Marilyn vs Jackie? Can I have another option?

Back when I part of another women's online community, the Jackie vs Marilyn question came up. I never really understood this bizarre parlor game. Which one are you: the sexy siren, or the competent but plain "girl next door?" Both figures are pretty tragic. (If I had to choose the pop culture archetype I most identify with, I think I'm a Dorothy Zbornak -- minus the annoying ex-husband.) It also baffles me that a group of otherwise smart women would buy into the "bad girl, good girl" stereotype that not only reduces women to  something less than three-dimensional, but pits us against each other. Wasn't feminism supposed to take care of that?

TV Tropes also calls this the Betty and Veronica (or Ginger and Mary-Ann) trope, but it's pretty explicit in its intention:

"Betty" is the sweet, reliable, everyday Girl Next Door type (if done wrong, this can mean: 'kinda dull'), whilst "Veronica" is more alluring, exotic and edgy, but has a more 'troublesome' or 'dangerous' personality (which could mean 'kinda slutty'). This translates to their physical appearances; "Betty" will usually be more plain (or at least as close as Hollywood gets), whilst "Veronica" will be Ms. Fanservice in all her glory. As a rule, one will be blond and the other dark or red haired.

And unfortunately, it works. The Betty/Veronica, Ginger/Mary-Ann, Jackie/Marilyn trope is deeply woven into pop culture, from books to music to movies. Sometimes the genders are flipped, making the "Archie" female, and the Betty/Veronica dynamic male (think My So-Called life with Jordan as Veronica -- sexy, mysterious, hard-to-get -- and Brian as Betty -- sweet, safe boy next door.), but it's ultimately a lazy plot device.