#like lizzy not living up to a 'default girl' is exactly why she's in so much turmoil rn

[bitter-rabbitholes]

petty grievence, I wish people stopped portraying lizzy as a basic prep girl without ever engaging the complexities in how she present femininity. usually it's just "oh she's just default girl trait"

But we don't ever go into how lizzy herself doesn't believe she conforms to what she thinks is the ideal femininity, especially the strict margins of femininity in the victorian age or how that clashes with our concepts of femininity now.

she strives to become a perfect lady, modeled after her mother, a mature, well-mannered woman, but her wants and needs are always clashing. she doesn't wear high heel shoes for girls her age, envious of them, and instead wears flats to foil her fiancé's mature appearance. she used to consider herself flawed as a girl, for attending fencing lessons instead of dancing halls. she's terrified of appearing scary, like her mother, and disarms herself outwardly as possible.

and the facts are, lizzy's a natural hyper, bubbly girl (and girls being energetic is something to be punished) so even when she's trying to fufill the model of a lady, she's so enthusiastic that it often blows up in her face.

But yeah I guess she likes the color pink and bows... is that all worth investigating???

Like what is she into mainstream stuff? genuinely or does she just follow trends because she's afraid of standing out?

does she like extravagant lolita fashion, overdone with flowers and sparkles and bows? to find comfort in femininity when she has to sacrifice elsewhere? to hide her maturing body in childish accessories?

does she prefer to look like the older women in her life she's admired for so long instead of playing as a "girl" all the time? modest like her mother? mature like her aunt ann? perfect like rachel?

does she actually prefer to wear pants at times because she's gotten so used to it? is she more of a tomboy than what's she comfortable to admit? has lizzy ever presented as she likes?

#like lizzy not living up to a 'default girl' is exactly why she's in so much turmoil rn #writing this after witnessing hundreds of kuro aus and hcs #with so much details for all the characters and how they would act in say a modern au #and just shoving lizzy in as 'girl' likeee #I don't think she would wear miniskirts lol #and this is without going how femininity is assumed boring and lacking depth in fandom... #its so interesting delving into femininity and how it's structured just trust me guys #take my hand #a whole new world #kuro #elizabeth midford #b.txt