Unbelievable or how to write disregarding some readers’ comments

Theoretically, a character is valid through the empathy we feel towards them. They don’t need to be astoundingly beautiful…

Truly?

That’s unbelievable

To begin with, because both filmmaking and television plus comics work through images. And we feel attracted to beauty more than to talent. Unfortunately and we might wish it weren’t. We try to convince ourselves it is not.  We think working extra hard might compensate.

In second place, because more and more, we have turned beauty into a requirement, not as an inherent feature about someone. It is enough to listen to the complains of people around you, about this person or the other just because “they’re ugly” or “they’re fat”.

And… what is the origin of this idle thought about physical beauty in comics, movies, series and novels?

Simple. A comment about a webtoon character. As background let me tell you a bit of the plot. Not all cause it isn’t vital. Neither it is the name of the webtoon, which has its merits but didn’t generate this thought un-rolling by itself.

The comment has as axis the character… let’s say… Mirna. She has trauma about her looks[1] and due to betrayal by a fake friendship from a higher acquisitive status. Thus she manipulates/intrigues with other classmates to harass, isolate or plainly bully the main female character: Diana.

This could be explained as the author wanting to include a bit of background to understand Mirna’s grudge against Diana and make the story a lot less unilateral; in this game of POV. With some misunderstandings as you will see.

Diana is perfect. She is wealthy, talented, beautiful (a daring male would say she is a true highway to try a motorbike’s swift with a dolly face… Sorry the joke gets lost in translation but the next best thing I can think of is quite vulgar[2]…). Plus; (is there more?), a sweetie pie of a person without personality flaws or weaknesses to take her into do reckless stuff or whine scared.

Zip, zero. She is a high grade quality item without fail, everything bad about her comes from the exterior. That is enough for me to hate her… Nobody is that perfect and as a character, what the heck do you do with her?  (Had I mentioned before, the webtoon has its merit?).

Diana has a friend called Zid. With an impressive body for someone fifteen y.o.: a washboard stomach, green ginormous eyes, blond hair, innocent puppy face. Aren’t you already drooling? I clarify; none of them is like that because of genetics or gym. They’ve been lab modified, non consensually. Up to here, the stage of the comment.

Coming into the empanada’s filling; the comment: this anonymous person hates Mirna because she (the person of the comment herself), has come to learn to love herself and not to care about looks as reason at all to dislike or hate others. Neither their talents or wealth. Mirna doesn’t deserve any kind of compassion or empathy. She is a ***** (fill it up with the hateful word of choice)

Eh… eh… wait a second. Something is not square as my favourite police chief would say. When we identify with a character it is because:

1. They look like us (eyes, unkempt hair, they have a dog/cat, goes to the shrink).
2. They have a problem we have and would like to overcome (we love the character) or we think it is hateful and we don’t want to think about it (we hate the character for not doing what they should). It generates an emotion, so we are hooked up.
3. They do things we just can’t like James Bond, Superman… Cersi (to be evil and enjoy it no consciousness involved). We admire them or we covet them secretly.

Let’s, just for a minute, think Mirna is really despicable and hateful. And this is the end of this empanada filling:

Why to read a webtoon where the main characters (both FL and ML) are perfect (take out the almost because they really have no flaws) if you can take yourself as you are? The mere excitement of action? To know the origen or result of a lab modification? To admire the idealized beauty of these imaginary people?

It is possible. Perhaps the webtoon is better[3]. However, just after reading the comment, something was off. Do you think the same or am I the only one? It could be.

Like, subscribe, comment. Be happy and if you like beautiful characters just as Edward Cullen, confess beauty is important for you to read.

---

[1] She is plump and that ain’t hateful since I’m also a Little over… stuffed.

[2] She is a cake to be creampied…Yes, I know. Totally vulgar and sexist and… the rest.

[3] I confess my irking level of dissatisfaction with my pigody and my wish to lose myself in these kind of plots from time to time. A likewise re-infection merry go round in which I read, feel unsatisfied, need a beauty dose, satisfy my virtual reality need and everything goes to the start again.  Maybe that’s why the comment smelled like rats, because of my own psyque. Anyway, we all like different stuff.