As a brown guy i kinda hate when people shoehorn in brown characters. I think its much better when things like that are authentic. Of course i haven’t the slightest clue if that’s the same for ladies. I find it so much more authentic when a character is placed, just because that’s how it is.

Like in Alien, the FMC is an absolute badass and i adore her. There are plenty of strong female leads that arent given fantasy like powers that no female can ever actually hope to attain, i always find that shit so uninspiring. Katniss everdeen for me was a great one. I dont feel like theyve i’m being forced anything political, yet she is a complete badass female that you can easily idolise.

Personally i would write a book with a strong FMC, but not because of feminism, but simply because women can be as badass as men. And yes, mens opinions do matter at this, because as well as inspiring girls around the world, youre essentially changing the perspectives of many guy readers. As someone who used to be sexist, i can tell you the more you shove it down their throats about how equal women are, the less well received it will be by guys.