7 Tips For Choosing Your Character's Appearance

Let’s talk about character appearance.
This is an aspect of descriptive writing that I never really considered up until a few weeks ago. In a film class I'm taking this semester, we just finished learning about character makeup, costume, hairstyle, and how all of these elements are carefully designed to add to our perception of the character. I was blown away by the amount of care that goes into these decisions, and even more blown away by the fact that they make complete sense.
All I could think was, “Why are we not utilizing this technique as writers?” Character appearance should go far beyond just allowing your reader to have a idea of what your character looks like. The way your character looks and dresses can, in fact, deepen the character’s personality, make them more realistic, and work to accent their role in the story.
And you know what’s great about character appearance? It has a lot of impact but is fairly easy to implement. Here are 7 tips to keep in mind when shaping and describing your character’s appearance:
1. Physical appearance shouldn’t be left to chance. I’ve read a lot of books where authors take care to throw in hints about the character’s hair and eye color. They let us know that the person has a slight build, full lips, or dark skin. And then, ten pages later, I completely forget what the character looks like. Why? Because it makes no difference to the story. So the character has blue eyes. That matters because….? Don’t just slap together a character based on the fact that you like red hair and always wanted to have green eyes. This is a creation that you are hoping to make come across as a real person. His or her appearance deserves some thought. 
2. Physical appearance can be used to help with world building. If you write fantasy, sci-fi, or any other writing that requires the creation of an entirely new world, remember that there should probably be different races of people in your story. You can use character appearance to help highlight each race. For example, Tolkien’s elves tend to be tall, light-skinned, and fair haired, so it makes sense that they tend to live in the woods. Hobbits are short and don't draw much attention to themselves, which is fine because they're quiet folks and want to be left alone. Even if you are writing books set in our world, physical appearance can still help you build a realistic setting. If you’re writing in a Victorian setting, does your female character have dark skin? Then she’s going to stand out, because, at that time, it was desirable to have a fair complexion. Or maybe you have a tall high school boy who would rather study physics than play basketball. Whatever the scenario, physical appearance can and should be used to help you deepen your fictional world rather than just being thrown in at random.
3. Use physical traits to accentuate or contrast personality. And no I’m not talking about, “She has red hair and a bad temper.” Can we stop with that one already? Please? I just read a book ( Scout's Progress , to be exact) in which one of the characters is described as ‘fox-faced.’ This fits his personality, as he is very clever, observant, and a bit of a rogue. However, his appearance frightens some people, an interesting dilemma, since he is a very loyal, kind man. I thought this was fairly genius, because not only will I always remember what this character looks like, but his appearance will help me remember his personality, thus working to make him an unforgettable character. You can also try making a certain look inextricably entwined with a certain behavior: A girl who juts her unusually sharp chin out, making herself look harsh and intimidating in an attempt to be taken seriously. This one is also a perfect example:  4. Remember that clothing says a lot about a person. Just think about it for a minute. When you first meet a person, you probably notice their face first, then their clothing, then mix that information with what you know about said person to come up with an idea of what this person is like. The same exact principle applies to fictional people. Lets do a break down of two characters to help you see what I'm talking about: The Joker He wears oddly colorful clothes and both his hair and his socks match his outfit, showing his attention to detail. Despite what he says, he is clearly a man with a plan. His painted-on smile is fairly comical, but the dark shading around his eyes is frightening. One look at him and you know: this guy is psychotic, dangerous, but also knows what he's doing.Astrid Hofferson She wears a skirt, so she's not ashamed of her femininity. She has an open, round face and large eyes, giving her a pleasant look. But she also wields a hefty ax and sports skulls and spikes. Clearly, she's a girl with an edge who knows how to take care of herself, but isn't as mean as she may want people to think. 
5. Try flipping stereotypes completely around. The super shy girl who loves to wear bright red lipstick. The hippie-looking dude with long hair who is actually very conservative and loves math (that's actually a description of my brother, but he's the perfect example of an inverted stereotype). Your bad guy is allowed to wear white and a mask doesn't always have to hide a scary countenance (think Scarecrow and Kylo Ren). Whatever it is, it's always fun to break out of the stereotypes and use it to create a unique character that really stands out. 
6. Try breaking character appearance. This should only be used in acute situations to show the intensity of a character's emotion. The guy who always carries two guns is only wearing one, perhaps because he received horrible news and left his house in a hurry. The girl who's always put together looks like a complete mess. A prime example of breaking character appearance would be Loki:  Above is how he usually looks: perfectly groomed and wearing nice clothes, showing his royal descent. His slightly mischievous smile and slicked back hair making him look completely in control and every bit the trickster. That's why everyone's heart broke when we saw him like this:  Here Loki is completely lost. His hair is out of place, he's not wearing any signs of his royalty, he's bleeding, and for perhaps the first time in any of the movies, he's letting his true emotions show clearly on his face. This Loki is at complete odds with the usual Loki: he's no longer in control and has fallen a long, long way. This sharp contrast is heartrending and goes to show us just how much Loki loved his mother. 
7. Avoid laundry list descriptions. This is a writing technique that was birthed in hell and raised in the fiery inferno of laziness and lack of imagination. It's when a writer decides to say: "She had red hair that fell past her waist, green eyes, and a freckled nose. She wore a long white dress with blue leggings and tiny black shoes. She wore white ribbons in her hair and a golden necklace...." Please don't do this. You do not have to describe your character all at once. It's okay to add little details as the story goes on. And, as mentioned above, characters appearance is best described as part of the story, not just random, extraneous details. 
Do you like to put a lot of meaning behind your character's appearance, or do you think that's overrated? How do you describe the people in your stories? I'd love to hear about your methods!

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