# What does the "All-American Girl" look like? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 15, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175 "2009-04-15T14:51:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/41 "2009-04-16T07:14:46Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Well girls who go to Ivy League schools have to live next door to someone, right? Anyway, in my school/neighborhood lots of people went to Ivy League schools or schools just as prestigious/expensive. And the girl next door to me was actually a troll. You do understand we are talking about an archetype, right? Or are you purposely being obtuse for effect? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/42 "2009-04-16T07:50:28Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > And the girl next door to me was actually a troll. You do understand we are talking about an archetype, right? Or are you purposely being obtuse for effect? No…I’m just saying I don’t really see what going to an Ivy League school has to do with it. I mean there are plenty of girls at Ivy League unis who have the American Girl look, is all. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/43 "2009-04-16T07:58:55Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > The TV show Friday Night Lights is full of them: [Minka Kelly](http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/columnists/jimbaumbach/blog/guyschoice41.jpg), [Aimee Teegarden](http://www.tvfanatic.com/images/gallery/aimee-teegarden-picture.jpg), and [Adrianne Palicki](http://www.exposay.com/celebrity-photos/adrianne-palicki-motorolas-8th-anniversary-party-moto8-arrivals-lArr0M.jpg) seem to fit the bill. Yep. > [@Amblydoper](#): > > [Alexis Bledel](http://www.go4celebrity.com/alexis-bledel-041.htm). > She has been likened to [Audrey Hepburn](http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0701/hepburn_0119.jpg), a sort-of All-American-Girl from her own day, and you can see why in [this picture](http://www.go4celebrity.com/alexis-bledel-033.htm). Yes. Mmmmmm. Rory. > [@Kozmik](#): > > I did a Google image search… First page: Carrie Underwood Agreed, though the reason you get those hits is because of a song she recorded. > [@msmith537](#): > > The new “All-American” girl would be Megan Fox in Transformers. Super-hot without trying, midwestern, unpretentious, likes cars and rock & roll. I don’t think so, mainly because she’s going for the bad girl image in real life now with the tattoos and stuff. In the movie? Certainly. I’ll second Amy Adams and also throw out [Kaley Cuoco](http://seat42f.com/images/stories/tvshows/TheBigBangTheory/Season2/S0201/penny-big-bang-theory.jpg) (Penny from Big Bang Theory). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/44 "2009-04-16T08:03:09Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > No…I’m just saying I don’t really see what going to an Ivy League school has to do with it. I mean there are plenty of girls at Ivy League unis who have the American Girl look, is all. Just my opinion but I like I said I think there is an attitude component too. As an archetype the Harvard trained lawyer is going to be the one wearing the expensive business outfit with a shark-like personality. It doesn’t matter if they are cute. That is the whole point of Legally Blonde. It is a fish out of water story because she is not the Harvard law school type. In real life of course there are all different kinds of girls living next door and there are many different types of people going to Harvard law school. But this thread is in CS, we are not talking about real life. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/45 "2009-04-16T08:21:50Z")
It used to be that an All-American Girl would wear her hair in a ponytail pulled through the hole in the back of a baseball cap, but I haven’t seen that in a while. I’m not sure what it is now. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/46 "2009-04-16T08:47:15Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Miley Cyrus seems to be the quintessential American Girl right now, as annoying as that may be to admit. My weird moment of the week was hearing my grandpa comment that he knew “Hannah Montana’s grandpa”. I didn’t even know he knew who Hannah Montana _was_. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/47 "2009-04-16T13:42:54Z")
Jessica Biel as Mary Camden in\* 7th Heaven\*. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/48 "2009-04-16T13:58:22Z")
[Yvonne](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2365/2042778081_a09fe67f67.jpg) [Strzechowski](http://www.majorspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/yvonne2.jpg) from “Chuck” does it for me. I don’t hold it against her that she’s actually Australian. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/49 "2009-04-16T14:15:16Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > No…I’m just saying I don’t really see what going to an Ivy League school has to do with it. I mean there are plenty of girls at Ivy League unis who have the American Girl look, is all. [HARVARD VOICE] Mmyes… Why we have plenty of neighbors here in Cambridge and they are as American as Daddy’s Mercedes skiing in Gstaad or summering in Newport. [/HARVARD VOICE] Pretend you are the casting director for some story about Harvard. The “All American girl” will typically be the fish-out-of-water girl from the midwest trying to adapt to this school full of rich, snooty snobs. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/50 "2009-04-16T14:21:37Z")
Hard to get more All-American than the late, lamented [Marilyn Chambers](http://www.onesheetindex.com/pix/5601_1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/51 "2009-04-16T14:40:13Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Miley Cyrus seems to be the quintessential American Girl right now, as annoying as that may be to admit. Disney productions consistently give us the quintessential “all-American” girls. It’s their expertise. > [@TWDuke](#): > > It’s certainly not an obsolete or outdated concept where casting directors are concerned. When they call for an “All-American” type, they want someone who is more likely to be described as pretty or cute than stunning or glamorous. Natural, but well-put together, wholesome but not prudish. She’s the girl-next-door type, but not like anyone you’ve actually lived next door to. It has nothing to do with hair color or eye color and it is _not_ a codeword for “caucasian,” as the term frequently appears along with “any ethnicity.” (If they’re looking for a white girl, they’ll come right out and say so.) I agree that “wholesome” is the keyword, rather than Caucasian, but usually they’re Caucasian. The idea is to be cute but not too sexually expressive. A girl who has just had her quinceañero usually starts emphasizing her sexuality at that point (with make-up and dress)–that’s kind of the purpose of the rite. Few, if any, Caucasian girls have quinceañeros. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/52 "2009-04-16T17:17:57Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > Laura Prepon **before** she dyed her hair…still tragic. One of the defining moments of our time. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/53 "2009-04-16T17:25:36Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > No…I’m just saying I don’t really see what going to an Ivy League school has to do with it. I mean there are plenty of girls at Ivy League unis who have the American Girl look, is all. Like Natalie Portman. I think there is a personality component as well, which is usually sweet and bubbly. I think Ms. Portman would fit the bill, or at least my perception of her personality, anyway. She could be a [raging bitch](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8e6-IeQ0aw), for all I know. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/54 "2009-04-16T21:32:49Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Like Natalie Portman. I think there is a personality component as well, which is usually sweet and bubbly. I think Ms. Portman would fit the bill, or at least my perception of her personality, anyway. She could be a [raging bitch](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8e6-IeQ0aw), for all I know. Her character in Garden State would be a prefect example (of an All-American girl, not a raging bitch). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/55 "2009-04-16T21:37:45Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > One of the defining moments of our time. Absolutely. Like Dylan going electric. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/56 "2009-04-16T21:46:44Z")
Someday at the fiddlesticks family Thanksgiving dinner table: “Daddy, where were you when Donna Pinciotti went blonde?” “…” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/57 "2009-04-16T22:05:58Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It used to be that an All-American Girl would wear her hair in a ponytail pulled through the hole in the back of a baseball cap, but I haven’t seen that in a while. Damn, that was a hot look! ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2009, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/58 "2009-04-16T23:53:05Z")
[AnnaSophia Robb](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1181390336/nm1455681) seems to be filling the bill for the current younger generation. Back when I was a teenager, [Hayley Mills](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2369820672/nm0001539) was an AAG. The current non-jailbait AAG for me is [Penelope Cruz](http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3826158080/nm0004851). ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/59 "2009-04-17T00:12:56Z")
Of course Hayley Mills is British. And Audrey Hepburn was Belgian and British. But both had the innocence about them - the non-sexuality - some quiet athleticism - and the naturalness. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2009, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175/60 "2009-04-17T00:14:07Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Audrey Hepburn … the non-sexuality With all due respect, speak for yourself. For a waif, she was smokin’. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-all-american-girl-look-like/493175.md?page=4)