Abhorrent Admirer: Difference between revisions

These characters tend strongly to be female rather than male, as a result of a few different gender stereotypes. For one thing, [[No Guy Wants to Be Chased]] means the mere fact that a woman takes the initiative in courting a man is often portrayed as evidence that she must have something wrong with her; for another, [[Double Standard Rape (Female on Male)|double standard rape]] means that sexually aggressive women are viewed as less threatening, and therefore more comical, than men who impose their attentions on obviously unwilling women. However, in recent years the male "undesirable suitor" has become more common in comedies.

 

 

This trope is [[Older Than Print]]: the original might be the medieval legend of the "loathly lady", which is the basis of the Wife of Bath's Tale in [[Canterbury Tales|that thing]] by [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]. Loathly ladies also figure in several [[Child Ballad|Child Ballads]].

== Literature ==

* A variant in [[Tom Holt]]'s H. W. Wells & Co series: Rosie Tanner, who plays this kind of role to Paul Carpenter. She's a ''goblin''. However, she does have the ability to shapeshift into a beautiful young human woman. It's just that Paul can't forget her real form, not to mention that she's also the mother of his sadistic boss.

** The aging, overweight Hepzibah Smith is this to Tom Riddle, future [[Big Bad]], in a flashback. Tom plays up to this by flirting with her just enough to stay in her good graces until he can get what he wants. Then he poisons her. Unlike most of the other examples, we aren't supposed to sympathize with Tom.

** Along with Riddle, each of the main trio has one. Though none of them are physically unattractive; it is mainly their personalities. Harry has Romilda Vane, who stalks Harry and at one point gave him cauldron cakes laced with love potion, which Ron ate with tragic results. Ron, in a slight subversion, has an Abhorrent Admirer in his ''girlfriend''. At first he returns her affection, but soon finds that he's becoming more and more frightened of her, and her displays of affection gets more and more crazy. Hermione has the incredibly attractive and talented, but slightly deranged and QUITE egotistical Cormac McLaggen following her. Being a nerd, she isn't really blinded by his attractiveness, and sees him as the horrible, arrogant person he is.

* On ''[[Histeria!]]'', [[Cleopatra]] is often portrayed this way (particularly when played by the World's Oldest Woman), to the point where [[Julius Caesar]] and Marc Anthony both happily go to their appointed deaths to get away from her. When Cleopatra herself dies and show up in [[Fluffy Cloud Heaven|the afterlife]] with the pair, all Caesar can utter is "This is heaven?"

** Evidently [[Truth in Television]], from a purely physical standpoint. Statues and the imprints on coins, which were designed to ''flatter'', are at best nothing special by either our own standards nor the standards of her time. In real life she managed to win over the boys by being intelligent, funny, and engaging in conversation.

** Curly is ''definitely'' this to Rhonda. "I haven't changed my underwear in seventeen days", anyone?

** Brainy too, to Helga.