Beautiful Villains, Ugly Heroes: Rethinking How We Describe Characters
Growing up, we were told never to judge a book by its cover.
At some later point, we realized people do judge the proverbial book by its cover. The older I got, the more I experienced, read, and thought about human nature. It's in our nature to judge and label to better understand the world around us.
Authors and filmmakers use their knowledge of human nature in a few lines of physical description to instantly influence how other characters--and the audience--perceive a character.
From the grotesque villains of fairy tales to the glamorous heroes of Hollywood, appearance frequently serves as a shorthand for traits like goodness, evil, strength, or vulnerability.
First Impressions and Physical Appearances in Storytelling
The moment you describe a character, you create an immediate first impression.
For centuries, writers have used a character's outward appearance to signal inner qualities--essentially inviting readers to judge a character's nature by their looks. In classic fairy tales and myths, this became almost a rule: beautiful princesses and shining knights were virtuous, while ugly witches, gnarled trolls, or scar-faced villains embodied evil.
You can find examples of "beauty = goodness" throughout literature and cinematic history.
From their face, body, and clothing--visual cues on the page or screen.
Cues shape how other characters treat them within the story and how we, as the audience, feel about them. It can be a powerful and effective tool in storytelling. Although it's also prone to reflecting social biases.
Before we know what a character thinks and the actions they take, we know their hair color, skin tone, or physique, in addition to being loaded with cultural meaning.
The Stereotype Trap: When Appearance Reinforces Bias
Not all character descriptions are harmless.
Fiction has a long history of coding "us vs. them" through physical features like skin color. Classic literature often portrayed foreign or non-white characters with demeaning descriptors – think of colonial-era books where indigenous people were labeled “savages” and depicted with animalistic features.
How characters are described physically often differs by gender in ways that mirror societal stereotypes. Female characters are frequently introduced with a focus on their beauty, softness, or sex appeal, whereas male characters get descriptions of strength, size, or toughness.
Literature and media have often sent the message that to be good is to be attractive (and usually slim), while overweight or “ugly” characters are figures of ridicule or villainy. Fatness in fiction, for instance, is commonly associated with negative traits like laziness, gluttony, or buffoonery. Think of the jolly but foolish fat sidekick or the greedy villain with an enormous girth; these are stock characters from Dickens novels to modern comedies.
Another troubling trope is the disfigured or disabled villain. Physical disabilities or distinctive marks have been used as instant shorthand for evil intentions – a lazy narrative shortcut that has persisted from classic literature into modern film.
In all of these cases, physical descriptions act as a double-edged sword.
They provide quick characterization, but when based on stereotypes, they cement biases in the story and the audience’s mind.
Breaking the Mold: Challenging Appearance Stereotypes
Lucky for us, many contemporary books and films deliberately subvert these tropes, using physical descriptions to challenge the audience’s biases or to broaden representation.
For example, you might see ugly heroes and beautiful villains. Such as in the classic Quasimodo or Auggie in Wonder (2017).
Authors and filmmakers are increasingly crafting protagonists whose physical descriptions celebrate diversity in race, body type, gender presentation, and more--rather than defaulting to a Eurocentric or idealized image.
Some narratives build the theme of bias into the plot, showing characters learning not to judge by appearances. In To Kill a Mockingbird (1960), for instance, children in Maycomb are initially terrified by their reclusive neighbor “Boo” Radley, whom neighborhood legend describes as a ghoul-like “malevolent phantom” who eats cats sparknotes.com. Boo is imagined in grotesque terms – yet when he finally appears, the kids (and readers) discover he is a kind, shy protector.
In all, writers and filmmakers are broadening the palette of character depictions.
They are proving that a hero can be a scarred woman in a wheelchair, a nerdy kid with glasses and frizzy hair, or a chubby middle-aged man – and that a villain might lurk behind a winning smile or in the guise of the boy next door.
Why It Matters: Impact on Readers and Audiences
Descriptions aren’t just story decoration – they have real impact on how we view others in the real world.
When certain looks are repeatedly tied to certain traits in media, we absorb those associations, sometimes without realizing it. For example, if every evil stepmother a child sees in movies is an older woman with a wart on her nose, the child may start to instinctively distrust people who even vaguely fit that image.
On the flip side, inclusive and thoughtful character descriptions can improve perceptions.
Positive representation matters deeply: studies indicate that seeing diverse characters portrayed with respect and nuance can increase self-esteem for readers/viewers who identify with those groups and also reduce prejudices among the wider audience.
Crucially, creators and industry leaders are acknowledging the responsibility that comes with depicting characters.
There are now campaigns and guidelines to steer storytelling away from harmful tropes.
A notable example is the #IAmNotYourVillain campaign by the charity Changing Faces, which calls on filmmakers to stop using scars or facial differences as a lazy code for evil.
The only thing I frown upon is casting an actor of color in a role that was traditionally played by a person of fairer skin. For example, the recently announced casting of Severus Snape as a black man. Is he even British? I don't particularly like this move, but at this point, let's hope he can bring the character alive.
Quick Recap: The Looks That Tell a Story
Physical descriptions will always be a vivid part of storytelling – they spark our imagination and can convey a wealth of information in a single image. The challenge and opportunity for writers and filmmakers is to use these descriptions wisely. Rather than relying on tired stereotypes or reinforcing biases (intentionally or accidentally), creators can choose to depict characters in ways that reflect the true diversity of people and avoid one-dimensional judgments.
I think the most interesting stories have ugly heroes and beautiful villains. Like the movie Mean Girls. Regina George is beautiful but she uses her looks as a weapon in the way she controls and manipulates everyone around her. Cady is seen in the beginning as an ugly duckling and her friends are looked at as weird and ugly. But they end up becoming heroes when we see their authenticity and kindness and empathy. This is why I love Mean Girls and other movies like it! Thanks for doing a deep dive into this topic Idris Elijah!
One of my all time favorite movies dismantles the idea that being hot or popular means you’re a winner in life - Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. Christy Masters (and her “A Group” friends) is the epitome of high school beauty and popularity but underneath it all is a shallow and insecure bully. Meanwhile, Romy was awkward and her best friend Michelle was “Back Brace Girl.” Romy and Michelle end up winning, not because they became more conventionally beautiful. They won because they own their style, their bond and their story. And viewers like me loved it! Beautiful villains and ugly heroes can make for some fascinating and compelling writing. Great work Idris!