Zooey Deschanel says ‘manic pixie dream girl’ trope was ‘a way of making a woman one-dimensional’

Zooey Deschanel has hit out at critics who still label her as a “manic pixie dream girl.”

The term, which originated in the mid-to-late 2000s, is used to describe a type of female character depicted as vivacious and appealingly quirky, whose main purpose within the narrative is to inspire a greater appreciation for life in a male protagonist.

Deschanel has been often called a “manic pixie dream girl” due to her role in 500 Days of Summer alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Unfortunately, it’s a metaphor she hasn’t been able to escape during her career.

When a fan recently asked Deschanel about her manic pixie dream girl label, she told The Guardian: “I don’t feel it’s accurate.”

“I’m not a girl. I’m a woman. It doesn’t hurt my feelings, but it’s a way of making a woman one-dimensional and I’m not one-dimensional.

“I think the tendency is still to make women one-dimensional, so you have to add dimension, if you can,” she added. “The more screen time a female character gets, the more space there is to show complexities, but there has been a shift, so I’m optimistic.”

Deschanel recently returned to television to co-host The Celebrity Dating Game.

Last month, Deschanel’s partner Jonathan Scott revealed the text he sent to his girlfriend that he credits as being the start of their relationship.

The 44-year-old reality star reflected on the beginning of their relationship during a recent interview with Bustle, alongside his girlfriend, where they recalled how they meant in 2019 during an episode of Carpool Karaoke, and started dating shortly after.

Scott then detailed how he’d attempted to show the 42-year-old actor that he was interested in her while the programme was being filmed.