Mandatory Beauty
10:45:00 AM
This is an age old topic. The concept of beauty has brought about countless discussions and controversies over the years, and it feels like no one is immune to the glorification of the 'ideal' human form. Young adults are particularly vulnerable to body image pressure, and the unrealistic standards set by models and actresses are more than enough to provoke insecurities and body shaming. These are likely a permanent part of the media that young adults are going to be exposed to (at least for now), but these standards and ideas should not transfer into their favorite books. While YA literature is known for its empowering nature and strong, relatable characters, it is often times guilty of only presenting heroes and heroines of a particular body type.
Of course, none of these characters are supermodels, but they do stay within certain guidelines. Let's paint the typical picture. If you pick any random heroine out of a hat, here are some likely physical traits she will have:
- White
- Thin (sometimes described as abnormally small or birdlike.)
- Short, but not too short
- Brown or blonde hair (of some variation. Dirty blonde is a popular one)
- Toned (this is usually paired with being in good physical shape, because she's likely a runner or has some sort of hobby or skill that helps her stay fit.)
- Pallid
- Devoid of body hair (because of course everyone shaves their armpits in the middle of the apocalypse)
Then, you need to have a male counterpart. Here's what you'll likely find in an average YA hero:
- White
- Muscular (like the kind of biceps that shine in the sunlight and carry you away from harm. We need to have that shirtless moment.)
- Tall and lean
- Perfectly tousled hair, with an effortless messy look
- Clear skin (they have really good zit cream?)
- A smile to shame all other smiles, complete with perfect teeth
- Rough hands, because real men have rough hands, right?
- Tan
I love these characters. They are crafted so well and have a lot to teach us, but you have to admit there's not a whole lot of physical differences when you put them side by side.
Most of the time, these characters aren't sexualized like many of the ones we see on TV or in movies (Black Widow, anyone?), and their physical traits don't hold any real significance when it comes to the plot. YA is really good about putting the focus on personality, emphasizing the true importance of what's on the inside. But still, these details matter. They matter because when writing for a diverse group of young readers, only a small portion of them are going to fit this specific criteria. What sort of message does that send? I know authors aren't trying to purposefully hang these physical descriptions over our heads to serve as reminders of our own insecurities, but that can be exactly what happens.
Everyone remembers what it was like to be a teenager, and how it feels to believe that your body is constantly under scrutiny by those around you. A lot of adults experience the same thing, hating mirrors and scales with a passion. The media tends to tell us what strong, beautiful men and women are supposed to look like, and YA has backed this up in many ways. That doesn't help a young person already struggling in a world filled with subliminal messages about weight, shape, race, and gender. Eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and even depression can result, and while YA likely isn't the cause of such unfortunate situations, it has missed many opportunities to give these readers more than just cookie cutter beauty.
Looking at certain staples of this category of books, we all know YA boys are meant to bring about a certain swoon factor, and heroines are meant to be looked up to as they set a standard to strive for, but what about us? What about the hundreds of different body types that are reserved for sidekicks or outlandish plot lines? Because if you want to find that kind of diversity in the physical descriptions of YA characters, that is where you need to look.
Does that mean that anyone who doesn't meet the standard can't be the hero, that people of color or those who don't fit into a size 2 or just a kid with a pimple is sentenced to an eternal secondary role? Can someone lacking the masculinity of muscles and brawn still get the girl and have it be just as swoon-worthy? Or what about a tough girl who doesn't need to get the guy? Will a book still get praised if we have to hear about leg hair or cellulite or big noses or any of the other things that so many young people have come to hate about themselves? It's important for readers to see themselves represented in the books they find comfort in, whether it be their culture, appearance, or flaws. I can't begin to tell you how comforting it would have been in high school if I could have read about a strong YA heroine with stretch marks. Instead, I grew up thinking they were disgusting and abnormal and wrong. I loathed them, because they took away from the vision I was given of beauty.
Like I said, physical traits are such a small part of characterization in YA, and a lot of the blame can easily be put on the general attitudes we as a society have about body image. These 'ideal' heroes and heroines are so popular because that's what we've been taught to admire. The good news is that there are solutions, and the way we think about this sort of thing is slowly but surely changing.
We can create characters who defy ridiculous standards and declare that there is no one way to be beautiful. We can give that to young people, and open up doors for their own personal growth and acceptance. Books are so much more than pages and words, for they are incredibly powerful. We need to harness that power when deciding who our characters are going to be, and understand the positive role our stories can play. To include physical diversity of all kinds in YA is necessary not because we need to fill a quota of token characters in our writing, but because we owe it to our readers to tell them that they can be the hero no matter what they look like.
We can create characters who defy ridiculous standards and declare that there is no one way to be beautiful. We can give that to young people, and open up doors for their own personal growth and acceptance. Books are so much more than pages and words, for they are incredibly powerful. We need to harness that power when deciding who our characters are going to be, and understand the positive role our stories can play. To include physical diversity of all kinds in YA is necessary not because we need to fill a quota of token characters in our writing, but because we owe it to our readers to tell them that they can be the hero no matter what they look like.
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