History Main / EvolvingTrope

** Further redefined in that Nazi-era German soldiers could be decent ''people'' and not just FacelessGoons; but most SS and Gestapo still have souls blacker than night.

** Further redefined in that Nazi-era German soldiers could be decent ''people'' and not just FacelessGoons[[note]]Members of the "Wehrmacht", the actual German military in that time period, need not even be Nazis in a political sense. Saying a German soldier is a Nazi is like saying an American soldier is a Republican or Democrat based purely on the party in power at the time.[[/note]]; but most SS and Gestapo still have souls blacker than night.

* Until TheNineties, a few small tattoos were enough to make a TattooedCrook. As small and medium-size tattoos went into mainstream fashion in the mid-90s, the bad guys have started taking their tattoos UpToEleven, with KnuckleTattoos, facial tattoos and so on. Japan is an exception, as tattoos are still mainly worn by the {{Yakuza}}.

* The MinorityShowGhetto and the QueerShowGhetto (concepts that were prominent from TheEighties through The2000s) haven't quite faded away, but have been largely replaced by WatchedItForTheRepresentation in the latter half of TheNewTens, thanks to increased awareness of intersectional oppression and the need for diversity in media

* It used to be that [[CatsAreMean cats were portrayed as evil]] in literature and society in Europe and later North America. For the most part they are portrayed more [[CatsAreSuperior positively]] or [[CatsAreMagic neutrally]] now.

{{Trope}}s are based upon very well-founded principles of storytelling. But, as [[SocietyMarchesOn society changes]], tropes may [[DiscreditedTrope fall out of favor]], either through association with [[ValuesDissonance something no longer considered acceptable]], or from simple overuse and falling into a cliché. At that point, [[DeadHorseTrope a subversion of the original may rise up to become the new standard]], and the original will be slowly {{forgotten|Trope}}.

* The definition of ATrueHero is almost always defined by the era in which the story is being told. As stated on WebAnimation/OverlySarcasticProductions [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpABx1NOIX0 episode]] on "{{Anti Hero}}es", in times of extreme crises or social turmoil, any character that fights those problems without hesitation or compromise is considered a "{{Hero}}". But, after those problems have eased or been dealt with, the public conscience tends to look back at those issues with more nuance and thus previously "[[ClassicalAntiHero unheroic]]" traits become heroic themselves, and the villains/anti-heroes are the ones who [[OutdatedHeroVsImprovedSociety refuse to let go of the old viewpoints]].

** Given the many stellar black athletes in the U.S. prior to 1947, it's probably more accurate to say that whites ''did'' know they could compete, but just didn't want to play alongside them.

* The FrenchMaid isn't quite on its way out, since the outfit itself is still fodder for a SexyWhateverOutfit, but is often turned into a Latina Maid, especially in media from the United States.

* The definition of ATrueHero is almost always defined by the era in which the story is being told. As stated on WebVideo/OverlySarcasticProductions [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpABx1NOIX0 episode]] on "{{Anti Hero}}es", in times of extreme crises or social turmoil, any character that fights those problems without hesitation or compromise is considered a "{{Hero}}". But, after those problems have eased or been dealt with, the public conscience tends to look back at those issues with more nuance and thus previously "[[ClassicalAntiHero unheroic]]" traits become heroic themselves, and the villains/anti-heroes are the ones who [[OutdatedHeroVsImprovedSociety refuse to let go of the old viewpoints]].

* CampGay as we knew it was '''wiped off the face of the Earth''' during TheNewTens as LGBT visibility massively increased and stereotypes were even more discredited, however this trope has evolved into flamboyant gays with more substance and character beyond that (Angel Dust from ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel'' being a great example).

This is not a CyclicTrope; the original trope [[DeaderThanDisco probably isn't going to come back]], for one reason or another.

* Folk tales often portrayed wolves as [[SavageWolves evil, rapacious animals that preyed upon innocent livestock and humans]]. As the Industrial Age progressed, the wolves were no longer a threat, the people realized that wolves only kill to survive, and they're now portrayed as [[NobleWolf proud, majestic protectors of nature]] or [[PapaWolf just trying to feed their babies.]] The truth is somewhere in between (wolves aren't as saintly as they tend to be depicted these days, and they ''did'' kill livestock and, at least in Europe, the odd person)
** The same goes for many other wild animals. [[BearsAreBadNews Bears used to be considered so scary]] that people even [[SpeakOfTheDevil avoided saying their name]]. The word they used to use in place of their name was "bear". The fact that that word has now become the animal's actual name, and that we use it without fear, is a good demonstration of how much the trope has evolved. While bears still tend to be portrayed as ferocious, it's often justified by them being a MamaBear, and anyone trying to kill them is portrayed as the ''real'' villain. And in modern times, bears are often portrayed as the [[BearyFriendly complete]] [[BearyFunny opposite]] of ferocious.

** The same goes for many other wild animals. [[BearsAreBadNews Bears used to be considered so scary]] that people even [[SpeakOfTheDevil avoided saying their name]]. The word they used to use in place of their name was "bear". The fact that that word has now become the animal's actual name, and that we use it without fear, is a good demonstration of how much the trope has evolved. While bears still tend to be portrayed as ferocious, it's often justified by them being a MamaBear, and anyone trying to kill them is portrayed as the ''real'' villain.

* When ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' was new, {{Phonymon}} parodies were typically used for {{Trend Aesop}}s that dismissed the franchise as a bizarre and ultimately insipid fad. However, as ''Pokémon'' proved to be far more enduring than it was initially thought to be, most parodies nowadays come from its PopularityPolynomial-inducing PeripheryDemographic, and are as such far more {{affectionate|Parody}}.

* ADogAteMyHomework is now [[DeadHorseTrope so well-known]] as a LameExcuse for students who didn't do/bring in homework assignments, that ''most'' students wouldn't use it. That, and the fact that this is the computer/printer age, make for the (much more plausible) excuses that a) "my computer crashed" or b) "my printer stopped working". (Using the two together would, however, be laying it on too thick.)

* In the same lines, diverse ethnic groups have been targeted in the U.S. throughout the years, often linked to migrant waves: In the early 19th century, it was the Dutch and the Nordics, followed by the Germans during the middle of the century, Irishmen during the late 19th century, Jews and Italians during the early 20th century, Asians between WWII and the the Vietnam War, Latinos since the second half of the 20th century, and Arabs/Muslims during the early years of the 21st century.

* In the same lines, diverse ethnic groups have been targeted in the U.S. throughout the years, often linked to migrant waves: In the early 19th century, it was the Dutch and the Nordics, followed by the Germans during the middle of the century, Irishmen during the late 19th century, Jews and Italians during the early 20th century, Asians during WWII, Latinos since the second half of the 20th century, and Arabs/Muslims during the early years of the 21st century.

** Similarly, a man wearing a piercing before 1990 would be outed as either a criminal or gay (or a punk in the late 70s-80s).

* PhlebotinumDuJour is a good example of a trope which constantly changes as ScienceMarchesOn and the public become more familiar with a given technology or theory - as soon as one technology is widely understood (or discredited), speculative fiction turns to another, newer, sort to explain whatever technology is needed for the plot.

* DirtyOldMonk has been evolving too, sadly. At first, men of the cloth were portrayed as completely saintly, so the trope itself was a ''subversion'' of the traditional ChasteHero. As the influence of organized religion diminished, clergymen were relegated to harmless [[TheVicar friendly vicars]], with perverted priests being played either for black comedy or controversial drama. Of course, now that PedophilePriest is the first thing people think of when a Catholic Church scandal is mentioned, a priest having sex with a woman is usually portrayed positively. An example from a long-runner: In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', Father Maxi was a corrupt villain when the kids found him having sex with a woman in his confession box during "Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?". A decade or so later, he was a hero for attacking all the other priests, who were all pedophiles, during "Red Hot Catholic Love".
** Also, while Catholic priests make an oath of celibacy, there is (usually) none of the sort in Protestant denominations, and married priests are completely normal. For the longest time the notion of a married priest was extremely strange and bizarre especially for people who had lived their entire lives in a predominantly Catholic country, and this notion can be seen to large extents especially in older movies. As knowledge of other cultures has become widespread, the notion of a married Protestant priest has become less and less of an oddity even in these countries.

** At first [[AllGermansAreNazis every German, from civilians to Gestapo, used to be]] [[AlwaysChaoticEvil monochromatically evil]] (this applied to UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, as well), with the concept of the [[TokenEnemyMinority "Good German"]] appearing as the conflict went on. Imperial-era Germans in fiction didn't even need anti-Semitism, racism or just plain world domination as a justification to be evil; they did terrible deeds [[ForTheEvulz just for the hell of it]].
** As [[RedScare Communists]] emerged as enemies and West Germany an ally in the real world, WWII movies redefined it to just Nazis being evil, most civilians became either resistance or misguided Nazi sympathizers.

* As ''WesternAnimaiton/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' changed the public's perception of ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'', the nature of MyLittlePhony would change with it. Whereas older examples of the trope would [[TakeThat mock]] the franchise, more modern ones would depict it in a more positive light as an AffectionateParody, sometimes poking fun at its [[PeripheryDemographic older audience]].

* ''Website/{{The Onion}}'' points out [[http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/african_americans_go_from?utm_source=slate_rss_1 an example.]] African Americans were thought to be unable to compete at sports in before Jackie Robinson, now in the United States, it is assumed that African Americans are better at sports than others.