Born Sexy Yesterday

Tron: Legacy,

Disney's neon infused sequel to the 1982 classic,

includes a particularly egregious example of a trope that has bothered me for years.

QUORRA: "I'm Quorra!"

It's a gendered convention that will be instantly familiar to science fiction fans.

The convention shows up over and over again in speculative media,

but it didn't have a name, so I gave it one.

I call it Born Sexy Yesterday.

SAM: "She's an ISO."

The character of Quorra is an isomorphic algorithm, or ISO.

Basically she's a sentient computer program in the shape of a woman.

KEVIN: "She's the miracle, man.

Everything I ever worked for.

A digital frontier to reshape the human condition."

As the last of the ISOs,

Quorra is described this way:

KEVIN (voiceover): "Profoundly naive,

unimaginably wise"

If that sounds vaguely like something someone might say about a child, it's no accident.

Because that's exactly how Tron: Legacy portrays Quorra,

QUORRA: "But, between you and me,

Jules Verne is my favorite.

Do you know Jules Verne?"

SAM: "Sure."

QUORRA: "What's he like?"

She has the mind of a naive

yet highly skilled child,

but in the body of a mature, sexualized woman.

She also serves as our hero's love interest.

'Profoundly naive yet unimaginably wise' captures the essence of this trope.

'Born yesterday' is the idiom meaning extremely naive, inexperienced, or ignorant.

BILLIE: "He thinks I'm too stupid, huh?"

PAUL: "No" BILLIE: "He's right. I'm stupid and I like it."

PAUL: "You do?" BILLIE: "Sure! I'm happy!

I got everything I want. Two mink coats. Everything."

As a media trope, 'Born Sexy Yesterday'

has both a figurative and, in many cases, a literal meaning.

The 1997 Sci-Fi cult classic

The Fifth Element is probably the most quintessential example