A contemporary incarnation of The Damsel in Distress archetype, this character is portrayed as being mostly endangered by their own masochism, a dynamic which generally sets up the possibility for a male protagonist / love interest to try and "save" her. Defining physical characteristics include mascara tears, an aura of frailty, a vacant expression, signs of substance abuse, a “hollywood grunge” aesthetic (ie. can be unkempt, but still meets the requirements of the 21st century beauty ideal). The Tragic Beauty archetype has become popular with the tumblr set, hundreds of tumblr blogs feature exclusively images of beautiful sad women juxtaposed with messages of suicidal ideation and various self harm tools. What does the popularity of this archetype and the glamorization of female sadness say about our socially constructed notions of womanhood?
