My husband and I went to see Eragon the other day. Ten minutes into the movie I leaned over and whispered in my hubby’s ear, “Hey, I’ve broken the code. If the character is pretty, they’re good; if they’re ugly they’re bad.” Then I went back to munching popcorn.
We’d like to think that we as a society are a little more profound than to judge a person by their comeliness—or lack thereof—but study after study has shown that we aren’t. We judge people by how pleasant it is to look at them. I don’t know if Americans are any worse than other countries, but beauty seems more noticeable here. Maybe it’s because there are so many ways to correct unloveliness in our modern age. Teeth can be fixed, blemishes operated on. Many of the afflictions of older ages simply aren’t around anymore. Do you know anyone with rickets or a goiter? We’ve come to expect in modern America a certain level of—what should I call it?—minimal attractiveness, and woe betide the person who falls beneath it. The teenager whose teeth haven’t been fixed. The woman who lets a great big mole grow on her chin. Why doesn’t she get it removed, for goodness sake? We ask ourselves silently. Doesn’t she know it makes her less attractive?
My hero in The Raven Prince, Edward de Raaf, the Earl of Swartingham, survived a smallpox epidemic and has the scars to prove it. This is my first book and I wrote it over three years ago now. At the time I wrote it I reflected on my hero’s lack of beauty (he isn’t too impressive even under the scars) but in the intervening years I hadn’t really thought about it. And then The Raven Prince was released in November and I started getting mail. Lots of mail. Almost every writer commented on Edward’s lack of beauty. And every single person who commented on Edward’s ugliness said they liked it. Isn’t that interesting?
So, I’m asking you. What do you expect in a romance hero? Does he have to be handsome? And if not handsome, how do you define his attraction? And what about our society as a whole? How do we handle ugly people in America? Do we even allow ugly people?
And I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of The Raven Prince to one of the people who comments on this post, so you can decide for yourself if Edward makes a believable romance hero or not.
Cheers!
Elizabeth
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I like the idea of a hero that’s not gorgeous. I’ve read and enjoyed romances where the heroine is plain looking or plump but often they are still paired up with a stunning hero. Once the hero is not physically attractive then we have to come to like him through his actions and words.
Having two teenagers in the house I am used to hearing a lot about people’s looks. There is a big emphasis placed on not just looks but clothes, shoes, handbags, etc. I tell them all the time that looks are not the most important things in life but I am up against a lot of competition from the media where looks are everything.
by Maureen
on January 10th, 2007 at 6:27 am
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I quite like “ugly” heros. I think they tend to be more interesting and add a level of depth and believability. Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre is constantly described as ugly yet he is still a very classic romantic hero.
by Lauren
on January 10th, 2007 at 7:19 am
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I like a hero who isn’t remarkable handsome. The heroes tend to have more going for them when they aren’t the best looking guys and they are more down to earth than those who depend on their looks.
by Crystal B.
on January 10th, 2007 at 8:25 am
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I do not think that a hero has to be handsome to be a good character. I have always liked it when the hero is decidely unhandsome, but still draws the heroine to him with an instant attraction.
The same thing goes for the heroine. I like it when she isn’t beautiful, but there is just something about her that makes the hero fall for her hard and fast.
by Shannon Upright
on January 10th, 2007 at 9:11 am
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I like heroes who don’t have perfect faces. Of course, you never get to see a picture on the cover of a book of a hero who might even have a scar on his face!
by Minna
on January 10th, 2007 at 9:37 am
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I don’t like my heros perfectly handsome either, give me a few flaws. But he must be fairly tall and he must have a little muscle–don’t like a wimpy hero. Even in a contemporary story I want to have the sense he could save the heroine if needed. And this is minor but I don’t like blond heros–dark hair seems to go with strength in my mind.
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I like a hero who is handsome in a rugged way but I also like a hero who is more of a hero by the way he treats a lady and has a great sense of humor. I’ve never really thought about the way society treats ugly people. I guess I always try to treat everyone the same. A great personality is what I look for in people and not the outside. There’s definitely more to life than the way a person looks.
by Janet
on January 10th, 2007 at 10:02 am
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Here is the thing…society has drilled the image of beauty into our heads and it is based solely on pleasing physical characteristics. Sure, we all love to look at a handsome man or a beautiful woman but in the long run, I think we look beyond that when we fall in love.
A hero doesn’t have to be physically perfect for me to like them. I love Amanda Quick’s novels because the hero is not always picture perfect. They usually have some flaw or imperfection and the woman loves them in spite of it. If the character is intruiging and has redeeming qualities, they don’t have to be a “hunk” for me to buy into the hero image. One of my favorite heros (if you can call him that!) is the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera. Disfigured, bitter, even homicidal but there is something sad and appealing about him to me.
by Angie T
on January 10th, 2007 at 10:19 am
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:grin: I’ll admit it. I love a hero with what I consider to be a to die for body. BUT, I’ve discovered through the years that a to die for personality must go with the hero both in a book or in real life, or I find him unattractive in the long run. Also, I’ve noticed that a hero who has extreme character and who may be “rugged” handsome rather than “pretty handsome” is what I find handsome. I think flaw and imperfection in looks can be far more intriguing in the long run.
Denise A. Agnew
http://www.deniseagnew.com
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I find a hero attractive by his actions not by how he looks. I think it is how people interact with other people that gets my attention. In person, I’m attracted to a persons smile first and if it lights up their eyes. Then I go by how a person interact with others.
I think the media has brainwashed most people into thinking that you can’t be a beautiful person unless you are perfect by their standards. Those standards usually change each decade or so. So those who were perfect years ago, would probably not make the cut today.
by Wanda
on January 10th, 2007 at 10:26 am
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It’s the same reason why some of us just really love the Phantom of the Opera — it isn’t always the outside that makes the person who they are. And if all you have is the perfect outside, that might get you so far, but it can’t get you everything. Besides, a lot the romance heroes that we all like might be incredibly handsome, but they have a heck of a lot more substance than that. As the Twilight Zone episode says, Beauty is in the Eyes of the Beholder. :)
Lois
by Lois
on January 10th, 2007 at 11:16 am
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When reading a book I’m sure we all “picture” the hero differently. No matter the description we all have our own ideals and definitions of beauty. For example, I find it interesting that coming from a family of 4 girls, not a one of our husbands look anything alike - size, hair color, eyes, etc.
And, I think society puts too much emphasis on outward appearance. Why do we allow others to tell us how big our breasts should be, how perky our butts should look, how puffy our lips need to be, etc.? And, these “standards” of beauty change from decade to decade also.
I would rather have a hero with a sense of humor and heart of gold than one who is drop dead gorgeous.
by Christy
on January 10th, 2007 at 11:56 am
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Good luck everyone! The book is great. One of the best debut in 2006 for me.
I don’t like too goregous heroes, they aren’t realistic.
by Danny
on January 10th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
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I don’t feel the hero has too be handsome either! A few flaws is just fine. A pretty boy has never been one that I liked in either books or movies. I like a more rugged hero. Of course, it goes without saying, that how he treats the heroine and other is much more important. Also, I agree with Christy, we all see the hero the way we want to! lol
by Carol
on January 10th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
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A hero does not have to be handsome. I love the Beauty and the Beast story. It is one of my favorite stories. There is just something sweet about a hideous guy who is loved by a woman despite his appearance. A perfect example of true love which looks beyond the appearance.
by Cherie Japp
on January 10th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
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Heroes with character are much more appealing to me. they can be rugged and masculine and interesting looking to compensate but the best are ones with brains and sensitivity.
by diane
on January 10th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
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I generally don’t care so much about how the characters look unless it is a major point in the story. And as for attractiveness, as long as the characters are “beautiful” to each other, what else matters?
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A person’s character can make them gorgeous or ugly. But you have to get past the surface to find that out. i love heroes that are not pretty, but are striking because of their presence. When I see or think of a “pretty” guy I think, “high maintenance” and “wimp”. I think when the hero is not pretty it also says more about the heroine that she looked past that or got to know him well enough to learn that his character/personality made him beautiful.
by Kris
on January 10th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
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I tend to like both my heros and heroines not to be perfect. In my books Hell Kat and Inferno, both the hero Hades and the heroine Kat, are physically scarred and emotionally. It’s their actions that prove they are worthy of hero and heroine status…
by Vivi Anna
on January 10th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
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In a lot of romance novels I feel the hero has to be gorgeous because usually the story doesn’t go deep enough to really explore his character.
But sometimes an author can really pull it off with an ugly hero. Like Mr.Rochester like Lauren mentioned.
One of my all-time favourite heroes was ugly. He was the hero of Susan Lewis’s Darkest Longings. His name was Francois, he was French and he is still one of my leading fantasy men, possibly THE leading fantasy man. But I think it is all down to the author on whether or not the hero can be ugly and yet attractive. Susan lewis is fabulous at creating to-die-for heroes no matter what they look like. Try to get your hands on Darkest Longings. It’s incredible.
by Maria Duncan
on January 10th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
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He doesn’t have to be “dangerously attractive”, but he needs to be compelling in some way. Have an intensity, some personal charm, integrity, humor, inner strength that draws you and makes you care about him and what happens to him.
by cathy
on January 10th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
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I like it when heroes are not perfect in looks. I haven’t read many books that way, but the ones I have I enjoyed. I like to read that they are not completely perfect in looks maybe, but the way they treat the lady and the person they are makes them very attractive.
by Karen
on January 10th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
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I like imperfect characters…no one in real life is perfect so why should they be in books. I will read about any type of hero or heroine though…not just imperfect ones. But I think imperfections (physical and emotional) add to the character and make them more realistic and relatable.
However, I don’t really care much about a character’s appearance…I am more interested in his or her character, personality, actions, etc. I am the same in real life…care more about personality than appearance.
by Jennifer Y.
on January 10th, 2007 at 4:38 pm
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I don’t think that the hero or heroines in books have to be good looking. It’s not what is on the outside but what is on the inside that counts. A good personality and humor is what usually attracts me to a person.
by Teresa Warner
on January 10th, 2007 at 5:34 pm
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The hero must definitely have some flaws whether it be characteristics or looks. He does not have to be extremely handsome or such; his character and his ways about him will endear him to me. His kindness, charm etc. will add to my liking of him.
There is too much pressure nowadays to have the ‘look’. They have invented a fix for everything when it comes to looks-tummy tucks, face lift, eyebrow lift, teeth implants, butt lift, lip injections(was just watching a show on TV last night about this. We should accept people for their niceness.
by RobynL
on January 10th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
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I don’t have to have a handsome hero. I think if he is intelligent, warm on the inside and falls completely smitten with the heroine then I’m going to fall in love with him.
I often say in real life that people are as attractive as their personality. You can have a great looking guy who has an awful personality. In time, he won’t be so great looking. I think the reverse holds true, too.
by KimW
on January 10th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
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I think a characters personality is what makes them “attractive.” And how he treats his friends and family.
Characters that have flaws are more believable. If the hero is too perfect, my first thought it “yeah, right”…or sometimes “where can I find someone like him” :) LOL!
by Kathleen
on January 10th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
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For me a hero doesn’t have to be handsome but, he must be kind, considerate of others feelings…sensitive.
I think that ugly people have a harder time in America … whether it be in a job search, making friends or meeting new people. People are more in awe of beautiful people so, they might not have the easiest time either.
When I meet someone with a disfigurement I try to be nicer to them. Lots of times you might at first think that someone is unattractive but, as you get to know them, they are usually the most honest with you, very loyal and caring people.
by Laurie G
on January 10th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
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For me he doesn’t have to be handsome but he has to have something personality charissma etc to draw the heroine to him. And he has to have muscles
by Liz Denler
on January 10th, 2007 at 11:56 pm
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When I read that the h/h are beautiful I find it hard to relate to the characters and I have trouble getting really immersed in the story as I do if the characters are based on the characters actions, personality, sensitivity, etc. I am attracted to a hero based on how he treats the heroine.
When I was younger I was guilty of judging people by how they looked. It’s taken experience and maturity to learn that you can’t judge a person by their cover. I’ve known some really handsome guys and attractive women but their attitudes usually turn me away. I try to look beyond a persons looks and react to people based on their personality, how they treat others and their humor. If a person has physical defects I try to be nicer to them and go out of my way more then if a person is attractive. I’ve also learned not to based my opinions about a person on first meetings because they are usually skewed in some way. I have some really great friends because I didn’t judge them right away and waited to get to know them.
by Cat S.
on January 11th, 2007 at 1:16 am
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As long as the characters are given personalities with depth and facets so that as the story progresses we are learning more about them, then I feel what the characters look like takes a back seat.
by Sue A.
on January 11th, 2007 at 4:01 am
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I don’t think the hero has to be gorgeous, if he has some kind of scar or feature that makes him stand out like beautiful green eyes.
by Dena
on January 11th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
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I don’t think the hero has to be classicly handsome. Of course there must be something about him that attracts the heroine and the reader. He could be confident, have keen intelligence, or be charming. He could be honorable, strong, and kind. He could be the wounded hero that we want to redeem, or the rake we want to reform. He could be the over the top alpha or the cute beta next door. I find so many different types of heroes appealing. I don’t think their is any certain formula that works for me. I just want the hero to be authentic and interesting.
by Zara
on January 11th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
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Congratulations to Shannon U! My assistant has pulled her name from a hat to win an autographed copy of THE RAVEN PRINCE.
And thank you to everyone who replied to my post–this is a topic of great interest to me and your replies have given me much to think about.
by Elizabeth Hoyt
on January 11th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
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Big congrats Shannon!
by Danny
on January 12th, 2007 at 5:30 am
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Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
by Shannon Upright
on January 12th, 2007 at 8:59 am
