Defrosting Ice Queen

"Defrosting the Ice Queen" has been a common goal of many a romance hero for a long time. Basically you have a person who has a cold demeanor that needs to be warmed up, demeanor-wise.

Cold demeanor can mean anything from Rich Bitch, to haughty and proud, to Emotionless Girl, to being a Jerkass. Occasionally, she has—legitimately or not—misunderstood the hero. Over the story, the hero successfully melts the Ice Queen's cold cold heart, giving her Character Development into a nicer character.

Usually it's a romance story that is Wish Fulfillment for both men ("That girl doesn't hate me, she's just waiting for me to prove my love is true.") or women ("I'm not really a bitch, I'm just misunderstood"). Occasionally it's not romantic, instead being a buddy tale of the Power of Friendship. Either way it can be a morality tale.

Sometimes it's subverted by having the defroster be a faker, who of course now breaks the former Ice Queen's heart, sending her back into her shell. Though usually that's played as a Double Subversion with the hero Becoming the Mask, and deciding he really does like the Ice Queen after all.

Very common in movies. Reversal of gender roles in this trope is common; see All Girls Want Bad Boys and Cleolinda Jones' theory about the ultimate female fantasy.

Compare: Jerk with a Heart of Gold, Jerkass Woobie, Broken Bird, Lady of War, The Woman Wearing the Queenly Mask, and Took a Level In Kindness. Overlaps with Morality Pet. Don't You Dare Pity Me! may come into play in the early stages.

Examples of Defrosting Ice Queen are listed on these subpages: