Bout damn time they showed up in this thread. I don't have much new to add, but I will say that for a bit of character inspiration, I'd point you in the direction of Tamora Pierce. She writes mostly (exclusively?) female leads who don't care much for this froufrou girly nonsense, just want to kick butt and take names, and even have to deal with the sexism a modern person would expect from the feudal era. The first series, Song of the Lioness, is about a girl who wants to be a knight so bad she dresses as a boy for ten years. She's only found out when her clothes are cut open on accident during a duel in front of the court. The second series, The Immortals, is about a girl who is the daughter of a Wild God and can do some seriously crazy things with her magic. She has issues with 1) people and 2) dresses, not necessarily in that order. The third, Protector of the Small, is about a girl who wants to be a knight, but because of the first one, she doesn't have to pretend to be a dude. Kel is big for a girl, I think she ends up close to six foot, a damn good fighter, and damn smart, too...she's not the prettiest, but then, she doesn't have to be. None of the three really want to waste their time being 'feminine'--they have bad guys to kill and asses to kick and very important knight/mage things to be doing--but will on occasion. Alanna's a stunner, Daine's a pretty little thing, and Kel...well, Kel's alright. But that's not important, and the only people who bring up their looks are people who are trying to shoot them down because they're girls (and their love interests, but who's counting). They'll wear dresses on occasion, and Daine gets over her 'dresses are bad' phase by the fourth book, but they're all badasses in their own right who don't particularly care what's girly and what isn't. It's just not important to them. They're warriors. They do warrior things. But they're still women, just not particularly...overtly feminine women. Maybe take a look at how Tamora Pierce does her girls. post-script: apparently, not exclusively. she's still writing, and her latest novel is about a dude. I'm sure it'll be great, though.
Very cool! Thank you very much for your recommendations on Tamora’s Books. I will definitely check those out. I like the mentality of not caring or thinking about what’s girly and what isn’t. My princess knight is a warrior at heart...that’s who she is first and foremost, a warrior...having her be a female should not change the way I write her, I should not allow gender get in the way of who I know she is. She needs to be herself, I’m not going to allow social stereotypes impact who she is. My protagonist may not be into really girly things but do I need to bring that up in the story at all? I will definitely see how Tamora writes her girls and pick up inspiration from that. Again, thank you!
This is, I'm afraid, where I start looking squint-eyed. Got news for your protagonist, a LOT of women, including those that wear the things, don't really like dresses and heels. Especially heels. They can hurt like hell, and most of the women I know avoid them like the plague if they can. A lot of perfectly feminine women don't wear or particularly like dresses. I don't wear skirts myself unless I'm duty-bound; trousers and cheerful shirts (often in a large, cheerful floral print, simply because I like flowers) is pretty much my work uniform (along with flatties). More squint-eyes, sorry: how many women do you think actually loathe and detest domesticity? (hint: The I Hate to Cook book of the fifties didn't become a bestseller for nothing; and these days, how many women actually do any sewing more complicated than - hell, as complicated as - hemming a seam? I get a self-righteous glow for hours from sewing a button back on!!) And this 'loves hanging out with the dudes' and 'doesn't need a girls night'... this is just my reaction, that you're trying too hard to make her 'unfeminine'. Your character is a tomboy and that's fine, but I get the feeling that you've actually built this cliche of a 'feminine' character in your mind and are trying to create an exact opposite, and therefore risking a cliche of your own. But the toughest woman (or man!) on the planet can like something like knitting, just because it's relaxing, she gets perfectly fitting socks, and steel knitting needles are a great stabby weapon in an emergency...
I've only skimmed the other responses in this thread, so apologies if this has already been raised. That said: "Too masculine" by what definition? You have described a character who is physically strong, doesn't wear typically "female" clothing, prefers the company of men, is not maternal and in fact dislikes children, puts her career first, stands up for herself, and is not susceptible to social pressure. I don't know what about that profile would define her as "too masculine", unless you believe that those traits are exclusive to men, or that their inverse traits are exclusive to women. If that is what you believe, then that would suggest a rather stereotyped view of both men and women (i.e. that men are strong, aggressive, independent and power-driven, and that women are gentle, vulnerable, caring and socially-driven). If, however, you believe that all of those traits exist in all people of both genders to varying degrees, and can exist in any combination, then I'm not sure what you're worrying about.
I agree with raine_d. I think the OP is trying to hard to make her 'unfeminine' intentionally. My antiheroine is a tomboy. She loves wearing perfume and jewelry though. I mean it's hard for me to even think of specific 'feminine' hobbies for her I guess but those two things stand out. Like the OP's protagonist, mine prefers combat boots or really nice shoes over heels. She's rather tall anyway, why would she want heels to begin with imho? She lives a very stressful life so she tries to keep it easy on herself and not hurt her poor feet. I've never thought about it but perhaps my antiheroine may even enjoy a thing like knitting to relax herself. I know she loves body massages, not to say that's a 100% feminine thing by any means but something for her to relax to make her life more enjoyable. Just write her as you know her and don't intentionally make her 'unfeminine' or else it will show in your writing.
My antiheroine shares a few of the same traits as the OP's protagonist. I agree with mashers too in what they say. Don't allow stereotypes get in the way of your character. Don't make them twist and turn who you know she is. Both men and women can be strong and aggressive, power-hungry, etc. They also can be gentle, nurturing, etc. There really is no 'standard' to write to. In this day and age, anyone can be whatever they want to be. Stereotypes may still exist out there but they are being broken and I think writers overall are getting away from that. I mean would you call Katniss 100% gentle, nurturing character from The Hunger Games? She does have those qualities but she's also physically strong and can be aggressive. She is a mix of the stereotyped view of men and women. Overall, I thought she was a great character. I never liked the ending to her story but I did enjoy her whole story up until the epilogue. Great female character to look at.
Well, I don't agree with this, and want to make sure you're not implying this is what I meant. There are very real determining factors in who people are and what they are capable of. People can't just define themselves out of who and what they are. My point was more that those factors aren't necessarily as gender specific as stereotypes would have you believe.
For whatever reason my female friends are really into sewing, cooking, beauty salons, and fashion (in addition to actually fun things like martial arts or horseback riding). My theory is, they live in a society where they're free to do whatever the hell they want, where they are seen as persons first, women second, where they don't have to feel bad about doing stereotypically feminine things, so they actually get to enjoy them without pressure. (This is also known as the Nordic Paradox, I think, which is more related to workplace choices, but I'm wondering if it could apply to free time as well). They've said they've taken up sewing because that's what their grandmothers did (when they didn't have a choice...), and it's so delightfully retro and hipstery to sew your own and kids' clothes. Most of the time I feel like an oddball around them, be they my colleagues who work in the same field with me, or family friends. We get along great, but I'm literally the only one who doesn't visit the hair salon every two months and wear earrings, nail polish or skirts. In the real world, a lot of women are an amalgamation of (these somewhat arbitrary labels) "feminine" and "masculine". Some of us can sport heels, fake eyelashes and a fashionable clutch bag but have no nurture instinct to speak of. Some of us are great with kids but dress like skaters and have never dyed our hair. Some love sports that tend to be favored my men, but still keep their hair long and throw on a flower pattern dress after two hours in the boxing ring. So, to the OP: Whether or not your female character appears "too masculine" will depend on the reader and the culture they come from and have grown up in, and whether or not your character appears "too masculine" within your story's world will also depend on the kind world you craft. There also women who intentionally buck gender norms, whether they truly want it or not, just to make a statement. Reasons can vary. My advice to you: write the kind of character you enjoy writing. Don't worry about her appearing too masculine.
