Female Characters: Dos and Don'ts

[Isaac]

OH NO NOT 5EVER D:

[Isaac]

:D!

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Emily [Bobby Darin is a dork] wrote: "Here, I'll help bring it back to female characters because I like to rant a lot about female stereotypes and sexism in today's society and such but for now let's just stick with the original topic ..."

Yes, accuracy.

Especially the thing about unpopularity. In fact I was just ranting about that in a review. I'm really tired of female protagonists who are "outcasts" for ... well, for no reason at all. Like, they have nothing wrong with them and yet everyone at school is inexplicably cruel to them.

Either that, or the author surrounds the protagonist with really shallow and annoying "friends" just to make the main character look better or something. Ugh.

It also bothers me that authors seem to think being nerdy (or even just well-read) and caring about your appearance are mutually exclusive. So often there's a female protagonist who's like, "All I care about is reading books and I never care about what my face looks like or what clothes I'm wearing." And it's not like I have a huge problem with that (well, besides that usually the girl turns out to be naturally sexy anyway), but it's like ... you can love to read a lot and also care about your appearance. Like, I read a lot of books and am generally pretty nerdy. But I also wear make-up. I like to wear pretty dresses. It's not like one always has to be without the other.

Also, "hot girls" in books never have glasses. Like, ever. *Sad face* And if they do, usually the guy doesn't realize the girl is sexy until the glasses come off ... GOD I HATE THAT SO MUCH.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Yes, glasses are sexy.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

True ... although I feel like the "attractive nerdy guy" is a bit more common.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Poema (Elizabeth) wrote: "There seems like a shortage of protagonist with glasses. And, if a character do wear glasses they are nerds. Nerds that just study and are unattractive."

Bleh, exactly.
I started writing a book once where there was a popular/sexy girl with glasses. Haha. Unfortunately the story kind of died ... oh well.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Gilda wrote: "There's also the "hot nerd" kind of character, although it's harder to find them around YA. For example, Simon from Shadowhunters."

Yeah, Simon is pretty much the only one who comes to mind. (view spoiler)[Although he only really starts to attract attention once he becomes a vampire and becomes sexy ... (hide spoiler)]

[Anastasia]

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Emily [Bobby Darin is a dork] wrote: "Here, I'll help bring it back to female characters because I like to rant a lot about female stereotypes and sexism in today's society and such but for now let..."

OH MY GOSH! 'Tis true!

Now my mission is to write a book where one of the main characters has glasses.

[Anastasia]

Gilda wrote: "We could create a club! "Writers Whose Characters Wear Glasses". XD"

Let's do it!

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Sounds good.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Gilda wrote: "Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Gilda wrote: "There's also the "hot nerd" kind of character, although it's harder to find them around YA. For example, Simon from Shadowhunters."

Yeah, Simon is..."

Kind of, yeahhh. Although at the beginning of the first book there's some random girl at the café who says he's cute. But still ... >.<

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Gilda wrote: "Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Gilda wrote: "Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Gilda wrote: "There's also the "hot nerd" kind of character, although it's harder to find them around YA. For e..."

I kind of disliked him when I first read the books, but he grew on me ... Ultimately I ended up liking him a lot. ;) Magnus is my favorite character, haha.

[Isaac]

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Emily [Bobby Darin is a dork] wrote: "Here, I'll help bring it back to female characters because I like to rant a lot about female stereotypes and sexism in today's society and such but for now let..."

UGH I HATE THE GLASSES THING

Seriously, I've been wearing glasses since I was three years old and I look much, much more attractive with them on than off and then I read stuff like that and I'm like, "Oh so apparently it's impossible for me to be attractive ever."

[Isaac]

Gilda wrote: "We could create a club! "Writers Whose Characters Wear Glasses". XD"

YES!

[Isaac]

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "True ... although I feel like the "attractive nerdy guy" is a bit more common."

Personally, I hate "attractive nerdy guy." Like seriously, when I describe the type of guy I like people think I like "attractive nerdy guys" and they slap me in with all the really stupid girls who think nerds are awesome and they punch out the lenses of 3D glasses and wear them as "nerd glasses" when it's honestly really demeaning to nerds and they hate real nerds.

So.

[[deleted user]]

Hey, guys, I do agree that there is a shortage of attractive/important characters with glasses, but aren't we forgetting someone?

HARRY POTTER.

[Elliott]

My 2011 NaNo female protagonist wore glasses!

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Emily [Bobby Darin is a dork] wrote: "Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Emily [Bobby Darin is a dork] wrote: "Here, I'll help bring it back to female characters because I like to rant a lot about female stereotypes and sexism in toda..."

Same here, bro. I think I'm way more attractive with glasses. XD

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Poema (Elizabeth) wrote: "I actually thought about Harry Potter. I think, I read somewhere that JK Rowling made Harry wear glasses because she grew up wearing glasses and wanted a hero with glasses."

Aww that's sweet. :D
And I don't know why I forgot about Harry Potter ... *headsmack* I guess I was thinking more about female characters with glasses, because that tends to be less common.

[Isaac]

Aleph wrote: "Ok, I realise I joined the topic a bit late, but here are my views:
I agree with pretty much all of the female stereotypes mentioned and criticised in this topic. However, I do think that certain s..."

Yeah, it is good to have certain stereotypes exist. I just get really mad when stereotypes are all there is, though. Not every teenage girl is an idiot obsessed with boys, makeup, and clothes.

[Taylor]

I look pathetic no matter what, but my contacts make the blue eyes more intense.

As for charries with glasses...meh. I think it's a stupid thing to worry about. If they have glasses, great. If not, whatever. Usually, the glasses are important. Harry's became a defining characteristic. Or Velma from Scooby-Doo? It was always a comic thing when she lost them. So if you're gonna have glasses, have a reason.

[Brigid ✩, No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.]

Well it's just that, in real life, a lot of people have glasses and not as many fictitious people do. And when fictitious people have glasses, it's often to show us how "smart" or "nerdy" they are (not always, but most of the time). In real life, people have glasses because ... their vision sucks. So I don't see why you really need to have a "reason" other than that for fictional people, either.

[Elliott]

A statistic I found online says that 64% of people in America wear glasses and 75% need some sort of corrective lenses.

[Isaac]

Brigid *Flying Kick-a-pow!* wrote: "Well it's just that, in real life, a lot of people have glasses and not as many fictitious people do. And when fictitious people have glasses, it's often to show us how "smart" or "nerdy" they are ..."

This.

[[deleted user]]

Random thought related to glasses:

I liked how, in The Amazing Spiderman, Peter stopped wearing his contacts so he could wear his dad's glasses. Usually, you see characters ditching their glasses for contacts so they'll "look better" or things like that.

[Poet in the Dark]

Maxy wrote: "Random thought related to glasses:

I liked how, in The Amazing Spiderman, Peter stopped wearing his contacts so he could wear his dad's glasses. Usually, you see characters ditching their glasses ..."

ME TOO. :D