Rich Bitch: Difference between revisions

{{quote|"''We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.''"|'''[[wikipedia:Leona Helmsley|Leona Helmsley]]''', ''[[Fan Nickname|The Queen of Mean]]''}}

 

 

 

[[Rich Bitch]] is what the [[Alpha Bitch]] and the [[Spoiled Brat]] often become when they grow up, and their motto is "[[Screw the Rules, I Have Money]]" Compare [[Gold Digger]], [[Grande Dame]]. Contrast [[Spoiled Sweet]], [[Uncle Pennybags]], [[Mock Millionaire]] and the [[Ojou]]. Can be [[Truth in Television]].

A [[Sub-Trope]] of [[Idle Rich]].

 

 

== Anime and Manga ==

* Nanami in ''[[Revolutionary Girl Utena]]''.

* Rina Mamiya in ''[[Higurashi]]''. Very, ''very'', much.

* Minto in ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'', who is also good at heart, and also gained a snobbier rival in a [[Filler]] episode.

* Flay Allster from ''[[Gundam Seed]]'' started as a sort-of space version of the [[Alpha Bitch]], but later she manipulated Kira for a good chunk of the series as "revenge" since he didn't save her father, George, from a ''really'' nasty death in space. Which she ''witnessed'' from the bridge of the ''Archangel''. {{spoiler|She eventually ''did'' fall for Kira for real and attempted to redeem herself, [[Redemption Equals Death|only to die in the end]].)}}

* Mashiro in ''[[Mai-Otome]]'' fits this description nicely, complete with Arika, the [[Country Mouse]], being her favorite target. Of course, since this is a rather idealistic series, her heart of gold [[Character Development|manifests itself]] after she becomes a [[Fallen Princess]] (literally), meets the very homeless people she used to despise, and learns [[An Aesop]] about abusing her position. Awww, how touching.

* Altessa from ''Fushiboshi No Futago Hime'', although she stopped being so [[Alpha Bitch]]-ish later on and even became a main character.

* Umi Ryuuzaki from ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'' exhibits this early on the series. But eventually, her situation [[Character Development|forces her to mature]] (including the [[Tear Jerker|heartwretching]] first-season finale), and she ends up as a respectable, formidable [[Lady of War]].

* ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'': A parody example is Switzerland. He's a Miser, as well as being [[Conspiracy Nut|paranoid]], [[Hot-Blooded]], xenophobic, and [[Trigger Happy]]... though he's still got some [[Pet the Dog]] moments when he interacts with his sister, the little girl Liechtenstein (and his memories of his [[Heterosexual Life Partners|past friendship with Austria]], [[She Is Not My Girlfriend|no matter how often he denies it]]).

* Ayaka Yukihiro of ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' looks like this at first glance, but it's subverted when it turns out that she's really [[Spoiled Sweet]] and simply doesn't get along well with Asuna. At least, [[Vitriolic Best Buds|not that they would admit.]]

* In ''[[A Little Snow Fairy Sugar]]'' Greta ''tries'' to be this to Saga, except that Saga [[Unknown Rival|refuses to pay any attention to her attempts]]. Or maybe Saga [[Selective Obliviousness|genuinely just doesn't noitce]].

* ''[[Case Closed]]'': A slight subversion is Sonoko/Serena. Sure, she's flighty and a [[Brainless Beauty]], but she's a loyal friend to Ran/Rachel (if bitchy towards Shinichi/Jimmy, whom she believes isn't good enough for her) and doesn't flaunt her riches in a bitchy manner. {{spoiler|Besides, she comes to fall for karate champion Makoto, not minding how akward he can be sometimes.}}

* Mrs. Tachibana and Ruri from ''[[Hot Gimmick]]''.

* An example of a Rich Bastard is Shute Sutherland from ''[[Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu]]'', which could be summed up as a male [[Candy Candy|Eliza]]... only with ''more'' comeuppance in every of his acts to belittle whoever is of the lower status compared to him.

* ''[[Honey Hunt]]'': Yukari Shiraki, Yura's [[Abusive Parents|mother]].

* ''[[Ouran High School Host Club]]'': Ayanakouji and Eclair (who's also a bit of a [[Clingy Jealous Girl]]), but none of the other rich girls suprisingly enough. {{spoiler|With some bits of [[Character Development]], Eclaire turns out to be quite a decent person, and ultimately she lets go of Tamaki. She's more of selfish and ''very'' naive in regards to love than truly bitchy.}}

* ''[[Bubblegum Crisis]]'': Reika Chang sure fits.

* Eri from [[School Rumble]], especially to Harima. {{spoiler|She gets much better later in the second season though.}}

 

== Comic Books ==

* [[X-Men (Comic Book)|Emma Frost]] started out as a villain, so her bitchiness was from extreme ambition. Now her bitchiness is from being spoiled and bratty.

* Ava Lord of ''[[Sin City]]'' takes this [[Up to Eleven]] and turns out to be {{spoiler|manipulative and pure evil as well. She ends up tricking Dwight into killing her husband so she can not only get his estate but his criminal organization as well.}}

* Lola Palooza from ''[[Cherry Comics]]''.

 

== Film ==

* ''[[The Blind Side]]'': Leigh Anne's snobbish salad luncheon friends.

* ''[[Clueless]]'': Amber is a classic Rich Bitch, contrasted to rich, popular but flawed main character Cher, who's for the most part kindhearted and a very likeable character. Much like [[Jane Austen]]'s original Emma Woodhouse, I suppose, who again is portrayed as being slightly stuck up but for how much money she has, she is a lot nicer than most of her counterparts, such as Mrs. Elton, the more straight version of the trope.

* In ''[[High School Musical]]'' there's Sharpay Evans. She has parents who own a Country Club.

* Tess Tyler from ''[[Camp Rock]]''.

* ''[[The Devil Wears Prada]]'': Played straight by Miranda Priestly.

* In ''[[Oliver and Company]]'', there's Georgette, a very literal Rich Bitch because she's a DOG. And despite being on the side of the good guys, in all honesty she doesn't get any better by the end of the movie either.

* The Hispanic movie ''La Misma Luna'' had the main character's mother working for one of these as a cleaning lady. Said woman apparently has a [[Dysfunctional Family]] and eventually fires her because "she thinks she ought to try something new", then, when the mother protests, dares her to call the police. She can't, because she's an illegal.

* Cornelia in ''[[My Man Godfrey]]''.

* Team owner Rachel Phelps in ''[[Major League]]''.

* The rebellious, stone-cold British socialite Cordelia Winthrop Scott in ''[[Monte Carlo]]''.

 

== Literature ==

* Ebert, in David Wingrove's ''[[Chung Kuo]]''.

* Lavinia from ''[[A Little Princess]]''.

* Esme Squalor from ''[[A Series of Unfortunate Events]]''. Later, her adopted "daughter" Carmelita Spats, who was originally a nasty [[Alpha Bitch]], becomes this as well.

* ''[[The House of Night]]'': Aphrodite, who later becomes somewhat of a [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]. But only somewhat.

* Clarissa from the ''[[Bloody Jack]]'' series.

* Massie Block from ''[[The Clique]]'' series.

* Dame Olga and her daughters Olive and Hattie from ''[[Ella Enchanted]]''.

* Ellen Salpakari in Väinö Linna's ''Täällä Pohjantähden alla''.

* The ''[[Chalet School]]'' series has Thekla von Stift, Marie von Eschenau's cousin and one of the main characters in ''Exploits of the Chalet Girls''. As a member of the [[wikipedia:Junker|Junker]] class, she expresses horror at having to be educated alongside 'the daughters of shopkeepers', and looks down on most of the other students, such as Sophie Hamel, whose father is a self-made businessman. Her arrogant and childish behaviour makes her greatly unpopular amongst the other kids, and although she does thaw out a tiny bit - this being the Chalet School - after her petticoat catches fire, she still has a cruel streak and is eventually expelled in ''A Rebel at the Chalet School''.

 

== Live Action TV ==

* Julie Cooper on ''[[The OC]]''.

* ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'' is made of this. Bree, Edie, Gabrielle, Katherine and Renee all qualify at various times in the series. It may be quicker to just say Lynnette, Susan and Mrs. [[Mc Clusky]] are the only ones who don't fit the description.

* Another male version: Prince Wendell of ''[[The Tenth Kingdom]]'' (at least before he learns his [[Aesop]] from spending a month as a dog).

* Atia from ''[[Rome]]'' embodies some of these qualities.

* C.C. Babcock of ''[[The Nanny]]''.

* Wilhelmina Slater of ''[[Ugly Betty]]''.

* Celia on ''[[Weeds]]''. The obsession with her daughter's weight ''alone'' qualifies her, but is just the tip of the iceberg. Even after going through incredible amounts of [[Break the Haughty]], she still manages to keep this attitude.

* Stephanie Vanderkellen on ''[[Newhart]]'', although her parents have "cut her off", which is why she's working as a hotel maid. In the show's first season, the maid was Leslie, Stephanie's equally rich but non-bitchy cousin who took the job to see "how the other half lives".

* Traci Van Horn from ''[[Hannah Montana]]'', who, among other infractions, frequently tells Lola, to her face, no less, how uncool she thinks Lola is. This despite being friends with Hannah, who publicly humiliates herself just as often as Lola. Hannah Montana herself also qualifies from time to time.

* ''[[Two and A Half Men]]''. Evelyn is the epitome of this trope.

* ''[[Smallville]]'': [[Manipulative Bastard]] [[Corrupt Corporate Executive|Tess Mercer]] is a villainous version.

* Karen from ''[[Will and Grace]]''.

* Niles' vicious, hysterical, snobbish wife Maris from ''[[Frasier]]''. She uses her money to hire an army of lawyers to thoroughly torture Niles out of spite during their messy divorce.

* The episode of ''[[The Closer]]'', "The Butler Did It" featured a family of suspects of whom their characteristics were of both this trope and [[Big Screwed-Up Family]].

 

== Music ==

 

== Professional Wrestling ==

* When he first arrived in the WWF, [[Triple H]] was Hunter Hearst Hemsley, American blue blood from Greenwich.

* For that matter, all of the McMahon family have played up this trope, but especially Stephanie.

* [[Real Life Writes the Plot|After he invested heavily in a popular energy drink whose stock dramatically rose in 2004]], former APA (for "Acolytes Protection Agency") member Bradshaw transformed seemingly overnight from a beer-swilling, Texas trailer park brawler to a fabulously wealthy Wall Street tycoon known by his real name of John Layfield (or, to be more specific, John "Bradshaw" Layfield, or "JBL" for short). JBL turned his back on his Texas roots, billing himself from New York City and entering arenas in a beautiful white limousine. In the ring, however, he was still just as tough as ever - only now he was a [[Jerkass|bully]] who enjoyed beating up on smaller wrestlers, particularly Rey Mysterio. JBL did manage to defeat WWE Champion [[Eddie Guerrero]] (in controversial fashion, it is true) and become the longest-reigning world champion in the history of ''SmackDown!'', but this was thanks to the constant interventions of his "Cabinet" (Orlando Jordan and the Basham Brothers), who gladly put their own asses on the line so their ultra-wealthy boss could weasel his way out of defeats.

* Somewhat subverted with Wade Barrett, who was introduced as someone who will do just about anything for money, but aside from that mention, that hasn't been a part of his character at all.

 

== Theater ==

 

== Video Games ==

* Karin Kanzuki from the ''[[Street Fighter]]'' series. In Sakura and Rainbow Mika's paths in ''Street Fighter Alpha 3'', she does show some hints of [[Pet the Dog|softening up]], but you wouldn't be able to tell that from her win quotes.

** In the first two versions of ''Street Fighter 3'', Dudley was a more or less straight example of this, only entering the tournament to get his father's Jaguar back, and calling all his opponents sissy men and cowards in his win quotes. In ''Third Strike'' and ''Super Street Fighter 4''? Why, he's one of the most [[Averted Trope|charming gentlemen]] to ever exist in a fighting game, to the point where his win quotes in his first two games seem hilariously out of character.

* Bianca de Saint-Coquille in the ''[[Harvest Moon]]'' spinoff ''[[Rune Factory]]''. She lives in the largest house on Kaldia Island, and is utterly unimpressed by anything you try to give her, be it strawberries or sapphires. This makes her the only marriage candidate out of the lot where it's easier to just sweet talk her.

* Subverted in ''[[Fatal Fury|Fatal Fury: Mark Of The Wolves]]''. Bonne Jenet ''is'' a rich girl per family rights, but hates mooching off and prefers to make her own money... as [[The Ladette|a pirate queen]] [[Action Girl]].

* If a female Venture PC in [[Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines|VTM:B]] declines to give money to a bum, he'll call her one of these.

* [[Night Trap]] has Lisa, though she's more vain than bitchy.

* Ultimately averted with [[Persona 4|Ai Ebihara]]. She initially comes off as [[Alpha Bitch|beautiful but cold-hearted]], but it's revealed that {{spoiler|her family used to be poor and she, in her own words, was a [[Fat Girl|"stinkin' fatso"]], making her [[All of the Other Reindeer|prone to mockery.]] When [[Rags to Riches|her father]] [[Nouveau Rich|struck it rich in real estate]], Ai decided to [[I Just Want to Be Beautiful|change her image so she wouldn't be mocked anymore]].}}

* Subverted with Algus from [[Final Fantasy Tactics]]. Algus is a classist, violent douchebag through and through, but because of cowardice and treachery on the part of his grandfather, his family's aristocratic status has been revoked. This gives Algus' an ambition which parallels that of Delita and Ramza. Delita wants to rise above his birth-station, Ramza wants to live up to his and Algus wants to regain one he himself never got to experience.

 

== Web Original ==

* Cleo De Nile, the mummy princess from ''[[Monster High]]''.

* Almost all rich characters in ''[[Survival of the Fittest]]'' seem to fall into this stereotype, regardless of whether they are male or female. Two particularly notable examples are Olivia Swan and Charlie Burchman, both of V3, both being thoroughly nasty pieces of work. Of course, in SOTF, most disliked characters wind up getting their comeuppance. [[Kill'Em All]] and that... This also tends to overlap with [[Alpha Bitch]].

* Weiss Schnee of ''[[RWBY]]'' comes across this way during her first few appearances, but turns out to actually be a (mostly) nicer person than her initial impression would suggest.

 

== Western Animation ==

* Lily from ''[[Kappa Mikey]]'', though in her case she's like this as a knee-jerk reaction to Mikey swooping in and stealing her perceived status as the biggest star in town.

** Except for Sam in ''[[Danny Phantom]]'', who is down-to-earth and even hides her affluence so that she doesn't get any special treatment. Her parents may qualify, although they're really just [[Informed Judaism|Jewish]] [[White Anglo Saxon Protestant|WASPs]] who are overly concerned with their image.

* Pizzazz from ''[[Jem]]'' fits here as well.

* Virginia of ''[[Lola and Virginia]]''.

** She is ''much'' more [[Just for Pun|down to earth]] in the comics where she's more [[Spoiled Sweet]] as well as practical and accepting of others. She still fought like crazy with Irma, her [[Sitcom Arch Nemesis]].

* On ''[[Horseland]]'', the series based on the horse-raising computer game, we meet the Stilton sisters...[[Incredibly Lame Pun|oooh, how clever]]. Yes they act in keeping with the pop culture stereotype perpetuated of Paris and Nikki Hilton too. Interestingly, the younger redhead sister Zoey looks like [[No Celebrities Were Harmed|Lindsay Lohan]] while the older one, Chloe, still looks like Paris dead-on.

* Muffy Crosswire from ''[[Arthur]]''. Although she's not as bad as most examples on this page.

* Princess from the ''[[Powerpuff Girls]]'' definitely deserves a mention.

** Roderick and Rubella Rat, as well as all the other students of Perfecto Prep. TTA really like this trope.

* ''[[Doug]]'': Averted by [[Spoiled Sweet|Bebe Bluff]] for the most part... but a possible male version in Roger, a [[Jerk Jock]] bully who won the lottery in the switch to Disney, adding a permanent case of [[Acquired Situational Narcissism]] to his already [[Jerkass|abrasive]] personality. He does show a few signs of maturity at times, though.

* ''[[Angela Anaconda]]'': Nanette Manoir isn't just a rich bitch, she's the queen of all rich bitches. Sweet and polite towards the adults (especially the teacher), she exercising all her worst traits on Angela, her friends, and any one unlucky enough to be considered beneath her. She uses her family's wealth and status to assert her bitchiness.

* ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]'' gives us Jez, [[Satan|Lucius]]' gold digging girlfriend.

* Sasha Caylo of ''[[Titan Maximum]]'' certainly qualifies - [[Insult Backfire|she looks proudly smug when Palmer calls her a raging bitch.]]

* Eustace Strytch from [[Jimmy Neutron]] is a male version of this - constantly using and abusing everyone, including his own father, and focusing all his resources on one goal - SMASHING NEUTRON. Oh, and possibly using Cindy, too, just for the hell of it.

* Aria of ''[[Rollbots]]'' is the mayor of Flip City, and she's rich and can't even remember the names of the people she knows.

*** Rarity encounters Jet Set and Upper Crust in Canterlot. They're not only preppy rich bitches, but they're also the nauseatingly smug couple you love to hate.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Characters As Device]]

[[Category:Money Tropes]]

[[Category:An Index of Ladies and Gentlemen]]

[[Category:Rich People]]

[[Category:Sublime Rhyme]]