It's a question of what is an appropriate perspective for the narrative voice.
That's a textbook rookie mistake. Editors should know to stamp that out, including protagonists who look in the mirror in the first scene so they can describe what they look like.
I think authors think readers want to know what a character looks like, but not so much, really. What you want is the reader to *feel* your character, be in her head. And yeah, what you said about no one walking around thinking about her sparkling blue eyes and the way her boobs feel in her bra.
And it is not like there are not ways to handle it. Like complaining about the difficulties of finding a comfortable sports bra that fits for a woman with big boobs. Or one character telling another 'don't bat those baby blues at me and expect to change my mind' only in a less cliched way than my example.
I remember once I wore a new dress out to lunch after a rainstorm, I got such great service...everyone was really friendly. Then I got home and found one reason. They could see through my new outfit.
the only time I wander around the house thinking about my boobs is when I have PMS and want to lop them off.
I think authors think readers want to know what a character looks like, but not so much, really.
There have been a few books/stories I've read where the POV character is never physically described, and I only notice it because I'm curious about the approaches the author takes to doing it. I'd probably never notice if I was just reading.
One thing a fair number of male writers do is have a female character look at herself nude in the mirror and evaluate herself ... favorably.
There's a great post by Sherwood Smith about that up at Book View Cafe [link]
Ah yes Toddson, I believe that's what Suela meant by having the female POV figure articulating the male gaze.
Gosh, don't we all admire our stunning physical attributes in the mirror on a regular basis?
I generally find any excessive physical descriptions of characters annoying. It isn't a big part of getting to know them unless a physical characteristic relates to their motives or nature. But nothing bugs more than repeating the same description. Ha, to repeat myself from above.
I blame the drugs.
I don't believe I have stunning attributes.
