“Lately, every time I pick up a book with a female main character, I see at least two common elements. The first is that she’s pretty, if not beautiful, and the fact that she’s physically appealing has a distinct effect on the novel’s plot, changing the way other characters, both male and female, react to her. The second is that no matter how grim a situation surrounds the heroine or how world-ripping the conflict she’s involved in, there is always a love story, and it’s usually one of the main foci of the book.”

– There are plenty of gnarly dudes in books, so Erika Johansen takes a look at the lack of “ugly” heroines in literature at Buzzfeed Books.

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