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The "Crazy" Woman Trope, Explained

The Take

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Get a full month of MUBI FOR FREE: https://mubi.com/thetake (With the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme of the European Union) | Our screens are full of “Crazy Women” - but are they actually crazy? Are these women legitimate threats to themselves and others, or do they deserve more empathy than they’re given credit for? In this video we delve into the different types of “Crazy” Women and what’s problematic about Hollywood’s depiction of mental illness. If you like this video, subscribe to our channel or support us on Patreon: Patreon: thetake

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20 Comments

@thetake Creator 6 years ago Pinned

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@toshcameron366 6 years ago

Love how the obsessive woman is a male nightmare but an obsessive man is just a typical romantic protagonist.

@fedem14 6 years ago

"we are terrified of people who don't live in the same reality as we do" this quote tho...

@sadiecanyon 6 years ago

it's sad how mental illness or "craziness" is used as a trait to make female characters more attractive

@katel3259 6 years ago

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

@Catheriina 6 years ago

Here's a "crazy" twist: The crazy woman & the pixie dream girl are one person, depending on the perspective of the narrator / protagonist / director

@AnaJulia-wm5pl 6 years ago (edited)

I love how Amy Dunne is basically every trope ever made

@BloodyElena143 6 years ago (edited)

I love the crazy female trop when she is a well written character, but most of the time men don't know how to write women so the character doesn't do anything except being crazy & being oversexualized

@lisah8438 6 years ago (edited)

Do the sassy black girl trope.

@francescadowns4551 6 years ago

can y’all do black woman tropes? like sassy friend, mammy, etc

@Tommotipsy 6 years ago

Women have been told we are crazy since the beginning. We’ve been victims of gaslighting for thousands of years. I’m so appreciative to live in an age where we can be educated on how to know when it’s happening to us, and how we can avoid being stuck with someone who’s toxic.

@samanthakim1975 6 years ago

Could you please do one about the romantized depressed girl, like effy stonem?

@Angi3_6 6 years ago

As someone who has been called "crazy" and other names all her life (I have Schizo Affective disorder), I HATE that it's romanticized.

@mayanpaw 6 years ago

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.

@rosem6398 6 years ago

""Crazy" is such a convenient word for men, perpetuating our sense of superiority... When women are too emotional we say they are being irrational. Crazy. Wrong."

@rayrenmmkay7249 6 years ago

I'm so surprised that crazy ex girlfriend wasnt mentioned in this.

@taacct3739 6 years ago

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.

@carlaciocanaru5045 6 years ago (edited)

"Crazy" girls are loved by the viewers only if they are hot or beautiful 🤷‍♀️
*edit : most characters are loved just by their attractiveness but it's wrong to idolize them even though they have done horrible things . Some characters can change and see their point of view but not all of them become good. The romanticization of criminal or psychopath women on tv is not ok

@fedem14 6 years ago

"the woman having a nervous breakdown" it's me. i'm the woman.

@tariqthomas9090 6 years ago (edited)

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.