When Bodies Matter: Creating Characters Who Feel Real

How My Brutal Beast Challenges Beauty Standards

Romance novels have power. The characters we create either reinforce harmful ideas or challenge them.

I wanted Cassandra in My Brutal Beast to be plus-size and unapologetically deserving of love. Not because a hot guy validates her, but because she's already worthy exactly as she is.

The Damage of "You'd Be Pretty If..."

We've all heard it. Those backhanded compliments and "helpful" suggestions about our bodies.

You can see it in this scene:

I squeal. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you might be sore." There's no arrogance in his voice, only a tenderness that softens his sharp face as he stares down at me. "I'm going to take care of you."

I feel my face heat, both from the memory of how hard and rough he was inside of me, and also because he's carrying me. I've never been carried, not even as a little girl. I've always been too big, too overweight, and my reaction is instantaneous. "It's okay. You don't have to do that. I'm too heavy for you like this, put me down."

Raven's eyes narrow at my words, but, he drops a kiss on my forehead. "You are not too heavy for me. I'm sorry you have been surrounded by nothing but weak men who didn't care about you—much less deserve you—but they are your past, not your present or future. That role belongs to me. Nothing they said was true. Do not do yourself the dishonor of believing their lies."

That moment hit me hard when I wrote it. Her automatic assumption that she's "too heavy" wasn't born in that moment—it came from years of being told her body was a problem.

The "Magic Fix" Problem in Romance

One thing that drives me crazy in romance is when the hero magically fixes the heroine's self-esteem by finding her attractive.

That's not how it works.

Real healing is messy. It takes time. One person saying nice things doesn't erase years of hearing the opposite.

I didn't want Raven to "fix" Cassandra. I wanted him to create space for her to start questioning the narrative she's been fed about her body.

Writing Bodies That Feel Real

When I write characters, I want their bodies to feel lived-in. Not perfect. Not problems to solve. Just bodies that exist and deserve love exactly as they are.

For Cassandra, that meant:

1. Showing her internalized shame without endorsing it
2. Not glossing over the real impact of society's attitudes
3. Making her journey about reclaiming her worth, not just finding love
4. Giving her agency in her own healing

Romance gives us this amazing opportunity to show readers versions of themselves receiving the love they deserve. Not because they changed to fit some standard, but because they were always worthy.

That's the story I wanted to tell with Cassandra and Raven. Sometimes we all need to be reminded that those negative voices aren't telling the truth.

My Brutal Beast releases on October 1, 2023. Pre-order here.