PREACH you worded the exact thoughts I tried to articulate down below. I hate the ENTIRE “I’m not like other girls” sentiment, why is it considered an issue to like the things that majority of other girls like or do? It’s literally a nicer way of saying fuck women I hate everything about them. And like you said it’s just extremely frustrating and upsetting because this perspective gets pushed onto younger girls and makes them feel like they shouldn’t like things that are stereotypically considered feminine and then it also leads to them not wanting to be friends with other girls, it’s extremely harmful. And I would know because I used to be one of those girls that was like “I’m never gonna wear makeup!” (I do people’s makeup for a living now lol funny how things work)
Manga authors try not to hate women challenge: Level IMPOSSIBLE!11!!1!!
Everything you said really resonates with me because I struggle trying to navigate my own desire for individualism, whether it’s the influence of my own internalized misogynistic need to be ‘different’ or ‘stand out’. I just want to like the things I like and be who I am. I’m just a girl… It’s so hard out here and girlhood is an amazing thing, if only society wasn’t literally conditioned to hate women for absolutely no reason. This female lead, to me, feels very much like my internal struggle but completely everything that I loathe about it, that being the whole trope of: unconsciously so quirky/special/different . I hate contemplating my own awareness of whether I am myself or am acting in a manner as if I am a spectacle for a spectator. I know this is kind of irrelevant to you bestie, but one of my worst fears is that I’m constantly subconsciously pandering to the patriarchy because of the whole ‘not like other girls’ ideology. I also didn’t add this before, but I find it VERY fitting that this author also writes BL because I couldn’t help but think, “man, this guy must just fucking hate women, how can you be attracted to women when you hate them?” And yeah, his archetype is just one taken from the author’s own hatred of women and the fact that apparently they’re too used to writing BL that the concept of a man actually liking a woman is only under the condition of her being ‘special’ or ‘different’ in some way. (Because women bad) Like… honestly, go back to your freaky corner fetishizing fictional gay men, leave the girlies alone…
“You’re such a girl sometimes.” Guys, this guy is a genius. This is literally a quote of all time. Chat is this real? People have already said this but I absolutely hate that whole “not like other girls” trope ESPECIALLY when its being pushed in narrative by a MALE character (it’s so toxic for young girls who consume this). As someone who avidly loves women (heh), it pisses me off so much when people try and guise their covert misogyny as commonplace. Like no, you literally cannot characterize an entire gender based on your sexist pre-conceived notions. This guy is your typical irrational fanciful fucktard who clearly has piles and piles of shit for brains. You should not have to bring people down to differentiate a character in a story. Don’t get me started on the girl. She’s at least tolerable in comparison to him though. I LIKE CLICHE ROMANCE SHOJO. I LOVE IT. I LOVE turning my brain off but this is like asking me to watch paint dry except there’s like someone scratching a chalkboard with their nails. My standards are so low and yet somehow, everything is this world continues to disappoint me