How can writers describe characters of different races and ethnicities without coming off racist?

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

I'm an aspiring fiction writer and I want my characters to be culturally diverse but when I was reading critiques of my fantasy short story, one of my classmates wrote that my description for one of the characters sounded kind of racist.
In the fantasy world of my short story, there are two separate nations. One is the separated in sub clans influenced by western cultures such as Europe, Africa, the Americas, etc. And the other nation is separated by sub clans of eastern cultures like a Chinese influences clan, another that's Japanese, one that's Indian, etc. If you're confused it's like in the Avatar cartoon where they made the fire nation Chinese/Japanese influenced, The Air Nomads Tibetan influenced, etc. (Or did I make that more confusing?)
Anyway the part of the story where my classmate said sounded kind of racist goes, "But from what I've seen around his eyes were physical features of someone from one of the eastern clans." Now on its own I definitely see how it can sound racist, but prior to all that, I wrote how that the character was completely covered where only his eyes were visible.
When looking at the other critiques, I didn't see anyone else say that was racist. For all IK the person who said that part sounded racist was one of the white classmates. It still concerns me though. If you agree that it does sound racist, I apologize. But more importantly, what would be a better way to describe the features of characters of ethnicities that aren't my own? For the record I'm biracial. My father is African-American, and my mother is Italian-Brazilian.


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[Liliana]

Well there are a lot of stories that give descriptions about a character that might sound racist and are still approved since a lot of writers believe there should be minimal restrictions/limits, but just avoid stereotyping and putting down someone.

[518]

Nah that didnt sound racist. Just describe them how you would describe your own race too. There will always be people who find everything racist

[Jennie4Lyfe]

For me, i honestly don't find it racist although its a bit generalising.

[xoxghxox]

the story sounds fun, if there's a chance, can you send me the link when you wrote it?

[where my hood unnies at]

as long as it's not super fetishistic (aka eleanor and park) i don't think using frank language to describe ethnicity is bad

[DarlingII]

Your comment was harmless...... the person sounds annoying

 

you can get into anthropological taxonomy albeit I have seen it referred to as scientific racism. Regardless I think anthropological taxonomy is interesting and it can even help you become more openminded as long as you dont become too uptight about it.

[puellarum generatio]

Some people always looking for something to offend them. There's an obvious relation between physical features and races, the whole concept of race is based on appearance.

[Honeystan]

You could always describe shape and color like "He had pale golden skin and narrow, angled eyes." 

[Caiii]

Not really. There is nothing racist in using physical identifiers. 

[125628]

that was a harmless description though...

 

hmmm i've seen authors use ways like, "He started speaking in a language I couldn't understand," like, pointing out the differences in language and culture. also, the describing the clothing might help in your story too!

[Mr. Phoenix]

Just write freely and ignore potential critics.  Great literature has never been produced by anyone who was distracted trying to conform to the popular cultural norms of their time. 

[♥SNS-Shinomiya♥]

It's your story your expression. Consider if your characters are different because of culture or just race/ethnicity. Consider how certain cultures (regardless of race) would react vs how someone of a different race/ethnicity (regardless of culture) would react to events and situations in your story. I think it would best if readers are able to connect to the characters while still understanding what makes the reader and the character different.

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

For me, i honestly don't find it racist although its a bit generalising.

How can I make it better so I'm not generalizing?

the story sounds fun, if there's a chance, can you send me the link when you wrote it?

When I revise it maybe. I wrote it for a fiction writing class.

as long as it's not super fetishistic (aka eleanor and park) i don't think using frank language to describe ethnicity is bad

What's that?

 

 

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[Jennie4Lyfe]

How can I make it better so I'm not generalizing?

When I revise it maybe. I wrote it for a fiction writing class.

What's that?

 

 

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How about describing the outfit instead?

[indigo]

That doesn't sound racist to me, it's very neutral. So neutral that if you switched out "eastern" I wouldn't know you were trying to convey the character is east asian. 

 

Some people might be uncomfortable with an Asian characters eyes being the main focus though. Again, yours is pretty passive and about a character being able to make an at a glance generalization most of us can, and do make. But it's a bit reducing and othering to focus on their eyes. 

 

Plus, I'm not sure it's a definite judgement, in the context of your story. Native Americans also have eyes with monolids and more pronounced epicanthic folds (given their ancestors were east asian and siberian peoples), and if you story is assuming they weren't colonized, more people would display that feature. Not to mention some African ethnicities have them, and some European people pop up with them throughout. Asian people look Asian not just due to eyes, but overall facial structure. 

 

Whatever is covering the character's body, could also signal their culture. If you noted that along with the eyes, it might come off as less singling out. Also talking about other races eyes aswell, because if you only talk about Asians eyes it's making them out to be abnormal. 

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

How about describing the outfit instead?

He was in disguised, dressed as the people around him.

 

 

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[Jennie4Lyfe]

He was in disguised, dressed as the people around him.

 

 

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Oh I see tbh it seems fine to me.

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

Anybody replying to this thread Asian BTW? LOL

 

 

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[GalaxunnieSuperOppa]

I'd like to do the same but i'm so nervous because of the same reason! 

[Seeker Of Slaanesh]

God forbid some people take history as major in college. That too modern asia. On your issue, nah, it's not racist. But as others have mentioned, try not to focus too much on physical aspects only. Though cultural identifiers in some work become more difficult to work with.

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

God forbid some people take history as major in college. That too modern asia. On your issue, nah, it's not racist. But as others have mentioned, try not to focus too much on physical aspects only. Though cultural identifiers in some work become more difficult to work with.

Of course

 

 

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[where my hood unnies at]

What's that?

 

just a really bad y/a novel with lots of orientalism and a korean love interest who's first name is Park... the author obviously didn't do a whole lot of research for her book   some examples of what i mean:

“…You’re so pretty, and so good. You have magic eyes,†she whispered. “And you make me feel like a cannibal.â€

His mom looked exactly like a doll. In the Wizard of Oz…Dorothy goes to this place called Dainty China Country, and all the people are tiny and perfect…Eleanor had thought the Dainty China people were Chinese…Eleanor imagined Park’s dad, Tom Selleck, tucking his Dainty China person into his flak jacket and sneaking her out of Korea.

Maybe Park paralyzed her with his ninja magic.

Park didn’t look pretty. He looked dangerous. Like Ming the Merciless.

[Exotic♕Queen♛]

just a really bad y/a novel with lots of orientalism and a korean love interest who's first name is Park... the author obviously didn't do a whole lot of research for her book   some examples of what i mean:

IDK who negged you & why but that definitely sounds like yellow fever fetishization to me, at least the bottom 3 quotes did.

The first one I thought was okay though because "magic eyes" can be anything, and I don't get the cannibal part. If the they were to say, "You have beautiful slanted eyes." instead that would definitely be cringe.

[ohdamn]

Honestly if I think too much about this I find complicated to use poetic license nowadays. I am mixed race too, so growing up I never really though a lot about races, cause my family had pretty much a bit of everything, was normal to me. So pointing physical features to identify was like giving directions. Now that I am grown up I came to know that isn't common and there are so many issues related to that I find myself really confused in how to be correct and still write about those. In my country I was used to read books where skin color was described not really in a racial way but like color pallete, "golden skin" "pale"  I know sound bad but many people reffer to chocolate to describe a pretty brown skin, I am not sure is bad.

 

But you can read this http://writingwithcolor.tumblr.com/Navigationhas a lot of good tips for that in my opinion. Hope it helps