Character Flaws

This may be an unusual observation, or maybe you've thought about it too. As writers we are told not to make our heros and heroines too perfect. To be believable they have to have some flaws. I've even seen some publishers outright asking for 'big' heroines to give the average sized woman someone to root for and even feel good about being herself, but do we ever create characters wrestling with the need for acne treatments?

I've seen some publishers ask for disabled characters... that's a very good way to promote the understanding of handicapped individuals, but how far do you go before it's a parody, and unbecoming?

I think in some ways none of the above can compare to the ethnic publishers, and the other big publishers that create ethnic 'lines' soley to promote to certain race groups. I understand the idea in some ways, but it also promotes a divide I think. I know people of different cultures than my own, and with some limited exceptions, if you never saw them face-to-face, or asked them pointedly (if indeed you'd never seen them in person) you wouldn't know they were of a different race. So why make the divide more pronounced? In fact, there are several of my own books that it's really up to your own imagination what the character's racial background is. There may be little clues, but nothing so obvious as to block the reader (whatever their race) from identifying with them... THAT'S the key, global identification ability--to me anyway.

I've even been asked on occassion why I don't spend more time really cementing the 'looks' of my characters. My answer has always been that in the books I've loved the most since childhood, or later, the ones I've loved the most are the ones that allowed me the freedom to envision the character as I wished.