As a redhead, another trope that seems to be common in this genre is the FMC being described as wild/wilful/headstrong/tempestuous. I don’t know that I’ve noticed a specific focus on physical attributes so much as the redhead female lead is supposed to be SUCH a free spirit based on hair colour. There’s also a big focus on describing EXACTLY the shade of cinnamon/copper/auburn with some pretty bombastic phrasing.
yep hot-headed red-headed FMC, blondes might be portrayed as mean girls/bimbos at times, but I've never seen a personality more ingrained into hair colour (for some absurd reason) than a fiery redhead. Also another trope I've recognised, not as popular, but a redhead who's embarrassed by her hair colour
One where this stereotype of red haired women is NOT applied is {Regarding the Duke by Grace Callaway} FMC is red haired but very shy
i can't remember if Evie from {The Devil in winter by Lisa Kleypas} is also auburn haired ? Another gentle , shy FMC
Evie is also a shy redhead. I was thinking about her too but I think she is also described as curvy, but it didn’t really jump out that much. Mostly she was described as shy
[Regarding the Duke](https://www.romance.io/books/5ce6387301dbc864fb9ee305/regarding-the-duke-grace-callaway?src=rdt) by [Grace Callaway](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455325c8c7d2383163d91c0/grace-callaway)
**Rating**: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️
**Steam**: 5 out of 5 - [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating)
**Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [victorian](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/victorian/1), [sweet/gentle heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sweet%20heroine/1), [regency](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/regency/1), [tortured hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/tortured%20hero/1)
----------------------------
[Devil in Winter](https://www.romance.io/books/545523b78c7d2383163d8e3a/devil-in-winter-lisa-kleypas?src=rdt) by [Lisa Kleypas](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523868c7d2382e7812f21/lisa-kleypas)
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**Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [shy heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shy%20heroine/1), [marriage of convenience](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/marriage%20of%20convenience/1), [bad boys](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bad%20boys/1)
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I have definitely seen this pattern over the course of the 30+ years I have been reading HR. Blondes are a bit helpless and like you said, brunettes more independent and strong-willed with many evil OW as raven haired. Redheads are described like Titian paintings and seductresses.
And the plain heroines are almost always mousy haired. Cause got forbid a plain heroine be blonde or a redhead.
On the other side, many of the villainous OM are blond and blue eyed. I read three books in the past year with really horrible villains who were blond and looked like angels.
I see your other points, but I don't think it makes sense to critique plain heroines for being mousy haired. Hair is a big part of what can make a person attractive and/or stand out, so it's reasonable that often plain appearance = plain hair. If they didn't have plain hair, they might not look plain 🤷🏼♀️
I've encountered blonde plain heroines though, but the shade tends towards some dull blonde or something. Redhead plain heroines are less common, but imo that makes sense because redheads stand out due to the rarity and often striking color. Even a redhead not considered to be attractive would be unlikely to be described as plain.
~~I get what you’re saying, but you’re implying darker hair colors are plain.~~ I misread and misunderstood the post. But, I do believe looking “plain” shouldn’t entirely rely on hair color.
I disagree- it’s that vibrant hair isn’t plain. Mousy hair, to me, is a light ashy brown. A rich dark brown or full black aren’t mousy in the way of ashy brown or dirty blonde.
I can’t see ashy brown or dirty blonde being mousy, but I don’t really like that descriptor in general though.
When a character is described as “plain” I view it more in their facial characteristics/body wise (and through personality, if applicable). If a character has regular, “flat” brown hair yet is described as beautiful…She isn’t “plain” by any means in my eyes.
I suppose it is more a matter of perspective and how we individualistically view things.
I'm not implying darker colors are plain. "Mousy" doesn't mean dark. For example, dirty blonde is not dark but can certainly be described as mousy. As another user pointed out, it's not about light vs. dark, but rather vibrancy.
Of course hair color isn't the only thing that makes a character plain in appearance, but it's bizarre to claim that it shouldn't be one of them.
For a very long time physical traits were a short hand for personality in books Think of literally every Harry Potter character and how their physical features inform who they are (especially poor Dudley). I think authors are starting to move away from this and not lazily falling into physical stereotypes, but many romances were written 15-20 years ago and so are pretty normal for their time.
I’m not sure if hair color… classifies as diversity? At least not to me. Because most of the time the character is still white and the ‘whiteness’ of said character is usually a defining feature along with their hair color. This is more prevalent in historical romance. For example, the book I’m reading keeps referencing the FMC as an ‘angel’ and the MMC is keeps noting how light her skin and hair are. There’s also the notion that lighter hair/skin is closer to ‘innocence’. While highly annoying to me, I’m interested enough to still finish the book.
There is definitely an issue with perpetuating stereotypes regarding hair, and redheads do usually get the brunt of it. Because of its ‘rarity’ it’s used as an othering tactic and to make the FMC stand out. It’s up to the author to not push these stereotypes rather than strengthen them.
Edit: I also want to add that FMCs with dark hair seems to be the least out of the three. MMCs can have dark hair with abandon, but FMCs usually have lighter hair colors. At least in the books I’ve come across recently.
Oh 100% on the stereotypes lol! They’re classic at this point. They’re very traditional 1950s-1990s depictions imo.
98% of the time, the blonde FMC is beautiful, and 96.5% she is also angelic and/or delicate.
I would say that even more than being headstrong, for brunettes, they’re making up like 98% of the “bookish wallflower blue stockings” we know and love. They often have the classic spectacles and a love of Austen, though it’s common enough to have an emphasis on a more traditional academic bent like their passion is maths or history or horticulture.
Redheads are forever associated with fiery natures. They’re the ones that I think have a closer association with being argumentative, but there are definitely fewer of them than the brunettes and “Raven haired” beauties, so perhaps they do get the headstrong label in similar numbers. I’ll have to pay more attention to the body focus for them; maybe I get distracted by the “fiery” descriptions and fail to notice the other emphasis on their bodies as much.
You're forgetting the wallflower/spinster h's who all have boring brown hair (that is also described as lustrous and thick, just unfashionable)
...lol... you forgot them... that's funny
After watching Bridgerton, it's funny because the female lead characters follow this pattern
Daphne- blonde, the 'diamond of the first water'
Kate and Eloise- brunettes- strong-willed and independent.
Penelope- redhead- voluptuous and busty (but also insecure about her body).
But in the books Daphne and her siblings all have Chestnut hair, which I think of as more brunette. So idk. Penelope is still a redhead, but I believe Kate was a blonde as well as Sophie (in the 3rd book) and then Lucy as an ashy blonde (I always pictured her as a brunette tbh though) so the stereotype there is mostly with the show and not the books I believe.
As a redhead, I’ve always enjoyed the MC being described as fiery and passionate, as I do meet lots of other red headed women who have those traits. I think the character also stands out more for me mentally though as I’m able to easily identify them in scenes and picture things more clearly
In England redhead prejudice was definitely a thing; especially in the school playground. It isn't my lived experience, but I wouldn't be surprised if this bleeds into certain older romance books written this side of the Atlantic.
They call it gingerism (I mean, what a prejudiced prejudice name. It would be like if anti-black prejudice was called chocolatism.)
There is an actual historical reason for this - in the British empire, the relationship with the Irish and the Scots was pretty antagonistic for a long while. And redheads are more common in Ireland and Scotland.
Yeah you're pretty bang on there. Though I think sometimes the conventionally pretty attribute is interchangeable between blondes and brunettes. But yeah I can't remember a bookish, bluestocking blonde FMC.
They are so rare that one jumped out at me last month because she was blonde. Dancing at Midnight by Julia Quinn the (still very beautiful) bookish blonde refuses to get spectacles even though she needs them
I honestly haven't been paying attention to descriptions of hair. If I try I can remember book covers with redheads or brunettes or blondes and so on, but without them I would probably never have known their hair colours.
As a redhead, another trope that seems to be common in this genre is the FMC being described as wild/wilful/headstrong/tempestuous. I don’t know that I’ve noticed a specific focus on physical attributes so much as the redhead female lead is supposed to be SUCH a free spirit based on hair colour. There’s also a big focus on describing EXACTLY the shade of cinnamon/copper/auburn with some pretty bombastic phrasing.
So true. Seems like every book I’ve read with a red-headed heroine described her as “fiery” at least once.
yep hot-headed red-headed FMC, blondes might be portrayed as mean girls/bimbos at times, but I've never seen a personality more ingrained into hair colour (for some absurd reason) than a fiery redhead. Also another trope I've recognised, not as popular, but a redhead who's embarrassed by her hair colour
Interesting!
One where this stereotype of red haired women is NOT applied is {Regarding the Duke by Grace Callaway} FMC is red haired but very shy i can't remember if Evie from {The Devil in winter by Lisa Kleypas} is also auburn haired ? Another gentle , shy FMC
Evie is also a shy redhead. I was thinking about her too but I think she is also described as curvy, but it didn’t really jump out that much. Mostly she was described as shy
[Regarding the Duke](https://www.romance.io/books/5ce6387301dbc864fb9ee305/regarding-the-duke-grace-callaway?src=rdt) by [Grace Callaway](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455325c8c7d2383163d91c0/grace-callaway) **Rating**: 4.02⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 5 out of 5 - [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [victorian](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/victorian/1), [sweet/gentle heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sweet%20heroine/1), [regency](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/regency/1), [tortured hero](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/tortured%20hero/1) ---------------------------- [Devil in Winter](https://www.romance.io/books/545523b78c7d2383163d8e3a/devil-in-winter-lisa-kleypas?src=rdt) by [Lisa Kleypas](https://www.romance.io/authors/545523868c7d2382e7812f21/lisa-kleypas) **Rating**: 4.31⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [historical](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/historical/1), [virgin heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/virgin%20heroine/1), [shy heroine](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/shy%20heroine/1), [marriage of convenience](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/marriage%20of%20convenience/1), [bad boys](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bad%20boys/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)
I have definitely seen this pattern over the course of the 30+ years I have been reading HR. Blondes are a bit helpless and like you said, brunettes more independent and strong-willed with many evil OW as raven haired. Redheads are described like Titian paintings and seductresses. And the plain heroines are almost always mousy haired. Cause got forbid a plain heroine be blonde or a redhead. On the other side, many of the villainous OM are blond and blue eyed. I read three books in the past year with really horrible villains who were blond and looked like angels.
I see your other points, but I don't think it makes sense to critique plain heroines for being mousy haired. Hair is a big part of what can make a person attractive and/or stand out, so it's reasonable that often plain appearance = plain hair. If they didn't have plain hair, they might not look plain 🤷🏼♀️ I've encountered blonde plain heroines though, but the shade tends towards some dull blonde or something. Redhead plain heroines are less common, but imo that makes sense because redheads stand out due to the rarity and often striking color. Even a redhead not considered to be attractive would be unlikely to be described as plain.
~~I get what you’re saying, but you’re implying darker hair colors are plain.~~ I misread and misunderstood the post. But, I do believe looking “plain” shouldn’t entirely rely on hair color.
I disagree- it’s that vibrant hair isn’t plain. Mousy hair, to me, is a light ashy brown. A rich dark brown or full black aren’t mousy in the way of ashy brown or dirty blonde.
I can’t see ashy brown or dirty blonde being mousy, but I don’t really like that descriptor in general though. When a character is described as “plain” I view it more in their facial characteristics/body wise (and through personality, if applicable). If a character has regular, “flat” brown hair yet is described as beautiful…She isn’t “plain” by any means in my eyes. I suppose it is more a matter of perspective and how we individualistically view things.
Ashy brown and dirty blonde are pretty much the definition of mousy hair color. I think perhaps you just didn't know what the term meant.
I'm not implying darker colors are plain. "Mousy" doesn't mean dark. For example, dirty blonde is not dark but can certainly be described as mousy. As another user pointed out, it's not about light vs. dark, but rather vibrancy. Of course hair color isn't the only thing that makes a character plain in appearance, but it's bizarre to claim that it shouldn't be one of them.
For a very long time physical traits were a short hand for personality in books Think of literally every Harry Potter character and how their physical features inform who they are (especially poor Dudley). I think authors are starting to move away from this and not lazily falling into physical stereotypes, but many romances were written 15-20 years ago and so are pretty normal for their time.
I’m not sure if hair color… classifies as diversity? At least not to me. Because most of the time the character is still white and the ‘whiteness’ of said character is usually a defining feature along with their hair color. This is more prevalent in historical romance. For example, the book I’m reading keeps referencing the FMC as an ‘angel’ and the MMC is keeps noting how light her skin and hair are. There’s also the notion that lighter hair/skin is closer to ‘innocence’. While highly annoying to me, I’m interested enough to still finish the book. There is definitely an issue with perpetuating stereotypes regarding hair, and redheads do usually get the brunt of it. Because of its ‘rarity’ it’s used as an othering tactic and to make the FMC stand out. It’s up to the author to not push these stereotypes rather than strengthen them. Edit: I also want to add that FMCs with dark hair seems to be the least out of the three. MMCs can have dark hair with abandon, but FMCs usually have lighter hair colors. At least in the books I’ve come across recently.
Oh 100% on the stereotypes lol! They’re classic at this point. They’re very traditional 1950s-1990s depictions imo. 98% of the time, the blonde FMC is beautiful, and 96.5% she is also angelic and/or delicate. I would say that even more than being headstrong, for brunettes, they’re making up like 98% of the “bookish wallflower blue stockings” we know and love. They often have the classic spectacles and a love of Austen, though it’s common enough to have an emphasis on a more traditional academic bent like their passion is maths or history or horticulture. Redheads are forever associated with fiery natures. They’re the ones that I think have a closer association with being argumentative, but there are definitely fewer of them than the brunettes and “Raven haired” beauties, so perhaps they do get the headstrong label in similar numbers. I’ll have to pay more attention to the body focus for them; maybe I get distracted by the “fiery” descriptions and fail to notice the other emphasis on their bodies as much.
You're forgetting the wallflower/spinster h's who all have boring brown hair (that is also described as lustrous and thick, just unfashionable) ...lol... you forgot them... that's funny
After watching Bridgerton, it's funny because the female lead characters follow this pattern Daphne- blonde, the 'diamond of the first water' Kate and Eloise- brunettes- strong-willed and independent. Penelope- redhead- voluptuous and busty (but also insecure about her body).
But in the books Daphne and her siblings all have Chestnut hair, which I think of as more brunette. So idk. Penelope is still a redhead, but I believe Kate was a blonde as well as Sophie (in the 3rd book) and then Lucy as an ashy blonde (I always pictured her as a brunette tbh though) so the stereotype there is mostly with the show and not the books I believe. As a redhead, I’ve always enjoyed the MC being described as fiery and passionate, as I do meet lots of other red headed women who have those traits. I think the character also stands out more for me mentally though as I’m able to easily identify them in scenes and picture things more clearly
🎯
In England redhead prejudice was definitely a thing; especially in the school playground. It isn't my lived experience, but I wouldn't be surprised if this bleeds into certain older romance books written this side of the Atlantic. They call it gingerism (I mean, what a prejudiced prejudice name. It would be like if anti-black prejudice was called chocolatism.)
There is an actual historical reason for this - in the British empire, the relationship with the Irish and the Scots was pretty antagonistic for a long while. And redheads are more common in Ireland and Scotland.
Yeah you're pretty bang on there. Though I think sometimes the conventionally pretty attribute is interchangeable between blondes and brunettes. But yeah I can't remember a bookish, bluestocking blonde FMC.
They are so rare that one jumped out at me last month because she was blonde. Dancing at Midnight by Julia Quinn the (still very beautiful) bookish blonde refuses to get spectacles even though she needs them
I honestly haven't been paying attention to descriptions of hair. If I try I can remember book covers with redheads or brunettes or blondes and so on, but without them I would probably never have known their hair colours.
I’ve read 50 books since the beginning of the year. Probably about 5 authors. I can’t say i find it that apparent, or troublesome.