I've been a part of the Wattpad community since 2014 and during my time here, the realm of fanfiction writing has been overly saturated with the basic white girl. The author would sketch a protagonist donning fair skin, blonde hair, and light eyes, who was shy, dorky, and a self-proclaimed "awkward girl."

Don't get it twisted though, these were (are) stories I genuinely loved reading, because the writing itself was great and the plot line unique. However, it didn't take long for me to realize the issue with this; the issue to my complacency. There was a reason why the pit of my stomach curdled every time I chose a new fan fiction to read, and was immediately upset with it.

I was done with the white girl protagonist.

While there's nothing wrong with Caucasians in the leading role, and some of my favorite stories here on Wattpad feature white heroines, it's been done...

SO. MANY. TIMES.

Think about movies, television shows, or popular books flying off the bookshelves at stores. White girls run Blockbuster hits, sitcoms, and trendy novels. From my own personal perspective, it's annoying sometimes. I'm a brown-skinned Asian girl, and accurate representation of my culture, my ethnicity, my heritage is hard to come by.

If you're a POC (person of color), then you know the struggles of finding representation in the media you consume. When I first joined Wattpad, the Filipino culture was no where to be found in any of the fandoms I wanted to read. And when I did find a little color, the writing wasn't decent enough for me to continue forward. That's one of the reasons why I began writing here in the first place. I wanted to write a story I'd enjoy reading, while breaking barriers, and showcasing the heritage I'm so proud of.

Understandably, writing POC can be intimidating and challenging. Diving deep into an ethnicity or culture you've never experienced first hand can be difficult to convey. Or you might be caucasian yourself and feel like the character will flow out of your fingertips easily if they are like you too.

This is perfectly fine.

However, just because you decide to put a white girl as your leading lady, does not mean she has to be a basic character. Everyone is unique. Everyone has their own quirks that make them different. So with that in mind, let's throw some muthafuckin' seasoning on your character.

✖ THE AESTHETICS.

Fair skin, blonde hair, blue eyes, blah, blah, blah. We've all read this same description over and over again. She's white, we get it. Give the reader details!

↳ Dive more into her blonde hair. What kind of blonde is it? Strawberry blonde, dirty blonde, platinum blonde, etc. What's her hair texture like? Naturally straight and stringy? Curly? Does it get greasy easily? Is it hard to hold a curl if she decides to curl it with an iron?

↳ Now her skin tone. Does she have naturally rosy cheeks because the red hues in her light skin transpire during simple walks? Does your character have freckles? Or maybe a cool birthmark on her neck that's shaped like Italy? What if it's a large, discolored birthmark on her chest and she's self-conscious about it?

Yes, looks are skin deep, but for POC, skin color can dictate how that person moves, and how the atmosphere around them moves too.

↳ EX. A white girl and a black girl gets approached by the police at a park because they both are underage drinking. All they are sipping on are wine coolers. They're just hanging out and in no way being disrespectful. Can you guess which one is probably going to get handcuffed, and which one is getting away with a slap on the wrist?

That's just one of the small "consequences" of being POC. And I put consequences in quotation marks because these so-called "consequences" aren't really effects of something negative, nor are they inconveniences. The results of being POC, are what make us strong and rise above!

Your character is already a white girl (whether she's the main protagonist or the best friend), there's underlying privilege there. So as an author, your job is to write something about the character that makes her different from all the other basic fanfiction girls on Wattpad.

Maybe she has a gap in between her front teeth? Or she has incredibly short, patchy hair because she's recovering from chemotherapy? Maybe she has several bruises due to her anemia?

If you want your character to be thin, beautiful, and tall that is perfectly okay too! There isn't anything wrong with creating a pretty white girl, because those type of gals exist in our world — like Blake Lively... holy shit she's gorgeous. But if you're gonna convey a perfect looking white girl, then give her some MF culture.

✖ THE CULTURE.

Here's the thing, Caucasians aren't always just white. Their bloodline is where the heritage resides. Don't be afraid of creating a character who is Irish, Russian, Scottish, or Armenian. For example, if your character is 100% Scottish and has lived in a traditional Scottish home for her entire life, then her upbringing is already unique in comparison to a basic white girl.

↳ EX. Native Scottish people have traditional dishes eaten on Christmas, or staple foods for every meal. They have a traditional Scottish music, wedding rituals, and thousands of years of folklore. That in itself is pretty fucking badass, and completely elevates a character to the next level.

There's also the option of your character spending the last 10 years of her life living in a foreign country like Japan, Nigeria, or India. This will also allow your character to adapt to some customs and practices unlike their own.

↳ EX. If your character lived in India for the last 10 years of their life before moving back to their home country, they may have gained a love for Indian food. What if your character brings a sandwich to a new school but with Indian flavors, and gets made fun of because of the cuisine was different and deemed "stinky"?

The possibilities are endless.

BUT if you do this — if you give your character culture (which I highly suggest you do), fucking go big or go home. Don't just stop with food. Delve into every area. Holidays, clothing, language, etc.

Do research and dive deep.

Do note that society and culture changes from ethnicity to ethnicity. For example, in American culture, it's encouraged to follow your dream; to move out at 18 and venture the world. But for Filipinos and other Asian cultures, following your dream isn't an easy construct. Parents heavily influence career choices, because family is the single most important aspect in Asian cultures.

↳ EX. What if your character's stepmom who she loves, is originally from Thailand? When your character chooses a major in university, what if there's some conflict? Your character wants to follow a dream but her stepmom interferes and insists on a career in the medical field? Her dad unfortunately has passed and can't help defend your protagonist, so she has to learn how to understand why her Thai stepmom acts the way she does.

✖ THE SOCIETAL CONSTRUCT.

Speaking of social constructs, understand your white girl, and make sure she understands herself too. Most importantly, make sure she understands her place as a white girl in this world.

If your story takes place in Montgomery, Alabama where caucasians make up most of the city, your character doesn't have to worry about feeling different, or have to face certain prejudices because of the color of her skin.

↳ EX. What if your character's best friend is Afro-Latina, who has deep brown skin and black, curly hair? And let's say that best friend gets questioned at the mall because the employees don't trust her. Your character witnesses this entire interaction, even defends her best friend from the blatant prejudice. But will your character fully understand what her BFF is going through?

The answer will most likely be no.

Why? Because she's white and the society in Alabama has always been in favor of caucasians. She can of course sympathize with her best friend, and part of seasoning the basic white girl, is having her understand her privilege and using it for the better... or the worse, if this character is an enemy of your protagonist.

Let's go back to that scenario at the mall. Pretend that the BFF gets upset and decides to go home, ruining plans to shop and have a sleepover. Your character, understanding her place, can do a variety of things:

↳ Maybe she's mad because she loves her BFF and doesn't understand why anyone would want to be mean to her. She can do research on traditional recipes and bring a dish to her BFF's home, and try to understand the whole situation.

↳ Or maybe she's sick and tired of the racism plaguing a city she was born and raised in, and decides to do something impactful. Together with her BFF and other people in the community, they organize a multicultural food festival where Birmingham's inhabitants can feast on cultural cuisines and get to know their POC neighbors.

The possibilities can go anywhere and everywhere. It's up to you as an author to decide how your white girl reacts to reality checks. And how she reacts will help season her.

✖ THE HOBBIES & QUIRKS.

Your basic white girl can have a hobby of playing the guitar, or dance, or baking. And that's totally fine. But let's amplify these hobbies and give her something a little more unique, because let's be honest: a white girl jamming out on her guitar is nothing new and kind of boring.

↳ EX. What if your character is an avid rock climber? What if her mom owns a rock climbing gym? Or what if her mom disapproves of her love of rock climbing, because the muscle growth in her arms is becoming unladylike?

↳ EX. What if your character loves to explore abandoned buildings on the weekend? Instead of going to the mall or parties, she's part of a crew that explores abandoned churches, theaters, homes, etc. What if she loves architecture and history, and has a drive to learn about her town's past?

↳ EX. What if your character loves to cosplay? What if she spends the money made at work for convention passes like AnimeCon and ComicCon? What if that made her a total dweeb and is the reason why she can't relate to her peers at school?

Research some cool hobbies online. There are TONS of quirky hobbies out there that will season your character. However, if you're adamant about your character having a simpler hobby, dive deeper into it and expand!

↳ EX. If your character is a dancer, what if she does other kinds of dancing besides ballet or tap? What if she is part of a Tahitian dance crew? What if she's the only white girl on this dance team and finds it hard to relate to her Pacific-Islander teammates? But at school, those teammates are the only brown-skinned girls on campus so your character can feel like she can relate. Until those teammates break it down and tell her she's only left out for one thing, when they've been left out their entire lives. That can change your character's perspective on things and gain insight too. Thus, seasoning her.

✖ SEASONED  vs. BASIC.

In this section, I'll show you how to take all that you've learned above and implement them into a seasoned white girl.

↳ BASIC: Becky Smith suddenly woke up from her alarm. It was Saturday and she could smell the bacon from downstairs. She needed a big breakfast before her baking competition. When Becky brushed her stringy, blonde hair, she smiled at the photo taped to the mirror. It was of her best friend, Ashley — a southern belle with bright blue eyes and the same pale skin as she... blah, blah, blah.

↳ SEASONED: Eden Murphy woke up to the sound of crashing glass bottles and cursing outside her window. Her father seemed to be cleaning up the remains of last night's engagement party. A soiree not for herself, but for her older brother who was to be wed in several months. Eden laughed to herself, thinking about the wild night. Her loud, crazy, yet very loving Irish family was everything she could ask for.

As Eden swung her legs off the bed, she accidentally smacked an unmoving body on her floor. Eden's best friend Nubia was snoring, tangled in blankets, as her locks of black, thick hair was piled in a messy bun atop her head. Eden had to wake up her up however, as she and Nubia had to be at a farmer's market a few towns over. It was a multicultural market where the girls could find traditional Irish and Egyptian spices to elevate their cupcakes for a future baking competition.

BAM.

This is your story, and you can write about anything. You can create a character worth reading about, but if you choose to feature a white girl as your leading lady, PLEASE season her. Develop a character who is multi-dimensional. Who is dope, woke, cultured, and is a character your audience wants to see win.

You got this!