Imagine a “tomboy.” You probably think of a girl who plays sports and wears jeans and shapeless shirts and T-shirts. You would visualise someone who enjoys activities typically associated with boyhood. Media like films, TV shows, books, and magazines often portray this image. But what if a girl chooses to wear jeans or cargos because traditional girls’ clothes lack pockets? Does that automatically make her a tomboy? Let us unpack tomboy stereotypes in media. This article will also describe how these myths and misconceptions are influencing the viewers.
When someone deviates from traditional gender roles, society tends to assign labels to help make sense of it. “Tomboy” is one such label. The word “tomboy” didn’t start with girls. In 1550s England, it meant a “rude, boisterous boy” who acted impolitely. Within thirty years, the meaning changed, and it came to refer to a “bold or immodest woman.”
Understanding tomboy stereotypes in the media
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a tomboy is a girl who acts and dresses like a boy. She likes noisy physical activities. But in reality, it is so much more than that.
When girls are labelled as tomboys, their femininity gets overshadowed. Moreover, the focus shifts to being boyish. Isn’t a person’s choice of clothes, colours, and behaviours a matter of personal opinion? Why should it define their femininity or masculinity?
You might believe calling a young girl a tomboy is harmless, even affectionate. But a girl choosing a boyish haircut or not liking pink doesn’t take away her femininity. Constantly praising “tomboyishness” may make a child feel different and not like ‘other girls’. Moreover, it also establishes the fact that it is devaluing other girls who are not like her.
Even in popular media, characters who are kind, ladylike, and nurturing are labelled as feminine, gentle, naive and most often passive and without agency. It focuses on traditional gender roles. On the other hand, people usually associate qualities like curiosity, stubbornness, determination, and a drive for adventure with being tomboyish. This binary portrayal suggests that a woman is either a stereotypically rough and tough tomboy or a graceful girl.
Remember the movie Hasee Toh Phasee? The brilliant heroine with strange complexities and a mind like a computer, played by Parineeti Chopra, sports a ‘boy cut’. She wears a check shirt and unflattering spectacles and continuously blinks in the opening scene. It establishes the tomboy in her. She is quirky, bright, and superior to her prettier sister, who elegantly dresses throughout but dresses shallow and materialistic. It is a perfect example of the positive portrayal of a tomboy in mainstream cinema.
The Tomboy-to-glam transformation in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
It has been 25 years since Karan Johar’s iconic ’90s love story debut film, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, was released. While it is a cult classic for 1990s Indian kids, the movie has some regressive ideologies, especially in perpetuating the ‘Tomboy’ Stereotype. When you sit down to rewatch the film as an adult, you will likely come across a multitude of problems. Some scenes are clearly sexist, and others are outright misogynistic.
The plot centres around a love triangle in which Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) secretly admires his best friend Anjali (Kajol), the college heartthrob. However, he ends up marrying Tina (Rani Mukherji), who is more conventionally feminine and glamorous. Anjali is initially portrayed as a tomboy. She likes jeans and basketball and isn’t romantically considered by Rahul until she transforms into a more traditionally feminine look with a sexy saree and long hair.
Tomboy stereotypes in media: Anjali from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
Anjali, who was a great friend throughout her life, only caught Rahul’s attention when she wore a saree. The question arises: why should a woman change her style to attract male attention? And predictably, as soon as he saw her in a seductive saree, the “new-and-improved” Anjali was deemed worthy of his affection!
The reason Anjali, a tomboy, was rejected when she had short hair and played basketball but found love when she switched to a sari-wearing, feminine look with long hair points to traditional ideas about gender. It shows how women, in particular, might feel pressured to fit traditional feminine standards to be accepted or seen romantically.
Though presenting itself as free-thinking, “new-age” Bollywood cinema, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai ultimately reveals narrow-minded characters and a core tomboy stereotypical plot. Even though the movie entertained people back then, it’s essential to notice and talk about the problematic themes it shows. This is especially true considering today’s more open-minded and inclusive society. Eighteen years after directing Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, filmmaker Karan Johar apologised for transforming Anjali from a tomboy to fit more conventional ideas of how a woman should look.
Tomboy and marriage stereotype in Brave
In the Disney movie Brave, the main character is Princess Merida. Right from the start, it is clear she doesn’t fit the conventional Disney beauty standards. According to the movie logic, since Merida is not graceful, gentle, or interested in typical Disney princess affairs, she’s the epitome of a “tomboy.”
The movie doesn’t portray being a tomboy as the ultimate way to be a girl. However, it specifically highlights the drawbacks of some of Merida’s tomboyish traits, like her stubbornness in not listening to her mother. While the film acknowledges these traits as part of her personality, it also shows them in a less favourable light.
Merida in “Brave” lacks significant character growth, ending up more as a stereotype than a genuine representation of a girl. As a rebellious tomboy, her primary goal is to avoid marriage. It raises the question: is a tomboy always a girl who wants to steer clear of marriage and love? Interestingly, in Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog,” Tiana, a non-tomboy character, has a job and clear ambitions. Merida doesn’t have any strong desire to achieve something substantial beyond changing her mother’s mind and evading marriage.
The tomboy friend zone cliché in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
In Ayaan Mukerji’s movie “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani,” we see a familiar trend of transforming a tomboy into a more traditionally feminine character, similar to what we have seen in “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.” The idea is (probably) to represent Naina, the main female character, as the ideal woman. She shows her modest femininity by wearing floral dresses, miniskirts, and pretty hairstyles.
This modest image sharply contrasts with Aditi, who is labelled a “tomboy.” Aditi’s tomboyish style involves wearing jeans, graphic tees, and having short hair. It’s not surprising that in the first half of the movie, Aditi has an unrequited crush on her best friend, who doesn’t see her romantically because she dresses up as “one of the guys.” It shows that being a tomboy means being hard-wired into friend-zone mode.
In the second half of the movie, Aditi trades her “tomboy” clothes for more traditionally feminine outfits, sparkly dresses, and Indian lehengas. Unfortunately, in many movies, the issue of not being romantically noticed as a tomboy is often resolved by giving the character a mandatory feminine makeover. It sends a clear message about who is considered an ideal woman and what she should look like, and that’s unfortunate.
The final thoughts on tomboy stereotypes in the media
Women are often seen as “one-dimensional” or “weak,” assuming that any woman not acting traditionally feminine must be secretly wishing to be a man. But isn’t it time to embrace the diverse ways girls can be? Let’s stop labelling girls as tomboys and let them be themselves, whether that means liking boys’ clothes or having a shorter haircut for convenience.
If a girl shows interest or skill in what we typically see as activities for boys, it doesn’t diminish her womanhood. They are still women, just not fitting the stereotypical societal idea of a woman-like mould. It is crucial to create more diverse media that portray a broad spectrum of womanhood. We also need to ensure that we erase the stereotypical gender labels on women.
At Changeincontent, we advocate for the dismantling of outdated gender norms. We aim at the creation of media that celebrates diversity in all forms. It is not enough to just stop labelling girls as tomboys; we need to build a culture where every girl—regardless of her preferences, style, or interests—can be herself without fear of being boxed into a stereotype. Let’s push for content that breaks these barriers and promotes true inclusivity. This is the kind of change in content we stand for.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content, which we define broadly to include media, policies, law, and history—encompassing all elements that influence the lives of women and gender-queer individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
