How to make an MC transformation realistic

Writing Desk Archive
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I seem to be talking a lot about MC’s recently and it’s for good reasons! This is a thread which talks specifically about something which seems to annoy us all.

When an MC suddenly goes from being “invisible” to “popular” just because her best friend has given her a make over and took her to a party

There are many reasons why this is annoying and here is some of them

annoying aspects

It’s mainly unrealistic, it doesn’t happen in real life. If you’re unpopular and being bullied that won’t change just because you have a make over and go to a party. Doing this in your story gives the readers the message that they can solve all their problems just by changing who they are, as a message this is highly toxic and if you’re on a platform with younger readers then this really does give them bad message.

Pretty much in most cases where you’re being bullied and start wearing make up and going to parties and leaving your comfort zone. It can increase your confidence and the bullying doesn’t seem as bad anymore because as long as you are happy with the way you look you gradually stop caring about what other people think. This isn’t the same for everybody and it doesn’t make the bullying suddenly stop and magically you’re the most popular person in the school with a bad boy boyfriend. It should be about you.

Okay, onto my actual advice on the topic. You have to consider the MC as a person. Would she like it if her best friend forced her out of her comfort zone and made her wear clothes she didn’t like and make up she didn’t want? In most cases probably not, if you have made a modest MC then they should be modest, I’m not saying they can’t develop into being outgoing, but it should be more gradual than them going to a party and poof they’re popular. Also if you are using a platform where you can give readers a choice as to whether or not they go the the party but no matter what they press you make them go anyway, then what the heck is the point of giving them the choice.

Now if them being at the party is a big part of the story then please make it realistic. They are more likely to be uncomfortable at the party in clothes they don’t like surrounded by people who bully them, than they are to be dancing around and getting really drunk. So if you do want them to be having a good time then put them at a party in clothes they want with people they like.

Maybe the best friend could be an actually decent person who introduces your MC to nice people who make them feel good instead of the people they go to high school with.

For example in the perks of being a wallflower he is socially awkward but attends parties with his friends and other social rejects. It makes more sense. Nerds can have fun too y’know, it’s not only jocks and cheerleaders that have parties.

If you are going to show the MC partying and doing something she doesn’t like doing then my suggestion is to show the MC as pretending to be something they aren’t. Show her thoughts to the reader as being different then what they show. Then maybe later in the plot somebody could call them out on her behaviour and they could have an identity crisis which is very common in teenagers and young adults but rarely shown in stories.

We can discuss more in the thread.

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Oof i have a lot to say about this…

  • First of all, If you want your MC to get a makeover, do it for the right reasons.
    Getting a makeover isn’t a bad thing as long as you do it for yourself. I mean the MC can get a makeover if the feel like they want to change their appearance for themselves and not change for someone else, like a boy or do it to fit in.

  • A ‘Best friend’ is named like this for a reason
    A best friend is supposed to be understanding, and help the MC not the opposite. Most authors have changed the B to ‘bold’ friend than ‘best’ friend meaning that the friend drags the MC to parties even if they know that MC doesn’t like parties. If they don’t like parties, there are other things you can do with the BFF that makes the MC comfortable. Plus i don’t think there are always parties organized every weekend.

  • Losing the glasses doesn’t make the MC less ugly
    When the MC decides to do a makeover, replacing the glasses with contacts isn’t always the solution. As far as we know, contacts are not the most comfortable and you can make the MC not like them, it also helps with character development. Not everyone likes contacts.

  • The MC can’t go to a non-alcoholic to an alcoholic
    If a MC goes to a party but doesn’t like alcohol, yet they get drunk and found passed out on the floor ain’t it, chief. The MC needs to have a personality, if the MC doesn’t drink, then alcohol isn’t their thing even if they go to parties and drink juice or something, but it’s ok to try for the first time. If they do drink, then they can get as drunk as they usually get.
    bonus
    If the MC tries alcohol for the first time, it’s still the start which means they don’t swallow a whole bottle of gin, they have like a glass of it.

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That’s absolutely perfect!

And this is so painfully true because of how physically impossible it is. If your MC has never drank alcohol before they won’t handle it very well.

Yeah this hurts me on an emotional level because I’m equally ugly with our without glasses :sob: Jk but glasses are used to help vision they aren’t an accessory unless you’re a hipster or something. So taking them off doesn’t change much except for the vision of your MC.

And if they are doing it to fit in then make it bite them on the butt.

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Exactly, the MC is beautiful with or without glasses.

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Yeah this isn’t some superman type thing where they take their glasses off and suddenly they’re unrecognisable :joy:

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Exactly, the characters are like: ‘oMg iS tHat ViOlEt??’ :rofl:

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mean girl with diva curls crosses her arms angrily

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and the crush was waiting for the MC to take off her glasses and let down her hair to fall in love with her

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bad boy goes up to her on a motorcycle in the middle of the corridor to sweep her off her feet

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mc does awkward thing with arm and becomes a tomato

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That’s one of the cliches that I really hate :anger::anger::roll_eyes::unamused:

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I hate that gesture

Nobody does that :joy:

It’s such a common thing in this kind of story. If your MC is uncomfortable to the point she’s red in the face and stroking her arm, she’s clearly not feeling very happy. Body language is everything.

And I swear if the next thing the bad boy says is “do I make you nervous?” In that flirty way I’m gonna pour my non alcoholic drink over his head.

sorry to give the characters genders it’s just common in this scenario

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Also why is it that the first person the MC talks to is the one who spikes her drink? It’s got a bit predictable and most of the time it’s never treated as seriously as it should.

Sensitive topic of r*pe in the blurred bit too often the party scene is used for a date rape scenario where the MC gets their drink spiked but gets magically saved by the main LI. This gives a terrible message, it’s a horrible world we live in where we have to watch our drinks at parties for fear of it being spiked. But it’s something you have to do, it’s something you should watch out for and be aware of. You can’t rely on a love interest or any random saviour, you need to be careful. So in these stories it’s very dangerous to just show your MC being so vulnerable to the point they get in that position and then use it as an excuse for the love interest and the MC to meet each other. To clarify I’m not saying that being irresponsible would make it the MC’s fault, after all let’s not victim blame. But it’s a very sensitive topic and you need to be careful when writing it.

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To cut a long story short for anybody who doesn’t want to read the blurred text. I don’t recommend writing a drink spike scene.

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Exactly! If a person has a low self-esteem, a makeover will not help them to become popular. Lots of girls I know who don’t wear makeup or don’t care about their appearance are popular and have many friends because they are happy with who they are and are naturally extroverted and sociable. It’s not all about what you wear; it’s how you carry yourself that makes a huge difference. So an unpopular girl isn’t going to become automatically popular just because she starts wearing makeup and loses here glasses!
I love makeup, nails, and nice clothes, but I’m still socially awkward around people I don’t know too well or that I’m not comfortable with.

Also, excellent point about the drinking bit. This is one of my top ten story pet peeves. If someone drinks alcohol at a party for the first time, it’s not very likely that they’re just going to get drunk on the spot! In the Cambridge Certification class I teach to high school students, I have a kid who hates alcohol, and he told me that at a party, his best friend’s girlfriend offered him a glass of whiskey. He said that it was so disgusting that he spit it out as soon as it touched his lips. So no, a person who isn’t used to alcohol will probably either spit it out at the first taste, or will drink a couple of sips before deciding that it’s too much for them.

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Also a quiet mc doesn’t necessarily equal an insecure one. Not all mc’s need the “extrovert glow up”. Quiet confidence exists.

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Bump.

  • What’s your opinion on MC transformations?
  • Why not make the MC popular and outgoing, then she transforms into someone more quiet and reserved?
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I don’t usually like them, as they aren’t realistic. Makeovers are cool and all, but what I don’t like is that their personality magically changes once they get a makeover. Or the reasons for getting one, because it’s usually to impress/attract someone.

That would definitely be interesting!

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I like transformations where an important event changes the MC. Sometimes over the course of the story, sometimes over the course of one chapter/episode.

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Bump.

Anyone have some tips/opinions on transformations in stories? :thinking::white_heart: