Fate of HANDSOME guys in the Harry Potter series

[erinellii]

No: HPFGUIDX 84326

> Now me:
> This intrigues me, Erin!  I'm wondering if others might weigh in w/ 
> their opinions about the Malfoys, too.  Because I'm thinking 
perhaps 
> it's more of the Dreaded Movie Contamination which puts Draco, at 
> least, into this category of handsome guys.  Do we have 
descriptions 
> of him in canon which paint him as attractive?  I keep thinking of 
> the "pale, narrow face" descriptions...which don't sound very 
> attractive to me...but I think Tom Felton can be [and definitely 
> Jason Isaacs as Lucius].
> 
> Input from others?
> Siriusly Snapey Susan


Erin:
Movie contamination?  Maybe it is, though I believe I saw it written 
in a fanfic before I ever considered the actors hot.  Actually I 
don't even think they are, much.  I'm not too into blonds.  But i can 
see that practically everyone else does consider them good-looking.
  
You're right, JKR doesn't really write as if she considers them in 
the "handsome" category- but she sure doesn't rule it out, either.  I 
mean, really, a blond with a pale, pointed face is actually the 
epitome of movie-star good looks, isn't he?  I'm thinking Leonardo 
DiCaprio and that guy who plays the elf in the LoTR trilogy.  

If she'd wanted to rule this interpretation out, she'd have added 
something like "washed-out" or "weak" features to the mix.  Instead 
they get "cold".  Cold to me denotes strength, making them sexy. 

 And I believe JKR did get some imput into the actors when they were 
making the movie.  Not a lot, perhaps, but I think that if she'd 
started screaming "This isn't right! Malfoy should have a harelip!"  
we would have heard about it.

You know, now that I think about it, she had to write them the way 
she did because she is using Harry's POV.  And the Malfoy's type of 
handsomeness is not one that other males are likely to acknowledge.  
Too effiminete (sp? sorry) for them.  Like, how many straight guys do 
you know who are okay with admitting that Leonardo or Justin 
Timberlake is good-looking?  No, you get "He's a sissy-boy".  Whereas 
with Mel Gibson they can say, "OK, I don't swing that way but I can 
see it," because he has a more masculine beauty.  In the same way, 
Harry can acknowledge that Cedric or Bill is Handsome, but not the 
Malfoys.  But anyone of the female persuasion immediately sees that 
they are Hot with a capital "H".  After all, Pansy is hanging all 
over Draco, isn't she?

Erin