History Main / CyclicTrope

* IdealHero[=/=]AntiHero: The two fashions tend to usurp each other in turn across various media, though the dividing line can change as values march on. If the Ideal Hero dominates, writers will introduce antiheroes as a reaction to that until it's impossible to take the Ideal Hero seriously, and then the antiheroes will become a cliche of their own and we'll see a {{Reconstruction}} of the Ideal Hero. For example, UsefulNotes/TheModernAgeOfComicBooks has generally reclaimed a lot of the idealism of [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks the Silver Age]] as a reaction to [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks the Dark Age]].

* The fetish of Asian can be either [[MightyWhiteyAndMellowYellow submissive lady for white guy]] or DragonLady.

* Male "standards" change according to the zeitgeist of the era, from chivalrous in the Middle Ages to curious in the Renaissance to logical in the Enlightenment era to passionate in the Romantic era to compassionate in the Victorian era. The 1920s had the "clueless dandy"; the Great Depression and WWII brought street-smart, hard-boiled characters; the post-war era became linked to fatherly, athletic types as much as the 60s were marked by impossibly stylish, intellectual playboys (who might as well be spies); the 70s had hunk-ish guys who either wanted to sleep with every woman possible or tried to take the law on his own hands; the 80s brought either elegant, corporate-minded men or heroic bodybuilders, while the 90s and 00s had both scruffy idlers and effete metrosexuals, and the 2010s have been marked by lumbersexuals or naive intellectuals.

* LoveInterests: Cycles between ProperLady and WellExcuseMePrincess and every degree in between; characters are ColourCodedCharacters, as they cycle respectively between [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold blonde]] and [[HeroesWantRedHeads red-haired]] or brunette.

* The VigilanteMan character, who combats crime by acting as self-appointed cop, jury and [[VigilanteExecution executioner]], was in favor and treated positively in the 1970s through to the early 1990s, due to concerns about rising crime, racism, and [[PoliceAreUseless the effectiveness]] and [[PoliceBrutality brutality of police]]. In the 2020s, concerns about illegal conduct (e.g. illegal searches) and [[BecameTheirOwnAntithesis the effectiveness and brutality of the vigilantes themselves]], make this character the "bad guy".

* The VigilanteMan character, who combats crime by acting as self-appointed cop, jury and [[VigilanteExecution executioner]], was in favor and treated positively in the 1970s through to the early 1990s, due to concerns about rising crime and [[PoliceAreUseless police ineffectiveness]]. In the 2020s, concerns about police brutality, racism and illegal conduct (e.g. illegal searches) make this character the "bad guy".

* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream: Cycles between optimistic and pessimistic depending on the economy and general state of the union, as well as the cultural and/or socioeconomic [[DependingOnTheWriter background of the writer]]. It also changes dramatically along with the [[ValuesDissonance middle and working class aspirations of different eras]]: modern middle-class person today might consider [[InformedPoverty the lifestyle of]] [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] to be rather luxurious, while that same middle-class person if they lived in the 80's or 90's would've dismiss a 1950s suburban home as [[PotteryBarnPoor "too drab."]]

* NintendoHard: In the past, especially during the age of rental stores like Blockbuster, the reasons for this tropes was two-fold: One, to get you to buy the game, as video game companies do not make revenue off of rentals since that rental copy counts as only one purchase. And two, to get the advertised hundreds of hours of action out of what is actually a very short and linear game from start to finish. This changed during the 90's and especially the 2000’s, as the video game demographic widely from kids and young adults and other forms of revenue took hold. This however, had the consequence of an influx of video games (of varying quality) with a casual demographic in mind; much to the chagrin of the [[ChallengeSeeker hardcore gaming]] audience. Then came the advent of the {{Retraux}} video game boom and the birth of the SoulsLikeRPG. Both of the which found niches among hardcore gamers who were disenchanted with the increasing casual focus in game design. Today, video games come many flavors, from incredibly easy and casual focus to insanely difficult and hardcore focus. Some of these [[TakeAThirdOption even appealing to both]].

See also FleetingDemographicRule, PopularityPolynomial. Compare and contrast with UndeadHorseTrope, EvolvingTrope.

* NintendoHard: While the original flavor of this trope is a [[DiscreditedTrope Discredited]] one; hard games are still around and still popular. In the past, especially during the age of rental stores like Blockbuster, the reasons for this tropes was two-fold: One, to get you to buy the game, as video game companies do not make revenue off of rentals since that rental copy counts as only one purchase. And two, to get the advertised hundreds of hours of action out of what is actually a very short and linear game from start to finish. This changed during the 2000’s, as the video game demographic widely from kids and young adults and other forms of revenue took hold. This however, had the consequence of an influx of video games (of varying quality) with a casual demographic in mind; much to the chagrin of the [[ChallengeSeeker hardcore gaming]] audience. However this changed came the advent of the {{Retraux}} video game boom and the birth of the SoulsLikeRPG. Both of the which found niches among hardcore gamers who were disenchanted with the increasing casual focus in game design. Today, video games come many flavors, from incredibly easy and casual focus to insanely difficult and hardcore focus. Some of these [[TakeAThirdOption even appealing to both]].

* {{Eagleland}}: “Beautiful”, “Boorish”, and even “Mixed” portrayals (as well as what ''type'' of portrayal of these portrayals) will fluctuate in frequency depending on world events, the overall the reputation of America and its citizenry abroad, as well as where the author is from.

* NintendoHard: While the original flavor of this trope is a [[DiscreditedTrope Discredited]] one; hard games are still around and still making money. In the past, especially during the age of rental stores like Blockbuster, the reasons for this tropes was two-fold: One, to get you to buy the game, as video game companies do not make revenue off of rentals since that rental copy counts as only one purchase. And two, to get the advertised hundreds of hours of action out of what is actually a very short and linear game from start to finish. This changed during the 2000’s, as the video game demographic widely from kids and young adults and other forms of revenue took hold. This however, had the consequence of an influx of video games (of varying quality) with a casual demographic in mind; much to the chagrin of the [[ChallengeSeeker hardcore gaming]] audience. However this changed came the advent of the {{Retraux}} video game boom and the birth of the SoulsLikeRPG. Both of the which found niches among hardcore gamers who were disenchanted with the increasing casual focus in game design. Today, video games come many flavors, from incredibly easy and casual focus to insanely difficult and hardcore focus. Some of these [[TakeAThirdOption even appealing to both]].

* NintendoHard: In the past, especially during the age of rental stores like Blockbuster, the reasons for this tropes was two-fold: One, to get you to buy the game, as video game companies do not make revenue off of rentals since that rental copy counts as only one purchase. And two, to get the advertised hundreds of hours of action out of what is actually a very short and linear game from start to finish. This changed during the 2000’s, as the video game demographic widely from kids and young adults, but had the consequence of there being an influx of video games with a casual demographic in mind; much to the chagrin of the [[ChallengeSeeker hardcore gaming]] audience. However this changed with the advent of the {{Retraux}} indie game boom and the birth of the SoulsLikeRPG. Both of the which finding a niche among hardcore gamers who were disenchanted with the increasing casual focus in game design philosophy. Today, video games come many flavors, from incredibly easy and casual focus to insanely difficult and hardcore focus. Some of these [[TakeAThirdOption even appealing to both]], often thanks to having a simple to learn but difficult to master approach to game difficulty.

* HairColors: HairOfGoldHeartOfGold to DumbBlonde ([[KindheartedSimpleton or both]]) and/or [[EveryoneLovesBlondes standout]] AlphaBitch and back again , with brunette, always being the {{Foil}} for wherever blonde is today, and red hair being a more HotBlooded version of brunette.

* UnfortunateIngredients: In the '80s and '90s, sugar was the greatest evil. (American soft-drink companies were actually ahead of the game, having switched from cane sugar to corn syrup in the late '70s.) Now, many ads tout the presence of "real sugar" in their goods because nobody trusts artificial sweeteners or high-fructose corn syrup (both are made up of glucose, i.e. blood sugar, and fructose, i.e. fruit sugar, instead, but while sucrose, i.e. table sugar is 50% glucose 50% fructose, corn syrup varies. Typically, the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_fructose_corn_syrup HFCS in soft drinks is HFCS 42]], or 42% fructose, while many other foods use HFCS 55 (55% fructose, which makes it sweeter). HFCS 42 and 55 comprise most of the HFCS on the market, but some products use HFCS 90. Of course, too much sugar of ''any'' stripe is a problem.

* Comics' art style; early NewspaperComics were a unique selling point (hence "features") and appeared only on Sundays with large full-panel color. The addition of daily B&W comics along with an ever-shrinking panel size meant that the luxuriant canvas enjoyed by the first generation of modern comics artists would only again be available in the [[WebComics internet era]]. This led to fanciful detail being first jettisoned in favor of a pared-down SliceOfLife style and then to the rediscovery of fanciful detail. Compare the art styles of [[http://www.comicstriplibrary.org/display/113 Winsor McCay]], [[http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/socyberty/2008/03/09/123456_1.jpg early Charles Schulz]], and [[http://paranatural.net/chapter-3-page-9/ Zack Morrison]], and remember that while Schulz' style was in keeping with midcentury modernist trends in design, architecture and "serious" art, he was very much making a virtue of necessity.

* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream: Cycles between optimistic and pessimistic depending on the economy and general state of the union, as well as the racial and/or socioeconomic [[DependingOnTheWriter background of the writer]]. It also changes dramatically along with the [[ValuesDissonance middle and working class aspirations of different eras]]: modern middle-class person today might consider [[InformedPoverty the lifestyle of]] [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] to be rather luxurious, while that same middle-class person if they lived in the 80's or 90's would've dismiss a 1950s suburban home as [[PotteryBarnPoor "too drab."]]

* OverpopulationCrisis: Concern over the human population and its relationship with the environment cycles according to moments of massive population growth (such as the and remains a hot topic.

* RagsToRiches and RichesToRags: On a country-wide level, almost every nation will go through periods of economic hardship followed by periods of economic prosperity, although the level of

* Communists: The portrayal of communists cycles between DirtyCommunists, ChummyCommies, or something in between such as WellIntentionedExtremist. Prior to the end of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the deciding factor seems to have been how good the West's relations with the Soviet Union were at that moment. Since 1991, it's been a mixed bag for fictional commies. On the one hand, the end of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar the failure of the Soviet bloc means that communists will be regarded, at best, as foolishly believing in a system that doesn't work. On the other, increasing socioeconomic inequality and [[CapitalismIsBad growing disillusionment towards capitalism as a result]] has lead Socialism (and by extension, to a lesser degree: Communism) to be a lot less stigmatized. With the rise of China however, the portrayal is shifting back towards DirtyCommies and communists are viewed much less sympathetically than they were pre-2020.

* KnightInShiningArmor: This one's been cycling for a long, long time. It started with straight usage in the ChivalricRomance genre, then was parodied to death by ''Literature/DonQuixote'' and successors, then returned to favor with the [[{{Romanticism}} Romanticist]] movement in the 19th century and onwards into the 20th century with Creator/{{Disney}} and other creators. Since the latter half of the 20th century, it has since been [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]], and bashed so hard that [[DiscreditedTrope it's difficult to find straight examples]], particularly as a lead character. One might wonder if it'll ever make a comeback...

* MonochromeCasting: All-white or all-black casts were the norm in popular media until the end of segregation in the 1960s, when racially-integrated ensembles became common, especially throughout the 1970s. However, by the 1980s the pendulum swung back towards this trope, becoming prevalent until the very late 1990s when multicultural casts became the cool thing to do in Hollywood during the 2000s. The 2010s however have pretty much preferred to return to the trope.

* OverpopulationCrisis: Concern over the human population and its relationship with the environment cycles according to world events and remains a hot topic.

* {{Eagleland}}: “Beautiful”, “Boorish”, and even “Mixed” portrayals (as well as what ''type'' of portrayal of these portrayals) will fluctuate in frequency depending on world events and the overall the reputation of America and its citizenry abroad.
* TheFairFolk, as well as probably most cases of OurMonstersAreDifferent.

* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream: Cycles between optimistic and pessimistic depending on the economy and general state of the union, as well as the racial and/or socioeconomic [[DependingOnTheWriter background of the writer]]. It also changes dramatically along with the [[ValuesDissonance middle and working class aspirations of different eras]]: modern middle-class person today might consider [[InformedPoverty the lifestyle of]][[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]] to be rather luxurious, while that same middle-class person if they lived in the 80's or 90's would've dismiss a 1950s suburban home as [[PotteryBarnPoor "too poor."]]

* {{Eagleland}}: “Beautiful”, “Boorish”, and even “Mixed” portrayals will fluctuate in frequency depending on world events, the overall the reputation of America and its citizenry abroad and the country itself.

* Communists: The portrayal of communists cycles between DirtyCommunists, ChummyCommies, or something in between such as WellIntentionedExtremist. Prior to the end of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar, the deciding factor seems to have been how good the West's relations with the Soviet Union were at that moment. Since 1991, it's been a mixed bag for fictional commies. On the one hand, the failure of the Soviet bloc means that communists will be regarded, at best, as foolishly believing in a system that doesn't work. On the other, the end of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar means that there is much less reason to have communist villains in the first place. With the rise of China, the portrayal is shifting back towards DirtyCommies and communists are viewed much less sympathetically than they were pre-2020.

* {{Eagleland}}: “Beautiful”, “Boorish”, and even “Mixed” portrayals will fluctuate in frequency depending on world events, the reputation of America and its citizenry abroad, and America’s opinion of itself.

* KnightInShiningArmor: This one's been cycling for a long, long time. It started with straight usage in the ChivalricRomance genre, then was parodied to death by ''Literature/DonQuixote'' and successors, then returned to favor with the [[{{Romanticism}} Romanticist]] movement in the 19th century and onwards into the 20th century with Creator/{{Disney}} and other creators, and has since been [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] and bashed so hard that [[DiscreditedTrope it's difficult to find straight examples]], particularly as a lead character.

* CowboyCop: Fluctuates between protagonist and antagonist depending on how much "traditional" cops are respected.

* {{Hipster}}: Recurring definition with every generation rejecting the previous batch.
* HollywoodThin: Has been happened since the pencil-thin flappers from 1920s and keeps coming and going several times, along with some people claiming that it encourages unrealistic beauty standard.

* LittleProfessorDialogue pops up from time to time, usually subverting more "realistic" kids' dialogue. While ComicStrip/{{Dennis The Menace|US}} usually sounded like a child, Charlie Brown and the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' gang were pretty loquacious in their conversation, though that was usually played as a joke. Then came ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', taking children back to talking like children, though with the years that had grown to include ToiletHumor and BadButt tendencies. On TV, meanwhile, Lisa Simpson was as verbose as a grown-up, while Bobby Hill went back to basics. Then came Stewie Griffin (who talked AND acted like a mad scientist) followed by the kids in ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'', who sound a bit more realistic.

* UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream: Cycles between optimistic and pessimistic depending on the economy and general state of the union, as well as the racial and/or socioeconomic [[DependingOnTheWriter background of the writer]]. It also changes dramatically along with the [[ValuesDissonance middle-class aspirations of different eras]]: a modern suburban couple might well dismiss a 1950s suburban home as [[PotteryBarnPoor "too poor."]]

* KnightInShiningArmor: This one's been cycling for a long, long time. It started with straight usage in the ChivalricRomance genre, then was parodied to death by ''Literature/DonQuixote'' and successors, then returned to favor with Creator/{{Disney}} and other creators, and has since been [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] and bashed so hard that [[DiscreditedTrope it's difficult to find straight examples]], particularly as a lead character.

* Femininity has been reconstructed several times since the RealWomenDontWearDresses movement from second-wave feminism, from shiny and brightly extravagant supermodels in late 70s to 80s, to the minimalistic aloof seductresses in the 90s, while 00s had [[PinkMeansFeminine pretty-in-pink]] upbeat socialites, and the 2010s brought sensual and [[ButNotTooWhite exotic]] social media influencers.