You know it. You all know it, even if you didn't know you know it. You've got this amazing female character, in a fan fiction or original story or whatever, and she is either totally badass or special in some way; and she's the main character so it's okay to be special.

I have no problems with that. But, when I read the description and feel super pumped to read it, I almost click "read" until I read the last sentence or paragraph, which gives a little of her backstory.

"BTW I was/almost raped at one point in their life and so I'm just going to leave that there so you know I've had a hard life bye."

What the fuck.

Seriously, what the fuck.

I mean, I guess I should be flattered that us women are seen as so strong and badass that the only possible way for us to look weak is to have a backstory such as that.

But no.

Nuh-uh, not going to buy that shit. You know what also equals a hard life? Living below the poverty line, having fought in a war and now struggling with PTSD, having everything taken from you at one point, being homeless, etc. That shit is hard.

Listen, I'm not saying that rape is something to be taken lightly. In a few posts back, you saw my stance on that.

But for the love of God, does every female character have to have been taken advantage of sexually at one point in her life? It does nothing to make her look any more or less badass or special, mostly because it is such an overused backstory.

It seems that almost every story centering around a female character in the Wattpad community has been a victim of this awful crime. It's not sexy (far from it, actually), romantic, or do anything to your plot. I've read several books where the female is going along doing her own happy little thing and then BOOM, out of nowhere, Mr. Rapist comes and does his dirty deed.

And . . . She suffers trauma for about two paragraphs and gets over it. Or even worse: she almost gets raped or something, and then goes have sex with someone else.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!!

The last thing anybody, man or woman, would want to do after almost being forced to have sex would be to consentually have sex with someone else! Unless they are some kind of psychopath, they wouldnt even dare be in the same room with another person for a while, much less to have sex.

You literally just shit on every rape victim in existence by portraying characters like this. It's absolutely disgusting.

Have you read the book Speak? If you haven't, I suggest out read it. There's also a movie that Kristen Stewart stars in. Anyways, it's about this girl. Everyone hates her because she snitched about a party where there was underage drinking. She's depressed, lonely, and her only outlet is art. She's scared to be around anyone for too long alone, and she shows special fear for this one boy in her school, and he constantly is bullying her along with the rest of her friends. Her life is completely miserable.

SPOILER

That party she snitched on? She called the police because the boy she was afraid of had raped her at that party. She was scared, alone, and did the only thing she could- call 911 for help.

And this whole book is about how she never got over it until she finally told everyone. Until she had the courage to Speak and get help.

Her friends came back, but I'm not sure if she took them back or not.

SPOILER OVER

In any case, that is how you should portray a rape victim, should your book so desperately call for one.

But guys, please stay classy about this. Again, it's not sexy or romantic, it's absolutely disgusting and an unoriginal idea for a female backstory. Why not go for something different? Have her whole family die in a house fire, have the villain kill her little sister/brother, or something.

A disgusted fangirl, out.