"Strong Female Character" redux redux

[barbarienne]

This is getting linked all over the place:

Oh No, She Didn’t: The Strong Female Character, Deconstructed | by Ilana C. Myer

For the most part, I agree with this essay, particularly her points such as:
Just as I don’t imagine most women want to be thought of as “female writers,” the idea of “female characters” as a category for discussion seems

Comments

[frigg]

Well, like George R.R. Martin said, "I've always considered women to be people". Of course that might be easier for me seeing how I am a woman and all. :p

Of course now I am curious as to how many women write from the main POV of both genders and how many men do it.

[frigg]

True that. :)

[barbarienne]

Yes, characters of color has different freight, and getting the necessary knowledge and sensitivity to handle the situation may be more difficult. American culture is still unofficially segregated in many ways.

Population distribution makes it different. 50% of everyone are women. While there is certainly great variation in women, the odds of a guy knowing a woman he can ask for help (sister, mother, wife) is decent. Whereas the 35% of the US population is POC, but that's POC across many different backgrounds, each with its own subculture and issues and complicated nuances a white person might feel awkward about.

For me, since I write secondary-world fantasy, it's a little easier. I can declare a character to have brown skin and not worry about hundreds of years of slavery and racism in the USA applying to his personal history. (Though I should have enough sensitivity to not replicate our world's racism in the fictional world. I'm looking at you, Tolkien, with your dark-skinned orcs and Easterners.)

[angledge]

I like this post because it has a simple, concrete suggestion for how to become a better writer (& thinker). Thanks for posting!

[barbarienne]

Thanks! It's just a first step, but it's also applicable to more advanced problems