PROTAGONIST. If she’s ever owned a ukulele or cheered someone up, she’s a MPDG... (3/5)
... and I HATE IT. What was once a useful shorthand for a sexist plot device too often employed by (usually male) writers is now being used pejoratively to dismiss a large swath of female character. (4/5)
So this is my new pandemic project: going through the wiki list of manic pixie dream girls in film, evaluating how they do and do not fit the archetype, and making a determination on the appropriateness of the label. Thank you for indulging me as I pretend to be a critic. 
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