MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > The Plain Girl Syndrome

The Plain Girl Syndrome

posted 2 years ago by jriley555 (8551)
54 replies | jump to latest

Have you noticed that, increasingly, plain girls play the top roles ? That the guys are as often as not prettier than the women they play opposite to ? I offer, as evidence :

Anne Hathaway
Kiera Knightly
Julia Stiles
Jennifer Garner

A lot of these Netflix series have that aspect, a plain-jane as the central female character and a supposed love interest.

I'm not saying they have to be playboy material, but at least ... cute.

Fight me on this, if you like. Do you see this as a trend, or do you find, for example, the aforementioned actresses someone you'd look twice at on the street.

[–] Kowalski (79128) 2 years ago

YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH GOOD ACTORS PLAYING SOLID ROLES?...BECAUSE THEY DO NOT QUALIFY FOR YOUR BONER LIST?

GROW UP.

[–] MaximRecoil (4853) 2 years ago

Anne Hathaway and Keira Knightley were beautiful during their respective primes.

I haven't seen any trend. Hollywood actresses in top roles have always been a mixed bag, and the ones who are average looking, or even homely, like...

Margot Kidder
Talia Shire
Bette Midler
Susan Surandon
Shelley Duvall
Sissy Spacek
Meryl Streep
Jodie Foster
Sigourney Weaver
Linda Hamilton
Glenn Close
Hilary Swank
Helen Hunt
Juliette Lewis
Anjelica Huston
Patricia Clarkson
Frances McDormand
Kathy Bates
Meredith Baxter
Holly Hunter
Diane Keaton
Tilda Swinton
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Anne Heche

... and so on, and so on, and so on, are probably far more common than the smoking hot ones. That's just the way "average" and "homely" tend to work.

[–] jriley555 (8551) 2 years ago

Good point.

[–] howgamer (3988) 2 years ago

All of the women you listed are considered quite attractive by the majority.

[–] mikethemartian (7001) 2 years ago

Anne Hathaway is a plain girl?

[–] jriley555 (8551) 2 years ago

To me, at any rate, she is odd looking. Something about her eyes and mouth. I can see that others might find her attractive, but she's no Susan Hayward.

[–] mikethemartian (7001) 2 years ago

Not to criticize Susan Hayward but I don’t see what she has over the women you listed above as plain. I was thinking maybe you meant Rita Hayworth since they have similar last names but that seems unlikely.

[–] jriley555 (8551) 2 years ago

I like them both. A lot. This is somewhat a taste thing, but I'm going to venture a guess that either of them would rank a good bit higher, in most men's estimation of attractiveness, to any on my original list.

[–] Mustang (5571) 2 years ago

I think they go for a more natural look now whereas in the past they made them look more glamourous. You could take the women you listed (maybe not Hathaway as she looks now) and make them look like Playboy models too.

[–] JoeBlow88 (574) 2 years ago

I point this out to the wife often in movies - the man is super handsome and I had high school girlfriends hotter than the main female.

Best example is in Men in Black: International. The women can lust over Mr. Thunder-cock (Thor) and the men get a woman with a huge flat nose with ugly hair...

[–] jriley555 (8551) 2 years ago

Some folks keep talking about going for the 'more natural' or 'girl next door' look, but the men sure aren't cast that way.

And some folks think of the women I listed as attractive to very attractive - so there, we have a difference in taste.

But no one would be arguing about the attractiveness of Sophia Loren, Anne Sheridan, Hedy Lamarr, hell - Jennifer Connolly.

We're also talking, mainly, about lesser movies without significant serious drama - lighter entertainment. If its a fantasy, make it worth the freight.

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 2 years ago

I'm not sure I understand. None of those women is plain, they are all attractive women. Maybe more in a "girl next door" way than a "sultry vixen" or "femme fatale" way. But they are all good-looking. I think what they all have in common is some acting talent and the ability to portray a character that is interesting.

[–] Wint3rFir3 (7386) 2 years ago

I think you've mistaken their looks with the normal girl image all of them had. Anne Hathaway and Jennifer Garner are/were considered conventionally attractive, while Keira Knightley and Julia Stiles both had a unique, androgynous look that was very popular during the early 2000s.

Can't speak for the female leads on Netflix, as I've only really watched Stranger Things on the platform and not much else, and the main cast for that show is children, so it doesn't matter how hot they are.