Mary Sue

[mer-ee soo, mair-ee]

noun

1. a fictional character, especially a female character, who is considered to be unrealistically competent, attractive, and lacking in flaws, and is sometimes thought to be an idealized representation of the author.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Mary Sue¹

First recorded in 1975–80; after the main character in a Star Trek fan fiction parody story

Example Sentences

Bayless, who first opened Frontera Grill with wife Deann Bayless in Chicago’s River North in 1987, helped train American diners to equate Mexican cuisines with high-quality ingredients and complex preparations — just as Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken did when they opened Los Angeles’ Border Grill on Melrose Avenue in 1985.

From Los Angeles Times

In the culinary world, few partnerships exemplify this as well as chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, who have worked side by side since the mid-1980s, helming the iconic Border Grill and building a culinary empire together.

From Salon

Back in the 1990s, chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger took over Food Network with “Too Hot Tamales,” launching them into celebrity chef status before that was even a thing.

From Salon

Mary Sue Milliken, chef and co-founder of Mundo Hospitality Group, whose restaurants include Socalo, Border Grill and Alice B, said she hopes the entire restaurant industry will one day turn to a service-charge model and get away from tipping, which she said can lead to “bad behavior” and an inequitable system where front-of-house workers get paid exponentially better than back-of-house employees.

From Los Angeles Times

Mary Sue Molnar, executive director of Texas Voices for Reasons and Justice, a nonprofit that supports people required to register as sex offenders and their families, said she hopes the extent of any proposed law remains limited and doesn’t group everybody into the same category.

From Seattle Times