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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/46139
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

[Real Women Don’t Wear Dresses](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RealWomenDontWearDresses) is when writers portray female characters possessing traditional feminine qualities as being less desirable, competent and reliable instead of their tomboy foils. They also tend to be presented as whiny and annoying, even though they have traits or commit actions of worth and merit. This trope is one that I’ve come to view as _“problematic”_ [because it implies femininity should be demonized and torn down](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/UnfortunateImplications).

Many writers seem to believe that they need to epitomize a female character’s strength through their ability to beat and to take beatings from men, not their personality. When people write _“strong female characters”_ (God, I hate that term) while ignoring the most fundamental part of what it means to be a woman by not giving them feminine traits and end up creating female characters that behave more like men rather than women. As a male writer, I wish to pen women that are strong in _“classical feminine”_ ways in lieu of making them come across as _“men with tits”_.

**How should I deal with such a dilemma?**

Original score: 42