# Writing an aesthetically perfect woman



## 2WayParadox (Mar 18, 2015)

I am aware that the title of my thread could evoke responses like 'there is no such thing', and I will counter that beyond a certain level of attractiveness, aesthetic perfection as can be perceived by a human is achieved. Don't zoom in on an individual opinion, just look at it from the majority point of view.

Now, that aside, I do have a character that for all intents and purposes can be considered aesthetically perfect. There is a reason to this. Her beauty has influenced her life in ways that have scarred her. I won't go into them, but I do want to underline that her beauty is a relevant piece of my story.

The problem is: how do I write a woman like this without falling into stereotypes and incessant adjectives?


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## Philip Overby (Mar 18, 2015)

This is kind of an impossible question, sorry. I guess people could give various answers, but any answer they give you is still going to be their version of what is aesthetically pleasing. I know you said you didn't want those kind of answers though.

So I'll offer up a suggestion that doesn't get into all that.

What I'd do is find literature in which certain women were viewed as being beautiful beyond measure. Almost all of them are discussed in poetic ways. Helen of Troy for instance had a "face that launched a thousand ships." That's about the most awesome way to describe someone. People literally went to war for this woman's beauty. Using superfluous adjectives or describing her physical features will never compare to that. 

That's the best I can give you. Read classics, poetry, etc. See how they did it. Almost any advice about how to write a perfect being, man, woman, or anything else, is always going to be subjective.


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## cupiscent (Mar 18, 2015)

A couple of things spring immediately to mind. First is a thriller I once read (I think it was just entitled _Beauty_) wherein a guy invents a sort of perfect fake skin that enables plastic surgery to basically create any face you like, and he and his girlfriend remake her face to be "the most beautiful ever". The thing that I really remember about this is that they gave her a mole, because the imperfection is the thing that elevated the otherwise too-perfect beauty. Humanity is important.

The other is that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Standards of aesthetic beauty are a societal construction, as can be witnessed in the way what is considered beautiful has changed over the course of history, and across cultural divides. (For some extreme examples: Chinese foot binding; the sloping shoulders of Renaissance art; the artifices of corsetry and panniers/bustles.) It's not important that your character be objectively beautiful to ever reader, only that she is the epitome of beauty to the characters who observe her, and in that time and place. (I will note that when making your standards of beauty for your society, consider the things that will influence them: what is abundant, what is scarce, what only the rich can achieve. Often the manifestations of wealth are considered beautiful - in times when hard work and little food is common, plump curves and white skin are sexy; in modern times when fast food dominates and people are time-poor, fitness and tan.)


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## Penpilot (Mar 18, 2015)

Yeah, I think Phil is pretty much spot on with this. Don't describe the woman. Describe how she affects those around her. How does she make a person feel when she looks a them etc.

To me, this is like asking someone to describe the perfect day, the perfect sunset, the perfect life.

If you think about it, her features and their description don't matter. It's how they affect her and those around her that matters.

For example, when a guy first meets a girl, do you really need to describe her perfect, or perceived perfect, features to let the reader know she's attractive? Or can you just say they guy turned white and began stammering while trying to ask her to dance?

Repeat this pattern enough times and the reader will understand that she's very high on the attraction scale.


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## buyjupiter (Mar 18, 2015)

Also consider for a physical description: lack of symmetry. Most classic beauties have some feature (a droop to one eye, an upward quirk of the mouth more to one side than another, a slightly off center nose, etc) that makes them less than perfectly symmetrical.

Those people that do have more perfectly symmetrical faces? They don't look quite right...think the woman who makes herself up to look like Barbie dolls. 

What looks right on a doll, doesn't look right on a person...


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## Mythopoet (Mar 18, 2015)

I would avoid describing her actual features much at all. After all, every reader will have a different idea in their head of what perfect beauty is. I think it would be enough to just say that she's incredibly beautiful or have other characters remark that she is beautiful and let the readers imagine what that would look like for themselves.


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## Reilith (Mar 18, 2015)

I had an idea. If you can bend your story a little (I don't know how you imagined it) it could be that there was a curse cast on the girl which made her look beautiful to anyone's eye. As in, each person sees the thing that their mind perceives as the most beautiful, and build up from there. No doubt it would affect her life in many ways, probably bringing sadness to her, from all the unwanted attention, but it can go even deeper where she is not sure who is the real her, the one that she sees in the mirror or the one that each person sees her as. That way it can tackle the issue of not belonging, or even a sort of body/personality distorter. 
If you put it in that way you have enough space to portray each person's view on perfection and beauty and still not categorize what is generally beautiful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
If this is not possible for you, or doesn't fit, I agree with the others, keep it simple at describing body features - just state the people's reaction when they see her. I'd personally find it hard to write, as I have to have at least a clear view on my characters' basic looks.


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## Xitra_Blud (Mar 18, 2015)

I have a tendency to write a lot of aesthetically perfect men and when I do, I really just describe what I view as beautiful but with just enough detail that the reader can add in their own interpretation as well. Seeing how beauty is so subjective, there really is no way to describe her in a way that everyone will see her as beautiful but I think it's okay to describe a few of her attributes and just flat out say that she is flawless or perfectly beautiful. Try not to go into too much detail about how she looks because, again, beauty is subjective and what one would find beautiful another may not but give a small description of her and what you yourself see as beautiful (hair color, eye color, etc.) and let the reader fill in the rest with their idea of perfect beauty.


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## Ireth (Mar 18, 2015)

I disagree with Mythopoet. One of the things that turned me off about _Twilight_ was Bella's endless description of Edward as "beautiful" and "perfect" and "dazzling", without really going into detail of what made him attractive aside from his color-changing eyes and sparkly skin. We don't know what shape his nose was, or his lips and jawline, or anything else.


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## Mythopoet (Mar 18, 2015)

Ireth said:


> I disagree with Mythopoet. One of the things that turned me off about _Twilight_ was Bella's endless description of Edward as "beautiful" and "perfect" and "dazzling", without really going into detail of what made him attractive aside from his color-changing eyes and sparkly skin. We don't know what shape his nose was, or his lips and jawline, or anything else.



Would it really have helped to know the shape of his nose or jawline? Say the author had said he had a lantern jaw. Anyone who dislikes lantern jaws, like me, would instantly be put off, instead of being able to imagine Edward for themselves. But I think comparison to Twilight doesn't really work anyway. The only reason Edward is so perfect is because he's wish fulfillment for the reader and most people agree that Meyers' writing is pretty terrible and that people who enjoy the story enjoy the story in spite of it. Whereas the OP is talking about a characteristic that is actually meaningful in the story and we should assume that the OP can write it better than Meyers.


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## psychotick (Mar 18, 2015)

Hi,

I tend to agree with a few of the others. Trying to describe her beauty is likely to lead you into a mess. Everyone has a different standard of what beauty is and so whatever you write will appeal to some and not others. To give an example there are or were many who regarded both the Queen and Margaret Thatcher as great beauties on the world stage.

You're better describing how her beauty affects others - and the Helen of Troy example was a good one, but I'd also look at the mythic stories of Aphrodite. What do men do to woo her? Willthey buy her flowers? Kill for her? Die for her? And this approach fits well with what you're trying to write about her I think - how does this reaction to her fairness affect her? 

If you have to go and describe her beauty I'd tend to go for metaphor and poetry.

Cheers, Greg.


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## Tom (Mar 18, 2015)

Personally, I find aesthetic perfection slightly unnerving. Removing flaws strips away the humanity of a face and sends it plummeting straight into Uncanny Valley for me. I'm fascinated by imperfect and atypical beauty. A truly unusual and striking face is more appealing to me than "ideal" beauty.


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## Ireth (Mar 18, 2015)

I think it can work as long as the Uncanny Valley is the effect the author is going for. I've used that technique in one of my stories about the Fae; they're beautiful in the eyes of the human protagonist, but the overall effect is unnerving to her, not attractive.


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## Waz (Mar 18, 2015)

I agree with those who said the key is not in the description of the woman, but in the description of how it affects those who see her.

In Perelandra, C.S. Lewis' protagonist meets a new Eve, and he feels nearly compelled to worship her. With information like that and a few key (but not overly detailed) descriptions of her, the reader can handle the rest.

Having only basic details like skin tone and hair color, instead of police-artist-level descriptions, is important for a second reason: giving a male protagonist's perspective. Guys can wax poetic, but in general, descriptions of people, colors, etc. tend to be minimalistic. I recently finished a book by a female author with a male protagonist. I feel she did very well with the character for the most part, but her own voice came through in a few areas, and it often was due to things like naming an old perfume by brand name or giving a specific shade or red rather than just "red." If the book were written in third-person, such details would have been fine, but they clashed with the character's first-person perspective.


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## Feo Takahari (Mar 19, 2015)

I once read a book that spent two pages discussing how best to describe the FMC's beauty, proposing and rejecting various approaches. It eventually just described how hideous her glasses were, and how they'd make anyone else look ugly, but she was so beautiful she made them look okay.


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## Clinton Seeber (Mar 19, 2015)

Deleted by T.Allen.Smith


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## Nimue (Mar 19, 2015)

Man, if you're not a troll, you're just _fascinatingly_ obtuse.


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## Jabrosky (Mar 19, 2015)

I agree with the suggestion that this lady's appearance change in each observer's eye to match their own preferred vision of beauty. Like, she might appear a full-figured redheaded European to one viewer, a slender African lady to another, a pear-shaped Asian to yet another, and so forth.


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## There and Back Again (Mar 19, 2015)

I guess that was just somebody saying how they would envision that person. To each their own.


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## 2WayParadox (Mar 20, 2015)

damn, I missed a real live troll on this forum


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## Trick (Mar 20, 2015)

2WayParadox said:


> damn, I missed a real live troll on this forum



Isn't it amazing how the fact that somebody was banned for writing something in a forum really makes you want to know what they said? Curiosity killed the cat though...

I'll agree with some previous posts about going with minimal description and playing up the affect of her beauty on others. There are guys, and probably some ladies too, who would do very dumb/evil/offensive things for the sake of a beauty they felt was perfect and that could definitely lead to scars for the beautiful person. Since your premise is believable (insofar as she's either perfectly beautiful in a fantasy world or perfectly beautiful in the eyes of only some people in any world) I doubt you'll have an issue with cliche. Just don't make her pouty about it; make the scars deep.

Going all, "her face was the perfect representation of the Fibonacci sequence etc etc etc blah blah" (intended to be read aloud with a terrible impersonation of a haughty English person) would make me think she looks like the Mona Lisa and ... well, I'll say no more.


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## BronzeOracle (Mar 20, 2015)

Trick said:


> There are guys, and probably some ladies too, who would do very dumb/evil/offensive things for the sake of a beauty they felt was perfect and that could definitely lead to scars for the beautiful person. Since your premise is believable (insofar as she's either perfectly beautiful in a fantasy world or perfectly beautiful in the eyes of only some people in any world) I doubt you'll have an issue with cliche. Just don't make her pouty about it; make the scars deep.



I think this is an interesting take on beauty that is grounded in reality.  Beauty without the means to defend it is like anything highly sought after - it can be taken by the greedy and twisted, with traumatic results.   Beauty without power can be a liability for the person involved, with the consequent scars as Trick mentions.

In my novel the characters when young are coveting the marvelous armour of one of their heroes.  Their fighting instructor cautions them along the lines of "You like that pretty armour?  Then you had better get good enough to wear it, for in battle it will draw enemies like flies to s*** and then you will be fighting doubly for your life".


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## stephenspower (Mar 20, 2015)

I also like the idea of a slight imperfection, but would that fit into your world? Consider the difference between Hawthorne's "The Birthmark," which supposedly ruins an otherwise aesthetically perfect girl, and rug makers who intentionally flawed their rugs because perfection was for their god alone.


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## 2WayParadox (Mar 20, 2015)

For now I have her with light grey eyes and platinum blonde hair. Somewhat clichÃ©d maybe, but as far as I know both of those are quite rare.

Perhaps giving each eye a different shade (e.g. light blue and light grey) would be a subtle enough imperfection. I also remember seeing someone with a half green/half blue eye. Really strange if you notice something like that, but I liked it.


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## Tom (Mar 20, 2015)

Heterochromia? That's a nice touch. Making her otherwise perfect but giving her that single flaw is a fascinating route to go.


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## stephenspower (Mar 20, 2015)

My aunt has different colored eyes. So does David Bowie, but his are the result of a fight. So the question is: Is the imperfection natural or was it caused like a scar?


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## Tom (Mar 20, 2015)

I have partial heterochromia in my left eye--both eyes are dark blue, but there's a gray-green streak in the left one. It's very subtle, and you'd only noticed it if I was in strong light and you were standing close to me. I believe I was born with it, but ever since I got socked in the eye a few years back, it's been a lot more prominent than it used to be.


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## 2WayParadox (Mar 20, 2015)

She'd be born with it. The eye thing is growing on me, it's got a certain elegance in my opinion.


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## Gryphos (Mar 20, 2015)

Rather related. In my current WIP there's a woman with mismatched eyes, a scarred lip and slightly crooked smile. In one scene this dude, who's known to be something of a charming womaniser, tells her that she's beautiful. She's skeptical, naturally...



> “Ain’t symmetry what the blokes go for?”
> 
> “What blokes?” said Dandelion. “Not this one. Symmetry, perfection… Overrated. Have you ever tried, Miss Essen, to look at the Sun?”
> 
> ...



Perfection is boring, and no one wants to look at boring. Imperfection is interesting, and something can't be beautiful without being interesting. So for your story I would make this woman imperfect, give her flaws, make her a 'Lady Luna'.


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## There and Back Again (Mar 20, 2015)

2WayParadox said:


> For now I have her with light grey eyes and platinum blonde hair. Somewhat clichÃ©d maybe, but as far as I know both of those are quite rare.
> 
> Perhaps giving each eye a different shade (e.g. light blue and light grey) would be a subtle enough imperfection. I also remember seeing someone with a half green/half blue eye. Really strange if you notice something like that, but I liked it.



 I like it!


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## Caged Maiden (Mar 21, 2015)

I know I'm late to the game, but just a few notes about historical beauties.  Most of them weren't even beautiful.  What they were was powerful, elegant, eloquent, and intelligent.  It's funny how strong qualities get interpreted as beauty, but what people respond most to is allure.  If you are intrigued, your mind caught up in processing who this person is, how they think, and what they will do next, it's so much more powerful than wide hips, long legs, curly hair, a straight nose, etc.  

Sure men like curves and feminine features, but if the most gorgeous woman in the world, the Venus you create in your mind, slumped when she walked, ate with her mouth open, couldn't string three thoughts together intentionally, curled her lip at everyone she didn't like, etc., all her looks couldn't redeem her.  No one would go to war for her.  I'll bet you Helen of Troy knew how to use her eyes to make her suitors feel like the only man in the world.  She probably stood tall and carried herself with poise.  She probably spoke clearly and directly, and made eye contact, and said interesting and intelligent things.  SHe probably didn't leave her manners at home or complain all the time.  I mean, the list can go on and on.  And it isn't much different for men.  I mean, I dated a guy I thought was hotter than anyone in the world, but the poor bastard couldn't have a conversation if his life depended on it.  In short, he was dumb.  Almost cruelly dumb.  It was a shame, really, but there was no amount of hotness that could make time spent with him palatable.  I mean...you know, the body is only good for so many things until you must incorporate the mind.  

It's the mind people are attracted to in the long run.  The mind is where the personality lives and after the impulses of initial attraction wear off, it's all that matters.


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## Terry Greer (Mar 21, 2015)

I've always found describing a character as attractive awkward.

It's easier (at least for me) to have characters think this or discuss it with other characters.

Perhaps the best way, therefore is is to show her attractiveness in the reactions of those around her - from their point of view. That way it's more personal and you can look at the different parts of her anatomy/mind/voice/personality etc. that appeal to different people.  That way each character in the story will fixate on different elements of her beauty - and that can also apply to either sex.


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## Legendary Sidekick (Mar 21, 2015)

I like beauty in my MC to be portrayed in the way she carries herself. That is, there's no narrative describing her beauty. But she might be particular about her outfit (which may in fact be odd and rugged, or even "boyish"-looking if full armor), she might be beaming with confidence, or her voice, thoughts and words may reflect an inner beauty. And accents are always cute, right?

(Well… I think Addison's cute, anyway.)


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## Devor (Mar 21, 2015)

^ The answer is right here.

Just put the word "Legendary" in front of beauty, and you're good to go!


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## Ruby (Mar 21, 2015)

I have a beautiful girl in my WIP, set in Victorian England. She has long, white blonde hair, pale blue eyes, a perfect complexion, and is tall and slim. The art teacher sees her in his studio and is immediately smitten. He thinks she is a goddess and wishes to paint her image. However, she is an evil spy who has been sent to kill the female MC. Even though the artist soon discovers she is up to no good, he forgives her because she is so beautiful. 

I thought it would be interesting to show that beauty is only skin deep but can make fools of men.


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## Ireth (Mar 21, 2015)

Ruby said:


> I have a beautiful girl in my WIP, set in Victorian England. She has long, white blonde hair, pale blue eyes, a perfect complexion, and is tall and slim. The art teacher sees her in his studio and is immediately smitten. He thinks she is a goddess and wishes to paint her image. However, she is an evil spy who has been sent to kill the female MC. Even though the artist soon discovers she is up to no good, he forgives her because she is so beautiful.
> 
> I thought it would be interesting to show that beauty is only skin deep but can make fools of men.



As long as you don't make every man in the story immediately fall for the character, it might work. Otherwise you risk stereotyping men as shallow and only interested in a woman's looks.


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## Ruby (Mar 21, 2015)

Ireth said:


> As long as you don't make every man in the story immediately fall for the character, it might work. Otherwise you risk stereotyping men as shallow and only interested in a woman's looks.


Thanks Ireth,

Yes, well the reader knows in advance of her true nature and, of course, she destroys the artist and his prior relationship, thereby ruining his chance of happiness. 

I'm considering whether to make her asexual or gay.

I remember reading recently that in different ages such as, say medieval times, it would be very unusual to come across someone who was beautiful.


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## 2WayParadox (Mar 25, 2015)

It's still a first draft with no adjustments, but I feel that this piece of writing takes into account a good part of the advice I've gotten from you guys. Let me know what you think, and I'd like to thank everybody who put their time in responding to my issue.

Some time later, Ellie and Tom arrived at the beach. A white sarong was tied over her left shoulder, while her hair was draped over her right. They walked onto the sand to find a spot and heads turned in a gentle wave as Ellie walked past. A couple teenage girls whispered to each other before they watched Ellie walk by. Tom considered what they were seeing. Ellie walked with an elegance she’d copied from Ruth and that she’d made her own. 

Her sarong hugged her body like a thin veil, hiding and revealing at the same time. The fabric played around her toned legs as she walked. Ripples ran up the fabric. Somehow, her uncovered shoulder decorated with her flow of long, pale hair was the most enticing part to see. And if you made it that for up, you were doomed to not look down for quite some time as your eyes wandered the sculpted lines of her faces. Not everyone would notice the last appeal her looks had to offer, one eye was a pale shade of grey while the other was a pale blue. Sometimes it was hard to see the difference, but in the sunlight the blue took on a darker hue while the grey seemed to fade and revealed little golden specks flickering in the rays of the sun.

Tom put his hand on Ellie’s shoulder when they found a spot and said, “If you’re not comfortable, you don’t have to take it off. We can even go back if you’d like that better.”

She shook her head and grabbed the ends of the knot she’d tied her sarong with. With one pull it was undone, and she pulled the fabric loose with a flourish. More than one person gasped as Ellie revealed herself. Tom saw blushes as people looked away in embarrassment after their involuntary responses. Others were less bothered with their response and just gaped as Tom and Ellie put down their towels. Tom shook his head and said, “You’d think being at a beach would prepare them a little. Lie down on your belly, I’ll put sunscreen on your back.”

Ellie was glad to be lying down, facing away from the people on the beach. Her moment of courage had wavered after she caught some of the looks cast her way. Putting her sarong back on was tempting to say the least, but she couldn’t be afraid now. Her beauty wasn’t a curse, it was a gift she could give to those who cared for her.

Ellie didn’t stray far from Tom during their time on the beach. Anyone who tried to approach would back off when they caught his look. She didn’t mind that for now. Being seen like this was enough stress by itself. Adding talking on top of that would be too much. Tomorrow maybe.

She still enjoyed her time at the beach though. She’d never been before. The sounds of the waves calmed her. The heat wasn’t something she was used to, especially not the hot sand that hurt her feet. Tom had laughed when he saw her dancing around and had shown her the cool, wet sand just below the surface. They played games, swam, laughed and had ice cream. Time flew by, and she forgot about the looks she got wherever she went.

2way


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## S.T. Ockenner (Nov 10, 2020)

Clinton Seeber said:


> Deleted by T.Allen.Smith


Wait...Darn, mod editing now the replies to the person won't make sense. Guess I'll have to use my imagination to figure it out.


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## S.T. Ockenner (Nov 10, 2020)

There And Back Again has said only two things on this forum.


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## Devor (Nov 10, 2020)

Dark Lord Thomas Pie said:


> There And Back Again has said only two things on this forum.



I really don't approve of you drudging up old baggage.

There and Back Again was Clinton Seeber under a new account name, who was banned for an egregious offense.


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## S.T. Ockenner (Nov 10, 2020)

Oooooh. I'm sorry. I'll stop. I'll keep on topic.
 On  topic, I think that characters should be described. The real point is that the person who is attracted to them finds them 'perfect' as it is impossible for every person to find one person attractive.


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## ShadeZ (Nov 11, 2020)

Basing my reply purely on the title. That is impossible, my friend. Each person's idea of the most aesthetically pleasing person varies not only in appearance but in mood, facial features, behaviors. The best chance you have of writing the most aesthic person is if it a shapeshifter that appears differently to each person similar to the grim reaper of the webcomic (Nightmare Factory).


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## Rosemary Tea (Feb 28, 2021)

Whose point of view are you writing from? Which character are you trying to make the reader identify with?

If it's Ellie, skip the physical descriptions. She wouldn't be thinking about how she herself looks. She doesn't see her own face. She doesn't see the way her own hair drapes over her shoulders. She wouldn't be thinking about how toned her legs are. She would notice how people react to her, but she wouldn't think, "Ah, they see my gorgeous hair, my toned legs...." Instead it would be something like, "What a creep!" or, "I have the power!" or, "Can't I go anywhere without getting catcalled?"

All that, of course, depends on how she feels about how people are reacting to her. Does she revel in having the power to make men fall all over her? Does she hate it? Is she sick of being slobbered over?

If you're trying to make the reader identify with another character, then you can paint Ellie through their gaze, in which case how you describe her would depend on how _they_ would describe her. Do they objectify her? The kind of description you've written in your draft sounds like objectifying (male) gaze to me. Do they see her as a person, not just eye candy? In that case, her looks would only be a small part of the description, it would be more about the details that bring out her personality.

What doesn't work about the draft as it is, is that you're trying to blend an objectifying male gaze with Ellie's own thoughts. And who is this objectifying male gaze coming from? Tom? Not entirely believable in the context of the relationship they seem to have. There's an implication here that, while he surely finds her beautiful, there's more he likes about her than just her looks, and there's got to be some reason why she wants to be with him. Self respecting women, which is most of us women, don't want to be with guys who treat us like sex objects. Ellie would only choose Tom if he sees her for who she is and likes her for that. That doesn't mean he doesn't also like her for her looks--nothing wrong with that--just that it can't be looks to the exclusion of humanity.


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## The Dark One (Mar 5, 2021)

What about a character who was utterly gorgeous in the eyes of all observers but outrageously ugly when she looked in the mirror. You could have some fun with that as she's being pursued by all comers - male and female - but she cannot understand their attraction as she is to herself the ugliest creature in creation.

Strikes me you could explore a few moral issues also in such a situation although you'd have to be careful with the beauty is only skin deep cliche.


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