today's passing two cents

[meitachi]

Really digging the Wonder Girls' new song.

Sometimes I read romance novels and roll my eyes at the "flaws" authors give their heroines: oh god forbid, they're just so tall, unlike the dainty and beloved Incomparables. Or their hair is dark brown instead of beautifully blond -- or they're so pale and plain blond instead of an exotic dark beauty. Their lips are too full. They're not slender and graceful but curvy and voluptuous. Oh no. The horror. So beleaguered they must be.

At least they're not just "clumsy", I guess.

I don't mind real personality traits or flaws, particularly if integrated throughout the story and causes them to deal with some (any) consequences, but the superficial shortcomings that actually disguise what are generally considered positive qualities make me roll my eyes.

Comments

[taylormercury.livejournal.com]

This has nothing to do with this post (also, hello!) but omg your last one about all the books you've been reading, because of that I went out and got hold of Arabella and read it myself, devoured in like 2 days, and just, THANK YOU for introducing me to such a delightful book! I'm eager now to get hold of more of Georgette Heyer's books! *~*

[meiface.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, hi! And I'm so glad you liked "Arabella" because it's one of my favorites. Delightful and ridiculous shenanigans!! You may also enjoy Heyer's "Frederica" and "Venetia", in a similar vein. "The Masqueraders" is even more comedic with a pair of crossdressing siblings, and my very favorite of all is "Cotillionl", but I feel like that one should be sved for later bc it flips a lot of the classic Regency romance tropes on their head. Delightful.

Trying to diversify my reading lately hahah but mostly I'm still stuck in cozy mysteries or regencies or manga.

[chaos-harmony.livejournal.com]

Oh man, the 優點 disguised as the 缺點 (I don't know why I always think of the Chinese words before the English on that one; I think I like the symmetry?)! That trope is so... weirdly prevalent in romance and YA, and most particularly in YA romance? I suspect it's the wish fulfillment aspect ("Your flaws are secretly virtues, young reader!"), but mostly it just makes me grumpy with the POV character.

It's useful food for thought, though, re: appearance politics, especially for women! The heroine of the current book I'm scribbling (fantasy detective novel rife with postcolonial themes that seems vaguely intended for older YA audiences, for what that's worth??) has a thought on this early in the novel, where she basically remarks to the reader that in a world where different folks have different strokes, beauty is more a matter of attitude than isolated physical traits, something like, Pretty girls are a dime a dozen in the city, but few know how to wield prettiness as expertly as [friend's name]. My heroine and I don't necessarily agree on everything, but I'm kind of with her on that one, tbh. ;-)

[meiface.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah I think it's totally a shortcut/way to get out of writing real consequences to real flaws. Let's make out character "imperfect" and relatable, but not in any way that had negative effects on her, the reader, or the plot...

I like what your character has to say! Sometimes I think people can go too far with the "weaponized femininity" rhetoric, but I'm always a fan of resourceful women/girls/(characters on general) using tools at their disposal, and if their good looks have catchet in their world, they're just another tool in the arsenal. Use it!

[chaos-harmony.livejournal.com]

Yeah, agreed on weaponized femininity rhetoric! I think it's mostly a problem when playing the honey-pot is pretty much the only way female characters are allowed to reclaim agency or be resourceful -- like, seduction as manipulation is a valid way to be clever or powerful, but I think it bothers me most when it's basically implied that women don't have other tools in their arsenal?? The same way I'm troubled when the only way female characters are allowed to be strong or likable or awesome is by being Tomboy Action Girls with No Time For Feminine Frippery.

Though honestly, this is mostly solved, imo, by writing multiple diverse female characters (with varying backgrounds, world views, and 優點/缺點 balance!) into a narrative. #nowrongwaytobeawoman, basically! ;-)