Dik Trom and the blind girl next door (by Johan Braakensiek)

The girl next door is a young female stock character who is often used in romantic stories. She is so named because she often lives next door to the protagonist or is a childhood friend. They start out with a mutual friendship that later often develops into romantic attraction.

A similar expression is "boy next door".

Characteristics

A "girl next door" character is often seen as natural and unpretentious. A trope that evokes nostalgia, it is associated with small towns and more local or even rural ways of life.[1] The girl next door is often portrayed as innocent.[1]

Doris Day of the 1950s is described as a pioneering embodiment of the "girl next door" image in film,[1] the "Hollywood's girl next door".[2]

A common cliche is when a male protagonist is caught in a love triangle between two women, he will usually choose the "sweet, ordinary, and caring girl next door" he grew up with rather than a more well-off or beautiful woman with fewer morals.[3] Other times, this character ignores the hero for another male character, despite being the object of his affections.[4]

The character Mary Ann Summers from the TV show Gilligan's Island (portrayed by Dawn Wells) had the girl next door allure, in a contrast with the more glamorous character Ginger Grant (portrayed by Tina Louise).[5] Due to the popularity of the show and the two lead female characters, the question "Ginger or Mary Ann?" became shorthand for asking someone whether they preferred a girl next door type or a more glamorous type.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 McDonald, Tamar Jeffers (2013-09-27). Doris Day Confidential: Hollywood, Sex and Stardom. London. pp. 77-86. ISBN 978-0857722799. OCLC 862101452.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. "Actress And Singer Doris Day, Hollywood's Girl Next Door, Dies At 97"
  3. Ebert's bigger little movie glossary : a greatly expanded and much improved compendium of movie clichés, stereotypes, obligatory scenes, hackneyed formulas, shopworn conventions, and outdated archetypes. Ebert, Roger. Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews McMeel. 1999. ISBN 0740792466. OCLC 829154479.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. Romancing the zombie : essays on the undead as significant "other". Szanter, Ashley,, Richards, Jessica K.,, Bishop, Kyle William, 1973-. Jefferson, North Carolina. 2017-08-14. p. 45. ISBN 978-1476667423. OCLC 987796701.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. Erskine, Chris (August 22, 2019). "I invited Mary Ann to a Gilligan-themed tiki party — and she showed up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  6. Fashingbauer Cooper, Gael (September 17, 2014). "Ginger or Mary Ann? 'Gilligan' fans still ponder question". Today. Retrieved November 24, 2020.

Further reading


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