Nerdy Kyle

Nerdy Kyle is a shorthand for a perceived tendency among fanfic writers to portray Kyle Broflovski as overly nerdy, effeminate, passive, weak or overly submissive. It is often used inclusively of any flaws associated with fandom portrayals of Kyle, such as depicting him with freckles.
It is the single most frequent subject of criticism of the South Park fanbase and is widely perceived as ubiquitous of all fanfiction writers. The label carries an inherently negative association and is intended to disparage authors for portraying him as Out of Character.
It has been a claim since the mid-2000s that the vast majority or even all South Park fanworks depict Stan as overly jockish and Kyle as overly nerdy, stereotypes which are mocked on a daily basis, and occasionally subject to thoughtful deconstruction.
Some social media commentary has also suggested that this portrayal and similar tropes may be rooted in anti-semitism, as it is common for anti-Jewish works to portray Jewish characters as weak and neurotic, relying on their 'sneaky nature' (as often suggested by anti-semitic Cartman) in order to progress in life due to what is falsely portrayed as an inherent lack of strength or power.
Style and Kyman writers are often accused of perpetuating this, portraying Kyle as submissive and both respective partners as more masculine and dominant, though this is not a strict rule in either ship and there are portrays with the characters in the opposite roles.
Though many fan works do represent the stereotype, it is not as ubiquitous as often claimed and there are many works where Kyle is depicted playing sports, having a short temper or otherwise depicting canon-based masculine traits, and the word 'nerd' has developed such a broad meaning that it could be inclusive of a canon-based Kyle depiction.
Category:Terminology