Trope Workshop:Mean Lesbian

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"And this was my little way of apologizing for being such a bitch." —Leighton, Sex Lives of College Girls

Similar to the Psycho Lesbian, she is ruthless and rude, except she isn’t innately a killer.

The mean lesbian is exactly what it sounds like. They can sometimes have a softer demeanor, usually around a romantic partner. Often, they begin as an antagonist or bully of the protagonist. She is often assumed to hate the men around her, and is very competitive. Her sarcastic remarks can cut deep, but she can treat them like a joke.

The Mean Lesbian will verbally (and maybe even physically) assault another character. She often strives for popularity, status or power. While non-lesbian characters can hold the same qualities, the mean lesbian is most well known for these qualities. This trope is commonly seen in media in side characters while often times lesbian leads will get more fleshed out. Some readers and viewers will find solace in the trope, as the mean lesbian does nothing for a man. Others recognize its roots in misogyny that a woman cannot exist without a man without bitterness. That lesbians are harsher than their bisexual and pansexual counterparts.

The trope was recognized more so around the 2010’s era with the rise of LGBT+ representation. It began to appear a lot in teen shows where the popular or mean girl was also the closet lesbian. Her repressed identity (or lack thereof) without a man could cause her to bully those around her. Because of her cruelness she was expected to have a love interest or be in a love triangle. Sometimes she would get a girlfriend later on. Usually, she is feminine and powerful with her femininity, known as a lipstick lesbian.

The trope additionally reflects in real life outside of media. This stems from the views of the sexuality “hating men” just for existing. Many lesbians do not want to take shit from men or hold their opinions to be as important as some, this can cause the stigma to rise. The Mean Lesbian in TV usually hates men. Often times, she is very attractive and even seductive to gain what she wants: Whether it be money, power, etc.

At times, she can be empowering, independent and free from social worries.

Other times her shallowness overtakes her identity. The Mean Lesbian often has a girlfriend who is bisexual and more upbeat and bubbly to show the dynamic between them. Her girlfriend may have a larger role than her. Sometimes she will date someone similar to her, with the same sexuality and traits or her storyline will not allow for her to have a romantic dynamic.

Note: If the lesbian becomes obsessive to the point of deadliness she will not fall under this title. If she is only mildly sarcastic she also will not qualify.

Examples of Mean Lesbian include:

Anime & Manga

• Juri Arisugawa is initially this in Revolutionary Girl Utena, until the viewer learns more about her past and why she's so bitter. She softens up as the series goes on.
• Haruka Tenoh and Michiru Kaioh in the first Sailor Moon anime. In the manga and Crystal, they're aloof and strongly disagree with Usagi and the other Inners, but in the first anime they constantly put the younger girls down and even steal Usagi's brooch to keep her from "getting in the way."

Comic Books

• Poison Ivy from DC. This only includes some variations. Some variations fall under the Psycho Lesbian. As the Villain Protagonist she is rarely kind. Though she has a lot of sides to her, she holds more emotional depth than many that fall to the trope.
• Ayo from Marvel Comics. She is a warrior for Wakanda. Ayo is the second-in-command of the Dora Milaje, she holds a large position of power.

Fan Works

• Any Alpha Bitch who gains favor among LGBT fans will be cast as this to better serve the Foe Yay between her and the Naive Everygirl:
  • Veronica Lodge from Archie comics, particularly with Betty
  • Jade West from Victorious
  • Sam Puckett from iCarly
  • Regina George from Mean Girls
  • Cassidy and Jessie from Pokemon. Either towards each other, or Jessie being this towards Misty.
  • Rei Hino from the first Sailor Moon anime, often shown using her snarky, bitchy attitude as a cover for her feelings towards Usagi

Film

• Deena Johnson from Fear Street. Deena can be interpreted as nicer than some examples but she fits the title. She treats her girlfriend, Sam, better than she does a lot of people around her. She has harsh walls around herself and can be mean to others. She is out to her friend group as lesbian and does not hide it. She often uses a Sarcastic Confession to get her emotions apart.
• Amber Freeman in Scream (5) was originally scripted to be lesbian, in a relationship with Tara. She was extremely mean and heartless, only caring for a few. It is unknown why this was scrapped.
• Graham from But I'm a Cheerleader.
  • Sinead from the film fits as well.
• Hope from Booksmart.

Live Action TV

• Santana Lopez from Glee. She is one of the most popular examples of the mean lesbian trope, referring to herself as a closet lesbian and a judgmental bitch. She takes down men around her, picking fun at their appearance or style. She also comes out and has a girlfriend, Brittany S. Pierce, who is closer to being a Kindhearted Simpleton. Santana is presumed to be straight originally, as she uses men to get what she wants and they assume she’s really into them, but Dude, She's a Lesbian. Santana is possibly the most popular example in recent media. Her appearance in the show sparked a conversation around the stereotype.

"I’m a closet lesbian and a judgmental bitch which means one thing. I have awesome gaydar."

• • Quinn, her friend and fellow bully, had sex with Santana twice and admits to it. Her sexuality was never stated but Quinn is also mean and very tired and angry at men throughout the show’s run.
• Lexa kom Trikru from The 100. She is the fierce, ruthless commander of the Trikru clan. She is out as gay, having a female love interest on screen and in the past. She publicly disregarded love as useless to her and will shout at any man who disobeys her command. Lexa is too Powerful to Live, and can be seen as ahead of her time. If she had stayed as a series regular, a lot of the spotlight from the straight characters would have been taken. As a badass Gay she never makes a big deal out of her sexuality.
• Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale is a prime example. She is the popular mean girl of Riverdale High School. She was the head cheerleader, and held a lot of power. She is always seen putting a lot of emphasis on her appearance and social standing. In 2x14 she comes out, revealing that she has been in the closet. It is later established she’s lesbian. She only has been using men for her gain, such as manipulating Archie Andrews.

"As Riverdale High’s first openly lesbian student body president..."

• The most popular face of the new show is Monet de Haan from Gossip Girl (The Reboot). She is among the richest students at Constance Billard St. Jude's School and she just so happens to be lesbian. She is seen kissing a girl, later bringing two girls into her room as she’s on her phone plotting, as usual. She is the lead of a trio and does not welcome new faces. Her rude treatment to the staff at Constance Billard is a reason Gossip Girl is brought back in the first place.
• Toni Shalifoe from The Wilds.
• Alex Vause from Orange is the New Black.
• Janae Matthews/Vargas from One of Us is Lying. She has one friend: Simon and is generally rude to everyone else around her. She takes pride in her secluded and judgmental nature. She doesn’t look for approval or care how her remarks rub off
  • Possibly fitting, her romantic interest Maeve Rojas is also harsher in nature. Maeve’s sexuality has not been specifically stated but her nature is just as mean and judgmental as the former.

• Perhaps a more drastic example is Debbie Gallagher from Shameless. While she never does any immoral killing or anything that would define her as a Depraved Homosexual Debbie is ruthless. She is extremely selfish, harsh, manipulative without realizing it and originally begins to question her sexuality due to how much she despises men, specifically her ex-boyfriend. She begins to later embrace her sexuality as Lipstick Lesbian.
  • Sandy Milkovich, Debbie’s ex-girlfriend as well as Heidi, her most recent love interest both fit as well.
  • Svetlana, another series regular, was a canon lesbian. She was a sex worker, who was used to interactions with men. She entered a Polyamory relationship, but it was revealed she only harbored feelings for Veronica, the female in the circle. She engaged in threesomes with the trio, but was cruel to Kevin, as well as other men. She manipulated and lied throughout the series.
• Lana Winters from American Horror Story. Originally appearing as a kinder person, she significantly changes. She becomes a self-centered, harsh journalist.
• Ivy from American Horror Story.
• Scarlett and Ruby from American Horror Stories.
• Rue Bennett from Euphoria.
• Syd Novak from I Am Not Okay with This.
• Beth Cassidy from Dare Me.
• Leighton Murray from The Sex Lives of College Girls.
• Olivia Hayes from Get Even.
• Amber from Get Even.
• April from Teenage Bounty Hunters.
• Theo Crane from The Haunting of Hill House.
• Jamie Taylor from The Haunting of Bly Manor.
• Taissa Turner from Yellowjackets.
• Lucia from Genera+ion.
• Izzie Taylor from Atypical.
• Peach Salinger from YOU.
• Downplayed: Piper from Cobra Kai. She also is a Lesbian Jock.

Web Animation

• Vaggie from Hazbin Hotel.

Web Comics

• Darcy from Heartstopper.

Western Animation

• Catra from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. She is known for her abrasive, tough nature. She is often making rude and hurtful remarks at her enemies. Her remarks often come from the unresolved romantic tension she has with Adora, her female love interest.
• Amity Blight from The Owl House. First introduced as the bully, Amity was known for her cruel, teasing manner. She was also established a lesbian early on as she showed feelings for the protagonist Luz Noceda. This was confirmed by the creator on Reddit.
• Clawdeen Wolf from Monster High.
• Cassandra from Tangled.
• In Miraculous Ladybug, Juleka Couffaine embodies this with her cold nature. Though, as commonly seen. She is a lot kinder around her partner.