candyhere:

I hate the cliche of the heroine disliking embroidery, fancy clothes, etc., (especially in princesses!)
It’s like that silly argument that you’re not a proper feminist if you like make-up, shaving, etc.
Why can’t I read a story with a tomboyish girl who doesn’t feel the need to rejected their “girly” side? Sandry, from Circle of Magic, doesn’t count because her power basically was embroidery. That’s slightly different from what I want because her powers were the focus? While I’m looking for a girl who simply enjoys the pastime (or at least, doesn’t despise or reject it).
I’m not saying girls in stories shouldn’t be tomboyish, and that I want them all to go back to the traditional feminine roles. However, rejecting it all is an anti-cliche that’s just as bad!
Another thing is that a girl can be a “tomboy” and still like things like embroidery and dresses. A tomboy is a girl acts like a boy, not one is that is trying to be a boy. Even so! There are men who take great care about their appearances and are quite dashing. This stereotypical cliche that a girl being a tomboy can’t care about her appearance (or sewing) is stupid erroneous.

Okay I’m just gonna tag on my own little spiel to this post because its… mildly relevant. owo;;

As a writer, I cant say I’m fond of the tomboy cliche, or any character cliche for that matter. A good writer goes past tropes, cliches, and archtypes and create a human with complex motives, desires, and tastes. That said, I’m sure some people could look at a character and write them off as this or that… but the same could be said of real people in the real world. Some people ARE cliche, some try so hard to fit in that they stuff themselves into little boxes and live out their whole life in there. And if you want to write that, go ahead. But remember to add some depth. Depth is the key to all good characters.

I have a character named Fallon. She is the commander of an army and the leader of a resistance. She is resilient, strong, determined, and committed to her goals. She is also compassionate and empathetic, she can feel overwhelmed and hopeless at times, but she can also get over it and do what needs to be done. She takes 20 minutes in the morning to comb her hair. She likes pink, especially lighter shades of it. She loves her boyfriend  and relies on him as much as he relies on her. She is stronger than him, though, and always feels the need to protect him. She is religious, yet open-minded… where she could have killed the man her religion deems the most despicable of false prophets, she let the man speak. And in time, she grew to trust him.

This is a character who could have easily been written as a tomboy, as a cold hard bitch who rejects femininity in favour of being respected in her line of work— But here’s the thing; femininity isn’t inferior. Being feminine has no sway in how well Fallon leads her troops, holds no relevance to her tactical decisions… she is a girl with a goal that she plans on reaching.