When you want to show that someone is offended or upset, there are ways that the character can express that. However, when you have to strike a balance between making them look unreasonably violent, snapping at the slightest infraction with excessive force, to the opposite end of the spectrum, making them seem like an Extreme Doormat, there are a handful of things you can do.

One of those things is the Feminine Two-Fisted Pounding. The character, almost Always Female, wants to make it clear that she's not happy with what was said, but she also doesn't want to come off as a bully or flying off the handle. So she instead lightly pounds on the person with both of her fists in a hammering motion. This may show a lack of any formal fighting experience, or even informal experience. It can also reveal a degree of immaturity for the person using this technique, especially if it's their go-to response to irritation or annoyance. If the character isn't female, then the usual indication is that he's effeminate and/or a huge wimp.

Men and women can be the recipients of such behavior, and in more comedic situations they will utterly No-Sell the pounding. It's also possible they might laugh a bit at the ineffectiveness of the pounding as any real damage, or the "cuteness" of the person responding in such a manner. In some cases the person being pounded on might lightly say "Ow" or get upset because they still see the reaction as over the top or uncalled for. If she's not usually the sort to hit a person, she might resort to hitting a wall, door, pillow, or desk in this manner. This might also happen if the person she wants to hit is out of the area at the moment.

While this is typically Played for Laughs, it can be Played for Drama as well. Indeed, there seems to be an inverse ratio to how quickly someone is hammering their fists on another person and how dramatic the scene is supposed to be, i.e. the more slowly the fists are moving, the more dramatic the scene is likely to be.

There is considerable overlap with Tsundere. In addition, one might find it being used by a Bratty Half-Pint, a Boisterous Weakling, an Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain, someone who is Camp Gay or Camp Straight, or a Princess Classic with no background in violence.

It is usually not the go-to response for an Action Girl or a woman who is Silk Hiding Steel, who will usually have more martial training and thus more effective techniques at her disposal.

Compare Dope Slap for another physical means of admonishing someone that isn't supposed to cause lasting harm. Also compare Little Girls Kick Shins, and Paper Fan of Doom.

Contrast Megaton Punch and Bitch Slap, which actually cause harm.

Examples: