It occurred to me, while I was writing a sexy kick ass scene (of your traditional vampire hunter in leather variety), that there is an innate difference between theoretically sexy and real life sexy. The case in point: scars.

This is something you frequently see in both books and in film. Scars are a mark of strength. Of battles fought and won. Of danger and daring. These are the character elements that scars become a symbol of, yet without compromising in any way the (often stereotypical) ‘attractiveness’ of the character. Male or female, a strategically placed scar is sexy in books and on film.

In real life, that is more often not the case. Few people wear scars with the pride and confidence that fictional media imbues. Scars are more likely to be a trigger of a disturbing event. A memory that is often something better best forgotten. Frequently, scars are things that are covered, replete with a sense of shame. The bearer often feels the exact opposite of ‘sexy’ when considering them. Not in all cases, but in many.

On the opposite side to this self-perception, the response that scars provoke in others is similarly different when considering fantasy versus reality.  Scars usually provoke an instinctive second glance, a double take. The first assumptions are not around the ‘hot or not’ of the person, but a curiosity around the event. What happened, rather than what it made the person become. A significant size scar is likely to be associated with the word ‘disfigured’ rather than ‘sexy’. I am not saying that I personally feel that way, so don’t flame me in the comments. I am merely stating that scars – just one example of many – are portrayed significantly differently in the media to how they are perceived in the daily world we walk through.

So, as I write my character, complete with scar, I know that I am consciously choosing to perpetuate that cycle. With that needs to come an awareness of how the very nature of fiction can bridge or widen a gap.

And which of these options you really want to achieve.