Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Good Role Models Don't Try To Be

It's so annoying when people try to make a "positive female role model" or a "strong female protagonist". Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not being misogynistic here. I mean that it's annoying when people go out of their way to make a character to try to be defined like that. Those kinds of characters always end up failing at their one role because they try to hard. 

When a female character defines herself by her femininity, it's as obnoxious as male characters who act overly macho. When a female character believes that she is superior simply because she is female and "girls rule", it's just as sexist as characters espousing male superiority. 

The best role models are the ones that don't try to be. Specifically, if you write a character who is a good person, that character will be a good role model just by living their life; if that character tried to show off how good of a role model they were, then they would have failed to be a good role model because of the bragging.

 It's kind of like how cool people don't care about being cool, and that's what makes them cool. Write stories with interesting and believable characters, and role models will appear. They don't require effort. 

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