Born Sexy Yesterday?

[ZapBrannigan]

Does this trope sound familiar?

Born Sexy Yesterday - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I'm a TOS guy, so I took one look and thought of Rayna Kapec. But it could just as easily be Andrea in WALGMO. And maybe Seven of Nine.

I never thought of it like this, but apparently these BSY characters, when female, are meant to appeal to men's fantasies in a way that feminists do not approve. But it can go the other way too: Man from Atlantis was a male example of BSY, despite the series' female lead never lifting a finger to take advantage of innocent Mark Harris.

Regarding Star Trek, if you have a better memory for the general franchise, maybe you can cite more examples of the trope for us.

 

[1001001]

Kes?

 

[fireproof78]

Maybe Palmas from "Who Mourns for Adonis?"

Minuet is perhaps the closest to a literal example.

 

[David cgc]

Kes?

Maybe, but I don't think so. While Kes was chronologically young, she seemed to have a normal amount of life-experience for someone ten times her age (to the point where when I was first watching the show, I wasn't sure for a while if they meant she was two Earth-years old, or if her planet just had really long years). The behind-the-scenes intent was being able to fast-forward and show an entire person's life from youth to old age over the seven-year run of the show, which is pretty much the opposite of what "born sexy yesterday" is going for.

Maybe Palmas from "Who Mourns for Adonis?"

Minuet is perhaps the closest to a literal example.

Neither. Palmas is an actual, regular adult person, and Minuet is a simulation of an actual, regular adult person. The key idea of the trope is that there's an adult body and mind, but naïve about love and sex in a way an actual person who had to grow up over years to become an adult wouldn't be. I don't want to use the word "childlike," because it really front-loads what's gross about the trope in a way that would tend to shut down any kind of critical discussion, but it is what it is.

Seven sort of counts, but her personality was always aggressive and cynical in a way that cuts against the fantasy of the trope. Rayna and Andrea are better examples, and even Shahna from "The Gamesters of Trikselion" kind of fits, because the whole, "Can you teach me this thing you Earth-Men call 'love'?" aspect is what it boils down to. Lal trying to jump Riker's bones after she saw two people kissing in "The Offspring" is a milder example.

 

[MarcKyle1964]

Maybe Palmas from "Who Mourns for Adonis?"

Minuet is perhaps the closest to a literal example.

Sigh Minuet...

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I thought of some more TOS gals. Shahna from "Gamesters" and Kelinda from "By Any Other Name." Neither of them ever heard of kissing, and Kirk took them in hand.

Edit: David cgc thought of Gamesters already.