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Character Trait: Glamorous

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Definition: having an aura of allure and fascination; a showy attractiveness

Characters in Literature and Pop Culture: Scarlett O’Hara (Gone with the Wind), Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby), Audrey Hepburn, Princess Grace

Common Portrayals: actors, models, royalty, the wealthy, rock stars, beauty queens

Clichés to Avoid: the criminally bored young heir or heiress; the glamorous character who takes pity on a hopeless cause and makes her over into someone fabulous; the washed-up actress or model who clings to her glamor via plastic surgery and inappropriate clothing 

Twists on the Traditional Glamorous Character: 

  • Glamorous characters are almost always wealthy. But what about a poor or working class character who achieves glamor through little means? (Pretty in Pink style) 
  • Or, to twist the cliché the other direction, create a wealthy character with absolutely no style or fashion whatsoever. 
  • People usually work so hard at being glamorous because of their need to live up to others’ expectations, being driven to keep up with the Joneses, or a desire to appear more “together” than they really are. Try changing the motivation to put a twist on the glamorous character. 

Build a worthy protagonist with a mix of unique strengths that will help him overcome obstacles and achieve meaningful goals.

This sample, along with the rest of the character trait entries, has been expanded into book form. Together, the bestselling NEGATIVE TRAIT THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER FLAWS and POSITIVE TRAIT THESAURUS: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO CHARACTER ATTRIBUTES contain over 200 traits for you to choose from when creating memorable, compelling characters. Each entry contains possible causes for the trait, as well as positive and negative aspects, traits in supporting characters that may cause conflict, and associated behaviors, attitudes, thoughts, and emotions. For more information on this bestselling book and where it can be found, please visit our bookstore.

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Comments

  5. Trisha says

    I only recently saw my first Audrey Hepburn movies – Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Sabrina. Fun 🙂

    Your posts on character traits are invaluable!

  7. Old Kitty says

    I aspire to be glamorous but never quite make the cut as real life always intrudes! LOL!! Audrey Hepburn is total glam though! Take care
    x

  11. Becca Puglisi says

    Ahh, Tracy. Gotta love the postal service ;). And Linda, I couldn’t agree more. I watch those Fashion Police shows, and the people I think they’re going to crucify are the ones they’re all gooey-eyed over. I just don’t get it.