You're Not My Type
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A rebuff for unwanted sexual advances that is designed to make it clear that the speaker isn't interested in what the person they are addressing has to offer. In many cases, this Stock Phrase is used to get the addressee out of the speaker's hair, or to indicate that the character on the receiving end is too good (or not good enough) to spark their desire. A common retort may be "You have a type?", especially if the original speaker is known to be the type that Really Gets Around.
Needless to say, this is quite often Played for Laughs.
In some cases, though, You're Not My Type may be used to ratchet up the creepy factor when a rapist or pedophile has captured the protagonist. While the phrase spoken in this manner highlights the particular perversions of the villain in question, it can also serve as a means to relieve the audience that, while the villain may have some violent plans in mind for the hero, an on-screen sexual assault is not imminent.
If the addressee doesn't take the hint, this may lead to an Unrequited Love Lasts Forever situation. If the character on the receiving end is the protagonist, it is not uncommon to have a Hooked Up Afterwards reveal later on.
See Stock Phrase. Compare All Love Is Unrequited, Incompatible Orientation, and Dude, She's a Lesbian.
A supertrope of Sorry, I'm Gay, in which the phrase is used as part of The Reveal that a character is gay or lesbian (whether or not said statement is actually true.) Note that if a gay or lesbian character is talking to someone of their preferred gender but they're still not interested from some other reason, the example would instead be a part of this trope.
No real life examples, please; All The Tropes is not a gossip site.
Anime and Manga
- In Sasameki Koto, one half of the main couple says this to the other half here. It drives the angst for most of the series.
- Played for Laughs in One Piece. Mermaid Princess (no, not that Mermaid Princess) Shirahoshi says this is the reason that she won't marry Vander Decken. Considering that he's been using his devil fruit power to throw an object he can at her (from literally anywhere) for ten years, forcing her to hide away in her castle out of fear, practically everyone is surprised this is her main concern.
- Hayate the Combat Butler
- While it's not shown, this kind of interaction may have happened in Hinagiku and Miki's past. Miki seems to be playful about the relationship, and Hinagiku is still good friends with her, it doesn't appear that it was destructive to their friendship. When Hinagiku starts showing amourous feelings for Hayate, Miki seems to be one of the forerunners of assisting her, a sign of this trope being applied and I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy.
- When Nishizawa first approaches Hayate asking him to go out with her, he claims to be only interested in 2D girls.
- Used in Bleach by Szayel Aporro during his fight with Renji. Since the dialog changes from the Japanese anime, English dub, or the English comics, he either says this word for word, denies being gay, or makes an ambiguous statement that could be interpreted multiple ways. In any translation, he rejects Renji after mistaking Renji's actions as flirtation.
- Ranma ½: They hook up later, more or less.
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Ranma: (to Akane) You don't have to worry about me trying anything, because you're not even my type. |
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Film
- In The Alphabet Killer, when the eponymous serial rapist/murderer (who happens to only target pre-teen girls with Alliterative Names) captures the female cop who has been hunting him, he laughingly says this while driving to the place he plans where he plans to kill her and dump her body.
- In the 2007 Nancy Drew movie, Ned is worried Nancy will fall for someone. Nancy tells Ned, "He's not my type." Ned responds with, "You have a type?"
- From Casino Royale:
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Bond: Don't worry, you're not my type. |
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- Played for Laughs in this exchange between the acerbic pair in Six Days Seven Nights:
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Quinn Harris: If it makes you feel any better you're not my type. |
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- Inverted in the first Shrek film, as the eponymous character (an ogre, though his features are obscured by armour and soot) rebuffs Princess Fiona's claims that, as her hero, he must be her true love:
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Donkey: With Shrek? Whoa, whoa, whoa... You think, you think that Shrek is your true love? |
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- The Master of Disguise has one of these early in the film, where the hero Pistachio (yes, that's his name) meets a girl named Sophia.
Literature
- In one Ciaphas Cain short story, Cain uses this as a Bond One-Liner when he shoots a chaos cultist who tried to seduce (and allow a demon to possess) him.
- In The Black Magician Trilogy Dannyl says this to an Inchani woman who wants to make him her slave and tell him that she likes to "reward" her favorite slaves.
Live Action TV
- Not The Reveal, but on The Commish one of the officers is outed as gay and the others start giving him a hard time. At one point he says, "What, are you afraid I'm gonna come on to you? News flash, you're not my type."
- In the 2004 reboot of Battlestar Galactica, Admiral Cain's last words to her former lover who she later had imprisoned, tortured and raped for being a Cylon were "Frak you." Gina's response right before pulling the trigger? This trope.
- Lost had a semi-infamous instance where Tom of the Others tells Kate that she wasn't "his type". It took the show a while, but it finally officially confirmed that, yes, he was gay.
Newspaper Comics
- In a Garfield strip, when Jon is talking to a woman over the phone:
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Jon: I'm not your type?! Well just what is you type? Human? |
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Video Games
- In the JRPG Knights Of Xentar, One character responds to the seductive advances of a Catgirl with "Sorry, not my type. Or species."
- In Liberal Crime Squad, when failing a seduction attempt, one of the possible response from the target is: "You're not my type, I like the sane".
- In Knights of the Old Republic, Juhani and Dak Vessar's falling out was started this way. Dak told Juhani that he was in love with her. She told him she couldn't return his feelings. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear as though Juhani was able to explain (or that Dak could comprehend) why—it's strongly implied that Juhani is a lesbian.
- In Mass Effect 3, this is how Samantha Traynor rejects male Shepard if he tries to flirt with her.
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Traynor: "I'm sorry. I try to be friendly, but...you're not really my type. Remember how I liked EDI's voice?" |
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Other
- Played perfectly straight with this T-shirt, which tells on-lookers that they are not your type in 13 different languages, including sign language. (Be forewarned, for those wishing to rush out and buy it, the sign language on the shirt is... well, pretty direct.)
- Being fingerspelled English rather than pure American Sign Language doesn't make it any more polite, either. Although it's oddly clever, as simply knowing how to sign any version of "Not interested" can be an attractant...