Actress Rachel Zegler, playing Snow White in the 2025 “Snow White” remake. Zegler has come under criticism for her opinion on the tale’s love story. Photo courtesy of @rachelzegler on Instagram
The annoying girl is loud, boisterous and uncouth. She says the wrong things at the wrong times, laughs too loudly, makes jokes that aren’t funny and acts too dumb. And no one likes her.
How should the annoying girl be treated? Should every remark made, every joke missed, every social norm diverted be dismissed? Should she be welcomed into social circles or alienated? Should we like her or hate her?
The truth is, it seems that when it comes to annoying girls, there is a disproportionate amount of hatred. When a woman is in conflict or turmoil, outwardly struggles, voices an opinion, or makes a mistake, she is deemed annoying and that’s when other people begin to treat her as sub-human. The reality is most women are not annoying but are labeled as such because a predominantly patriarchal society aims to suppress the voices and personalities of women. The patriarchy doesn’t want women to be ‘annoying’ because being so means going against the grain of what the traditional woman should be: submissive and quiet.
Consider the actress and singer Rachel Zegler and the backlash she has faced. In 2024, Zegler made some remarks regarding her titular role in Disney’s live action remake of ‘Snow White’, saying “There’s a big focus on her love story with a guy who literally stalks her… weird, so we didn’t do that this time.” Zegler makes valid points about the nature of love stories in Disney productions (why is some prince kissing a girl while she’s asleep?) and ultimately is just trying to be cheeky while pointing out the new direction her version of the story will take. Her remarks may have come across as ungrateful but were largely innocuous. Still, Zegler received a disproportionate amount of hatred online for what she said and was even blamed for the underperformance of ‘Snow White’ in the box office.
For women, a single misstep can bring career-ending consequences. However, men do not seem to face the same consequences from the public or from social groups, even when their actions are far worse. Recently, the public has been fixated on the singer-songwriter ‘d4vd’, whose real name is David Anthony Burke, because he is under investigation for the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas. While Burke’s involvement has generally been seen as deplorable, he has not faced the same scrutiny that Zegler has. When Zegler made those remarks regarding ‘Snow White’, there were calls from the public for her to never work again. Zegler is objectively talented and hardworking, but expressing one opinion could have effectively ended her career. When Burke’s potential involvement in a murder case came to light, streams on his music increased by 30.3 million in just five days.
Rachel Zegler posted outside her trailer. people online blamed Zegler for the underperformance of “Snow White” at the box office earlier this year. Photo courtesy of @rachelzegler on Instagram
What ensues when an annoying woman does even the slightest thing is inhumane. One wrong joke or remark incites sidelong glances and alienation from social groups. She is actively disliked and made fun of. Doing the wrong thing brands her as someone to avoid. What makes persecution for women so severe while men seem to get away with everything? Why is it that a woman cannot be annoying, but a man can get away with potentially murdering someone?
It doesn’t even stop there. The harsh truth of the patriarchal society is that any facet of a woman’s being has the potential to be judged. No matter what you are, if you are a woman and you do not fit the mold of society, you will be persecuted. Any type of woman can be villainized and alienated from society under the singular guise of being “annoying.” Yes, the quintessential annoying woman is loud, brash and eager to please, but the fact is, quiet and intelligent girls, girls who do not typically say things unabashedly, get considered annoying as well. If you are not the perfect amalgamation of the characteristics considered desirable in a woman, you are considered annoying.
So be annoying. Be loud, be quiet. Make jokes at the wrong time, be perfectly hilarious. Be dumb, be smarter than anyone in the room: Be yourself, because there are some who need to adapt to having more unashamed women around.
