Question Why are there so many Crazy Evil Stupid Jealous Bitches harming the FL/Protagonist???

Daisy - How to Become the Duke's Fiancée Ch.95 + Ch.98 + Ch.123 + Ch.143 + Ch.144 + Ch.160

In the video essay of Lindsay Ellis "My Monster Boyfriend!" she described Belle's two older sisters in the original French Fairytale La Belle et la Bête (The Beauty & The Beast) as Jealous Bitches.
Then I realized that so many stories about Love/Romance have arrogant entitled selfish bad female characters that are so petty, spiteful, abusive, cruel, exploititive & envious towards a Female Protagonist which makes them very ugly and miserable at the end.

Backstabbing Two-Faced, Green Tea or White Lotus Bitches..... Whatever you may call them, they are everywhere in the Genre Soap Opera, Telenovela, C- Drama, K-Drama, J-Drama, Harlequin Romance Novels, Shoujo, Josei, Rofan, Trashy Manhuas, Webtoons or any kind of Melodramas.
These foes are not just evil derranged greedy Stepmothers, Sisters or Cousins but also random girls & women.

The very typical inner dialouge of an Evil Stupid Delusional Jealous Bitch:

"How dare she steal my man and my spotlight! Why does he (his Highness/Majesty) choose her of all people!? He should have been mine! It should have been me! This is my place! I am so much better than her! Nobody outshines me!
Why does she get to be happy and beloved by everyone!? She should know her place! I will ruin/make her pay!!!"
...............................
It's the same insane reductive thought process I've seen in countless melodramatic romantic soapy plots.

To be fair, there are male evil jealous/envious bitches who dislike the Male Leads or others for being more talented, popular and superior than them.
Examples: Reimei No Arcana, In Another World, I'm Called: the Black Healer, The Cursed Child's Servant; The Return of the Female Knight; The Duchess With An Empty Soul, I Became the Wife of the Male Lead, I’ll Be the Matriarch in This Life, A Divorced Evil Lady Bakes Cakes, The Raven Duchess, Don'T Pick Up What You'Ve Thrown Away, I Will Surrender The Position as Empress, Protecting The Witch's Son, I Hated It Even More, The Price of Breaking Up, I Became the Villainess in an Anticlimactic Novel etc.
In Another Typical Fantasy Romance the royal father of the OG ML assasinated the father of Tellus because of evil jealousy & he wanted the mother of ML.
But in many Rofan narratives we have an abundance of mean girls/conniving women.

When you look at the Fantasy Action Manhwa/Webtoons about Mages or whatever, the male (reincarnated) Heroes also have plenty male antagonists that are petty jealous and envy them very much. The thing is the Op Boys/Men have almost zero problem dealing with such pests compared to a Romantic Isekai Female Main Character.

Too many examples of the Jealous Bitch Archetype I've seen so far:

• Boukyaku No Shirushi To Hime Ch.4
• Dear My Friend (Odeletta being manipulated by a Witch Ch57)
• I’m Done Being Your Best Friend
• I’m Ready for Divorce
• Beatrice Ch.34
• Aidin Ch.3
• I’m The Princess of All
• The Goal is to Become a Gold Spoon so I need to be Completely Invulnerable Ch.34
  
• The Princess Imprints a Traitor Ch.2
• It's No Use Hanging On Ch.1
• IRIS - Lady with a Smartphone Ch.137
• I Am Troubled That My Fiance Is a Villain Ch.13
• Don't Trust The Heroine Ch.57
• Marchen Witches Ch.39
• Empress of Another World Ch.15
• Sincerely: I Became a Duke's Maid Ch.82
• I Stole The Male Lead's First Night Ch.6
• I Stole the Heroine’s First Love Ch.12 + Ch.20
• The Lady's Law of Survival Ch.12
• The Villainess Lives Twice Ch.60
• The Villainess Needs A Tyrant Ch.1
• The Villainess Wears an Idiot's Mask Ch.1
• The Crazy Villainess in This Area Is Me Ch.1
• The Villainous Princess Won't Tolerate a Bad Ending Ch.6
• The Perfect Ending Plan of a Fairy Tale Villainess Ch.21 (ML's Cousin...Redeemable)
• Living as the Tyrant's Older Sister Ch.33
• Please Don’t Come To The Villainess’ Stationery Store! Ch.42
• Resigning as the Villainess Ch.52
• Can We Become Family? Ch.16
• I'm Divorced, But I'm a Chaebol Ch.65
• I'm Divorcing My Tyrant Husband Ch.3
• Ice Flower Knight Ch.36
• The Evil Lady Will Change Ch.74
• A Trivial Extra in a Dating Sim Ch.33
• The Young Lady is A Royal Chef Ch.85
• How To Get My Husband On My Side Ch.68
• The Raven Duchess Ch.61
• Don’t Pick Up The Trash Once Thrown Away Ch.21
• A Divorced Evil Lady Bakes Cakes Ch.18
• She Came Back And Opened A Dessert Shop Ch.3
• I Became The Ugly Lady Ch.113
• Anyone Can Be a Villainess Ch.2
• Everybody Loves The Villainess Ch.26
• The Scorned Villainess Survives in the Wilderness Ch.12
• When The Count’s Illegitimate Daughter Gets Married Ch.45
• Ashtarte Ch.52
• Bank Lady Ch.1
• She's a Villainess, but Her Husband Is Handsome
• Life in Another World as a Housekeeping Mage Ch.5
• Reincarnated Princess Loved By Scum Ch.3
• Between Two Lips Ch.1
• The Emperor's Mask Ch.3
• Gentle Tyrant Ch.77
• Marriage and Sword Ch.47
• When I Stopped Being Your Shadow Ch.14
• I Will Surrender the Position as Empress Ch.13
• She No Longer Wields Her Sword Ch.12
• I Became The Emperor's Daughter One Day Ch.13
• The Heroine Had an Affair with My Fiance Ch.21
• I Became the Villainess in an Anticlimactic Novel Ch.53
• Sweet Bite Mark Ch.2
• Sabaku no Harem Ch.2
• Suijin no Hanayome/Bride of the Water God Ch.5
• This Time I Will Be Happy! Ch.12
• Milady Just Wants to Relax Ch.1
• The Empress Wants To Avoid the Emperor Ch.3
• The Prince was my Lover who Threw me Away in my Previous Life Ch.8
• I Was Summoned to Be a Saint, but Was Robbed of the Position Ch.22
• Auto-mode Expired in the 6th Round of the Otome Game Ch.33
• Please Don’t Come To The Villainess’ Stationery Store! Ch.60
• The Villain's Match Is Too Perfect Ch.10
• I Didn't Mean to Seduce the Male Lead! Ch.52
• When I Stopped Being Your Shadow Ch.14
• Peony: I Saw the Future With the Killer Grand Duke Ch.14
• The Hero Went Crazy Even Though I'm the One Who Died Ch.22
• The Price of Breaking Up Ch.52
• The Noble Girl With a Crush on a Plain and Studious Guy Finds the Arrogant Prince to be a Nuisance Ch.14
• Hana Yori Dango/Boys Over Flowers Ch.5
• Marry My Husband Ch.12
• A Star Reborn: The Queen's Return Ch2
• Vengeance from a Saint Full of Wounds Ch.61
• The Rebellion of the Cursed Lady Ch.19
• I’m Not a Villainess!! Just Because I Can Control Darkness Doesn’t Mean I’m a Bad Person! Ch.12 + Ch.13
• The Condemned Villainess Goes Back in Time and Aims to Become the Ultimate Villain Ch.12
• I Became the Stepmother of an Irrevocable Dark Family Ch.10
• Since My Time is Limited, I'm Entering A Contract Marriage Ch.2
• The Saintess Returns to the Emperor Ch.3
• Captain! Is This Battlefield Here? Ch.13
• I Became the Wife of a Tragedy's Main Lead Ch.15
• She's a Villainess, but Her Husband Is Handsome Ch.20
• Evangeline After The Ending Ch.37 + Ch.39
• How to Protect My Sub Male Lead Dad Ch.4
• To Those Who Long for My Destruction Ch.37
• She No Longer Wields Her Sword Ch.17
  
• Empress of Another World Ch.63
• Elskar Ch.66
• The Monster Duchess & The Contract Princess Ch.71
• In Another World, I'm Called: the Black Healer Ch.41
• Olivia and the Neverending Dream Ch.3
• May I Ask For One Final Thing? Ch.36
• When the Black Moon Rises Ch.1
• Julietta's Dress-Up Ch.32
• Ungracefully Grace Ch.14
• I Thought It Was Time! Ch.55
• Baby Pharmacist Princess Ch.25
• Flowers Rot and You Remain Ch.13
• The Price is your Everything Ch. 13
• Duchess's Lo-Fi Coffeehouse Ch.32 + Ch.34 + Ch.48
  
• Helena: Master of the Guardian Stone (Byatt)
• That Villain’s Life, I’ll Live It Once / I Will Live the Life of a Villainess
• For My Derelict Favorite / For My Abandoned Love Ch.9
• Gyakutaisarete Ita Shouka no Reijou wa Seijo no Chikara wo Te ni Ire, Mujikaku ni Youshanaku Gyakushuu suru Ch.3
  
• Vengeful Weapon, Tears of Poison Ch.4 + Ch.15
  
• If the Villainess and the Villain Were to Meet and Fall in Love Ch.12
  
• A Timid Lady was Turned into an Ugly Cat, but on the Verge of Fainting is Picked up by the Most Fearsome Military Duke Ch.3
• The Villainess Just Wants to Live in Peace! Ch.11
• Bad Maids / The Wicked Ladies in Waiting Ch.6
• 못난 오리 / Ugly Duckling Ch.41
  
• Stepmother Loves/Likes Harems Promo
• I Just Want to Freeload on Your Luck Ch.21 + Ch.28
  
• To Melt Your Frozen Heart Ch.2
  
• Baby Face Beauty (K Drama)
• Birth of a Beauty (K Drama)

https://www.novelupdates.com/stag/betrayal/
https://www.mangago.me/tag/betrayal/
Seriously, they are so obsessed of getting/owning the Male Lead or the male Antagonist aka the biggest prize of all and destroying the Female Lead who stands in her way. These dummies don't even realize that the FL doesn't have any interest of getting the Prince, King, Duke, Mage Tower Master or Elite Heir.
Just because out of envy and fear that the Special NLOG Heroine will be the fairest/most beautiful of them all....

What exactly is the message of this overused cliché/trope?
That most women can't get along with each other?
That they have to compete and catfight each other over a toxic man + prestige?
They can't help but hate and envy the Female Lead?
Are they just cheap caricatures/tools to make the female protagonist look more beautiful graceful than she already is and shine brighter than anyone else?
Or they just dumb Picked Me Girls?

The Pick Me Girl - Reflecting Our Insecurities Back to Us

Pick me! Choose me! Roast me! The plight of the "pick me" unpacked | Khadija Mbowe


I personally get the impression that any female character who doesn't respect, like, love, admire, worship, support or care about the FMC are deemed to be depicted as the antagonistic insufferable cunt that deserves the worst.

There is one bitchy character who does not become evil crazy jealous, envious and resentful because of a FL. And she also smart enough to realize how worthless and pathetic the ML is:
Calendula
Can Someone Please Explain This Situation?/The Duchess Of Rosia -A Contract Marriage? How Did This Happen!?- Ch11



Female Friendship Stories - How We Finally Moved Away from Rivalries

Are we finally trading mean girls for sisterhood? Female friendships have traditionally been depicted onscreen with a rigid hierarchy, but plenty of stories today about female friends today are moving beyond “rivalry” arcs, and toward centering equal, sisterly bonds. We're seeing more stories bout friendships that aren’t disrupted by women having to strive in a cut-throat social pecking order or to snap the right job or man, but are instead about how females can support each other and connect through shared experiences.

 

Pitting women and by extension female characters against each other is one of the many signs of internalized misogyny. It's worth noting how rivalries with a male characters are always given depth and dimension and how you never know the outcome until you get there. While rivalries between two female characters are almost always reduced to a vicious 'catfight' in which the mean girl is brutally punished.

I think the villainess genre was supposed to address that but sadly it seems that while there are some gems that avoid the catfight trope, most of them do the same stuff just with reversed roles. I love seeing women being lovey dovey, and I'd also like to see a healthy rivalry between two female characters. Women don't have to be friends all the time, but they don't have to be homicidal psychopaths to each other either.

 

Heathers 1989 Iconic Quote:
Veronica Sawyer: I just killed my best friend.
J.D.: And your worst enemy.
Veronica Sawyer: Same difference.

 

I can see a few reasons why authors would include these characters into their story, and they're more or less related to each other:

• To create more drama (lengthening the story, giving the readers/audience more "content" to watch, thus earning more money)
• To trigger/Strengthen the FL and ML's relationship through said drama
• To show/flex how superior the FL is in her way of dealing with her rivals etc etc
• To show the ML's "worth" (and how FL is superior/wonderful/amazing for being the one to own his affection). In the sense of "This guy has a lot of girls seeking his affection, so he must be a really great catch!" and stuff like that

There are probably more reasons but these are the few I can name off the top of my head rn.
If you're looking for the message that's being conveyed, well, I got nothing. Honestly, I think most of the time they're just a useful relationship/plot-progression tool.

The thing about female-oriented stories like this is that a lot of them (most, maybe) are written for self-inserts. So you get a lot of "ideal" main characters, which, obviously, should be well-liked, kind, beautiful, smart, all-capable, etc etc
It's just something that's made to fulfill a fantasy, and it's easy to make the antagonistic character brainlessly evil because as the author, you don't really want to go deep into the flaws of your own self-insert, y'know? (or, for some authors, the self-insert doesn't have any flaws)
So, yeah, imagine you're the author while also the main character. You're in the world you create and you have the power to make anything happen. But everything can't be all rainbows and unicorns so you gotta have a "bad guy," but since this "bad guy" exists in a world that you literally control, you would naturally want to "get rid" of them or watch them suffer, no?
It's not for every case, but I can definitely see this happening for some works.

On healthy rivalries:
A healthy rivalry is more challenging to write compared to a typical "evil, stupid and jealous" (ESJ) character.
ESJ characters are, as I've mentioned, most of the time just tools, so when it comes to tools, they become irrelevant once their usefulness runs out. The author can write 10-20 chapters surrounding one jealousy arc with one ESJ character and then throw them away as if they had never been there. And it's easy because you can just chalk their ESJ up to "oh they're just born that way" or something perfunctory along the lines
Also, often times because they're stupid and do stupid stuff, it's easy for the author to come up with the FL's countermeasure to whatever scheme they're up to.
For a healthy rival (HR) character, presumably, they should have a brain in their skull, so the actions they carry out will need to be more logical and well thought out. As a result, the author is forced to improve the FL's countermeasure, which is hard.
HR characters require much more effort since the author has to actually flesh out (at least part of) their character. Their motivations can't be as simple as "the ML is handsome and rich so he should be mine," and even if it is, there has to be more to the character to create that healthy rivalry
(not saying that all rivalry should revolve around the romance, it's just an example)
And then there's also the aspect of "what do you do with the character after enough has been done by them?"
ESJ characters are easy to dispose. They did something really bad, right? Put them in jail, kill them, or send them very, very far away.
HR characters are not so easy. What kind of long-lasting effects does this rivalry have on both the HR and the FL/MC? Does the HR have a long-lasting relationship with the FL later on? If yes, what would the HR's role be in the future scenes? etc etc (fleshing out the character)


tl;dr? ESJ is easy to write and does the work. Thus many authors write ESJ characters. (disclaimer: this is just one aspect, not an all-in-one fit answer)

 

Do you happen to know other old folktales or novels where (random) female characters equally supporting each other?

 

Here are are some interesting old stories about female friendships in old folktales

F is for Female Friendships by Zalka Csenge Virág

We all know stories about a hero and his friends setting out to seek their fortunes together - but where are the strong female friendships? Where are women helping and supporting each other, not because they are sisters or mothers and daughters, but simply because they like one another? Compared to the number of evil stepsisters, sibling rivalries, and fake brides, the number of strong female friendships in tradition is depressingly low.

Here are some of the exceptions:

Wild Goose Lake
A Bai legend from China about a girl who befriends a dragon's daughter. The two girls figure and carry out a plan to end a drought; the dragon daughter is exiled by her father for helping the humans, and the two girls end up living happily together.
(Read the story in South of the Clouds)

The wicked girl
This Turkish folktale features friendship between a Turkish girl and her Arab slave. They are locked in together while the adults of the house are away, but the Arab girl figures out a way to sneak out and bring home whatever they need. She repeatedly tricks a restaurant owner until he decides to take revenge - but all is well in the end.
(Read the story here)

Gold-tree and Silver-tree
A strange, enchanting, polyamorous Snow White story for Scotland, in which a king's second wife saves the life of the almost-dead first wife, not once, but twice, and they all live happily together.
(Read it here)

Snow White and Rose Red
Okay, so they are sisters, but at least they like each other (it is even stated in the text) despite their personalities being different, and they go through adventures together. One of the less often quoted Grimm fairy tales, but a really good one. I hear Disney is about to get their hands on it.
(Read it here)

Katie Crackernuts
Again, step-siblings, but at least they like each other? One saves the other, and both end up happy.
(Read it here)

Camilla
I already talked about Camilla earlier, but she fits this theme as well, since she is the leader of a group of female warriors who are all very attached to her, and take revenge for her death.
(Read about her here)

Nilanjana BoseApril 7, 2016 at 8:02 AM
The only example that comes to mind right now is the friendship between Queen Kaikeyi and Manthara, her attendant, in the Ramayana. Strong friendship, but used for dubious ends. The Queen portrayed as the stereotypical evil stepmother, plotting for her son's place on the throne instead of the rightful heir.

Sue BursztynskiApril 9, 2016 at 6:33 AM
There's the Russian fairytale of Baba Yaga's daughter, who befriends and protects a Cinderella type heroine who comes knocking at the door.

https://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com/2016/04/f-is-for-female-friendships.html

 

For drama and the fl and ml flex.

 

Have you seen Japanese, Chinese or Korean novels webtoons & dramas where several women support each other instead of hating + envy each other?

My favourite examples:

• My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!
  
• Beware of the Villainess
• Avengers Social Club
• WWW
• Revenge Is Ours / Hell Hath No Fury
• Kingdom of the Queen

 

Yep I have read them. It is a fun read and one of the rare one.

 

Can you recommend me any stories from any media featuring sisterhood or women empowering each other?

 

A classic 90s R&B song that fits to this thread's topic

Brandy & Monica - The Boy Is Mine (Official Video)

I think it's time we got this straight
Let's sit and talk face to face
There is no way you could mistake
Him for your man, are you insane?
You see, I know that you may be
Just a bit jealous of me
But you're blind if you can't see
That his love is all in me
You see, I tried to hesitate
I didn't wanna say what he told me
He said without me, he couldn't make it
Through the day, ain't that a shame?
But maybe you misunderstood
'Cause I can't see how he could
Wanna change something that's so good
All my love was all it took (The boy is mine)

 

I am starting to think that many of these crazy female Rofan antagonists have untreated mental issues and disorders....
There is always some complicated backstory behind a derranged bitch.

The "Crazy" Woman Trope, Explained

@toshcameron366
Love how the obsessive woman is a male nightmare but an obsessive man is just a typical romantic protagonist.
@katel3259
I never realized that the crazy girl trope really is a way for misogynistic film makers to paint broken and used girls as crazy. Giving the men a way to be abusive but not seen as wrong because of the way the woman acts
@sarahellis6703
it's sad how mental illness or "craziness" is used as a trait to make female characters more attractive
@mayanpaw
I heard a really interesting anecdote about how men will often tell their "crazy ex girlfriend" stories as a way of putting blame for a relationships collapse solely on the woman and dismissing her as worthless and untrustworthy, but women don't often tell their "crazy ex boyfriend" stories because theirs tend to be stories about abuse from their ex partner and aren't the funny, harmless, "gee what a wacko" stories that the "crazy ex girlfriend" stories tend to be.
@fedem14
"we are terrified of people who don't live in the same reality as we do" this quote tho...
@Catheriina
Here's a "crazy" twist: The crazy woman & the pixie dream girl are one person, depending on the perspective of the narrator / protagonist / director
@taacct3739
Calling someone "crazy" is just an excuse people use to stop caring. She is your apathy personified, manifesting only when you're tired of giving a shit about understanding her.
@tariqthomas9090
It's going to like a cliche at this point but Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is the BEST portrayal of a woman (or heck, a person ) with a mental illness that I have ever seen. I know it's not really mentioned in this video but either way I'm so thankful that it exists.

 

I personally like that for once the Heroine and former Rival/Villainess in Another Typical Fantasy Romance are really respecting each other and joining hands together to take down the despicable OG Trash Crown Prince ML.
There is no evil petty jealousy, only competent cooperation and genuine solidarity between two incredible women sharing common goals.

Monilla Teika (Another Typical Fantasy Romance)

 

BEHOLD! THE INFAMOUS MOTHER OF EVIL DUMB JEALOUS WITCHES:
Soraya Montenegro (María la del Barrio)

Soraya enloquece al ver a Nandito besando a Alicia | María la del Barrio 4/4 | C-34 | tlnovelas

 

Arrogant Evil Jealous Bitch mocking/taunting the FL in a Dungeon Jail Scene:
I Don't Want to be Loved
Aidin

Spoiler: Aidin Ch.3 IMAGE

Dear My Friend

Spoiler: Dear My Friend IMAGE

Actually, I Was the Real One

Spoiler: Actually, I was the Real One IMAGE

Angelic Lady

Spoiler: Angelic Lady IMAGE

Shadow Queen

Spoiler: Shadow Queen IMAGE

Why Are Obsessed With Your Fake Wife?

Spoiler: Why Are Obsessed With Your Fake Wife IMAGE

A Saintess Who Was Adopted By The Grand Duke

Spoiler: A Saintess Who Was Adopted By The Grand Duke IMAGE

I Didn't Mean to Seduce the Male Lead

Spoiler: I Didn't Mean to Seduce the Male Lead IMAGE

The Rebellion of the Cursed Lady

Spoiler: The Rebellion of the Cursed Lady IMAGE

Angel of the Golden Aura

Spoiler: Angel of the Golden Aura IMAGE

The World Without My Sister Who Everyone Loved

Spoiler: The World Without My Sister Who Everyone Loved IMAGE

The Fake Duchess In Distresss

Spoiler: The Fake Duchess In Distresss IMAGE

To Those Who Long (/Wish) for My Destruction

Spoiler: To Those Who Long (/Wish) for My Destruction IMAGE

When the Black Moon Rises

Spoiler: When the Black Moon Rises IMAGE

Mind-Reading Princess

Spoiler: Mind-Reading Princess IMAGE

The Bloody Merchant Empress and the Cold Husband's Forceful Doting

Spoiler: The Bloody Merchant Empress and the Cold Husband's Forceful Doting IMAGE

The Precious Girl Does Not Shed Tears

Spoiler: The Precious Girl Does Not Shed Tears IMAGE

Spoiler: The Precious Girl Does Not Shed Tears IMAGE Part 2

The Price Is Your Everything

Spoiler: The Price Is Your Everything IMAGE

Even Monsters Like Fairytales

Spoiler: Even Monsters Like Fairytales IMAGE

 

Princess of the Bibliophile Ch4
Evil Jealous Bitch Irene is so dumb.....
Aslong there is a powerful Duke or Prince protecting his FL, the female envious female antagonist can't actually harm/defeat the Heroine.

Spoiler: Bibliophile Princess Ch4 IMAGE

 

The Ugly Lady's Secret Pouch: Jin Yura/Charlotte

Spoiler: Jin Yura IMAGE

Spoiler: Charlotte IMAGE

 

Classic Storytelling Rule: If there is no Villain, then there is no Hero.

THIS ISEKAI MAID IS FORMING A UNION!

 

Why are there so many Evil Stupid Jealous Bitches harming the FL/Protagonist???

I think the reason why 'Evil, stupid and Jealous Bitches' harm Female Lead maybe because of a few reasons like-
1. They are insecure and feel dissatisfied when something (an object or a title of being the best or most beautiful,
etc) or someone that they think is their is taken away from them by FL.
But instead of changing positively and striking to be the better version of themselves, they seek the so called easy way, that is to bully or harm the FL, as a solution for these insecurities.

2. These kind of cliches have been used by authors for many years and liked by readers too. So now it has become a trend to make some character who can't better the leads to viciously target them like mad dogs.

3. These characters are also there to make the readers impression of the Leads deeper. Whether it is pitying them for being bullied, admiring them for overcoming it or for making ML & FL closer.

 

Your argument makes me remember of an extreme cartoonish example:

Saikyō no Mamono ni Naru Michi O Tadoru Ore, Isekaijū de Zamā Wo Shikkō Suru Ch15 Lily