Ginny Weasley, Meet Real Life

So, my best friend and I (in a particularly twilight zonish bout of insomnia), were complaining about how girls in books never have to go through regular life. Okay sure, so they have a lot on their plates, what with Dark Lords, Dragons, and lumpy spaghetti. But as with the Harry Potter series, there’s magic, but how does it impact regular bodily function?

Let me explain.

In the books, Ginny is running around creating Dumbledore’s Army, smothering people in bat bogey and just swishing her red hair everywhere.

 A more realistic version would have been…

“Ginny looked in the mirror and winced. She’d slept late last night; the DA Members Reunion had gone on till 3 AM. Some people needed to learn when to stop, she though as she studied her face. The dark blue almost bruised looking dark circles she had acquired weren’t doing her complexion any favours but the worst was still to be seen. She tentatively looked towards her eyebrows and groaned inwardly: they had grown into a miniature forest. What with reunions and dropping her children off to school and wand practice, she had forgotten to get threaded. And horror of horrors, she had a brownish line of fuzz on her upper lip that needed to be dealt with, not by magic, but hot wax. She felt masculine and awkward, and knew her trip to the salon had been put off too long.

Pulling off the bed clothes, she looked down, expecting to see spotless sheets, and found a reddish smear. No, no, no, she thought. Not today! Now she’d have to stop by the store and pick up some tampons, and she already felt like a fuzzy mess. This day was getting worse by the second, and when she left the house, she didn’t even bother with make up. What would be the point?”

Now the thing is, Ginny is supposed to be an example of a strong female heroine, who in her boyfriend’s absence, founded a club and did lots of cool magic. But wouldn’t every girl be that, if she didn’t have periods or facial hair or shaving her legs to worry about? I mean, if I could get out of bed with flawless red hair and no spots or hair to worry about, I’d start setting up clubs too.

Zara, we need to write a REAL book.