Thursday, February 09, 2012

Manic Pixie Dream Girls (updated)

Russ mentions Manic Pixie Dream Girls. I love them! I even know some in real life. (Hi Sally, hi Bettina.)

Unlike what they say at the link, I do think they exist in real life. It's a mis-definition to say they are "always happy". Look at Natalie Portman's character in Garden State, she is far from happy all the time.

But it may seem that way, and I think that's the reason they are rare in real life: one of the qualities of MPDGs is that they seem to float a little bit above life, it does seem to affect them as seriously as it does most people. Which is another reason we love them. We all wish we could be like that. At least unless we are *really* beaten down, to the point were unseriousness seems threatening, heretical.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi E!
Thank you for the compliment! Havn't heard that expression before, but I love the idea that I am like that... Manic Pixie Dream Girl.
Sally

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

You're the quintessential real-world MPDG.

Jes said...

Dude...Manic Pixie Dream Girl would make an awesome song title. Lol, I've met some in real life myself. Hell, I'm related to a few of them. These people need to get out more if they don't think they're real.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

I agree.
Maybe it's just a slight too-much touch of cynicism which would stop one from seeing them.

I know a few girls more who come very close, but mostly they are not *quite* "manic" enough, a bit too level-headed to fit in the definition. Which is understandable, because the world does not understand whimsicalness well, so it gets beaten out of ya by your teens if not earlier.

Anonymous said...

I guess Shirley MacLaine is a MPDG to. Sally

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Yes, a good one, especially in the old film The Apartment with Jack Lemmon. Oh, and she was ethereally beautiful then!
Also in Sweet Georgia Brown.