She did it. He did it. Do we judge them differently?

A fantasy romance author I know tried a simple yet devastating experiment: She shared the first 1,200 words of a (then pre-publication) book with some readers for feedback, and a version of that same selection with other readers. The only change? The gender of the main character.

For instance:

As much as Sarra hated being gawked at, she took some joy out of the inconvenience her presence brought those of the court. Most of them were too haughty and self centered to talk about anything but themselves, and frankly, she had far more important things to concern herself with. 

and ...

As much as Elias hated being gawked at, he took some joy out of the inconvenience his presence brought those of the court. Most of them were too haughty and self centered to talk about anything but themselves, and frankly, he had far more important things to concern himself with. 

Can you guess what readers said about Sarra vs. Elias?

"She is rude and juvenile in her interactions."

"At this age, I would expect her to be more mindful of her actions in court and the importance of putting personal feelings aside."

"Yeaaaah she sounds like a [expletive deleted]."

"Elias strikes me as a good man, struggling with a bad system and unwanted obligations."

"Seems like he might have a bit more depth and nuance than I initially expected."

"He's highly intelligent with a righteous indignation towards hypocrisy and human suffering."

Based on this feedback, author Wren Murphy could have taken the easy road. She could have sanded the edges off her main character to make her more likeable to these readers who gave Elias grace they weren't willing to extend to Sarra.

But she thought the world needed more imperfect women who get to have the same arcs we allow imperfect men. She released her book, The Serpent Lord, with the original Sarra intact.

I probably don't need to point out that there are real-world impacts to these sorts of double standards. It doesn't go just one way, either: Women and men both get judged for certain traits or behaviors that the other is lauded for. (And if you're nonbinary or trans or in any way outside the expectations some have for gender, there's a whole other level of crap you might have to deal with.)

Wren's experiment is a good reminder: Let's think twice before we declare a real or fictional someone unlikable for behavior we'd condone from someone else. We're all internalizing these ideas, whether we realize it or not: Those readers whose comments I shared above, Wren notes, are women.

"I had one guy read both," she tells me, "and he was like 'whoa, you're right. The male version is much more easy to like than the female version and I don't know why.'"

Knowing is half the battle. Don't let the magiocracy win. 😉

Have you caught yourself doing this? Is there a character (or real person) you changed your mind about? Hit reply and share that light bulb moment.

📚🌟📚🌟📚

A few more cool & bookish things

Speaking of edgy female characters: Fantasy romance author Lisette Marshall has one for you (and an assassin sent to kill her) in her new book, Iron:

Two years ago she poisoned her violent husband. Now Tamar, Queen of Redwood, rules her kingdom on her own, with an iron fist and a closely guarded heart. Surrounded by scheming nobles, she can never afford to lose control of her court – or of herself. But when an infuriatingly handsome assassin breaks into her room one night, her careful web of authority shatters at once.

Raised in the treacherous Taavi Empire, Runo knows every rule of survival. Don’t love, don’t get attached. Kill, and live. His newest target may wear a crown, but thanks to a traitor offering him an easy way into her rooms, even the Iron Queen of Redwood will have to make peace with her mortality soon. Except that Tamar turns out to be everything but the easy prey Runo assumed…

Get the book

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You made it to the end! You're awesome. (And oh hey, here are my latest books. In an America run by wizards and 100 years behind on women's rights, she resists. He's the wizard who just hired her.)

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