Need to have a bit of a moment about feminine-presenting fantasy Dwarf representation....
So I've been in "The Hobbit" fandom in full enthusiasm ✨hyperfixaaaaaaation✨ for about a year and a half now, and one thing that is EXTREMELY important to me is that fantasy Dwarves, in any Universe, are a) short, though not as short as my beloved Gnomes, and b) THICK. WIDE. EARTHY. And I know that working with taller human actors in the Hobbit films didn't portray that perfectly, but in general, it seems like that perception holds true enough and, again, has carried over into other media (and was there BEFORE the Hobbit movies in the first place).
They should ALSO be hairy, in the best of circumstances, though I understand we don't always get that regardless of what gender presentation is involved. Ahem.
In most cases - including those films AND the book they spring from - the focus is on masculine-presenting Dwarves.
Those proportions usually hold true for feminine-presenting characters as well.
(From "The Hobbit" films specifically.)
(From "Rings of Power." HAIL Princess Disa. Though she needs a fuller beard, too - smoochy picture included to highlight what fuzz she does have. And because she and Durin are adorable.)
(From World of Warcraft - with feminine-presenting Night Elf for reference since that still b a r e l y counts as stocky, but their "average woman shape" is even more on the thin side, so I still think the intention was for us to view the Dwarves as thicker with that comparison.)
Those being my biggest two points of personal reference, I'm gonna stop there - but the POINT of all of this is that I recently read "A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic" by J. Penner.
And includes a feminine-presenting Dwarf named Dolgrila "Doli" Butterbuckle. Who I would already freaking DIE for istg.
Her introduction, from the text:
(Transcription of the highlighted bits:
"The dwarf was a vision in a corseted, buttery yellow dress. The bright, warm hue complemented her rich complexion and lush head of sable curls. Each hair coil seemed to dance with the same radiant joy shown by her twinkling brown eyes and pearly smile. Holstered on her ample hip, where one might expect a weapon, was instead a teacup and saucer, held together by leather straps. ..... "I'm Dolgrila Butterbuckle," she said while reading. "But everyone calls me Doli." ")
AND the next book in the series ("A Fellowship of Librarians & Dragons," out Nov. 2024) IS ABOUT HER!!!!! ✨🎉✨
And I zero percent mean any of the following as a complaint against the artist. I am sure they were just following the publisher's order. And BIG YAY for the publisher actually hiring a HUMAN!! Good choices are being made, there.
If I didn't know already that Doli is a Dwarf, I WOULD NOT KNOW THAT FROM THIS IMAGE.
She looks, basically, human. She is almost just as skinny as the human woman (Arleta Starstone, also a badass character) on the cover of the first book.
Referring again to the images of the World of Warcraft Dwarves above, though, she DOES look a lot like them, proportionally. So I'm wondering, now that I've done that research/refresher, if that is the Dwarven standard that the Powers that Be were going off of, in this case. Especially since she is clean-shaven. And especially since in one scene, she alters one of her own dresses to fit the aforementioned human - though in my reading of it, I just assumed that she took in the waist of the dress, too, as well as adding onto the length.
But to my eye, with my Hobbit-fandom/folklore heavy standards - at best, she looks like a half-human, half-Gnome, to me, especially with her nearly reaching the shoulder of a being that should be MUCH taller than her, as far as I can tell.
(I will admit I adore her outfit and want one, please.)
(And I will also admit that I MIGHT be assuming that person behind her is taller than they actually are, and I DO hope I am proven wrong. If she is like 4 feet tall, maybe they are only like 5 1/2 feet tall or so. I guess we'll find out in 11 months.)
Part of what attracts me to fantasy Dwarves in the first place is that they ARE plus-size. Unforgivingly so, most of the time. As a short, plus-size person myself, they are a haven in a swath of feminine-presenting representations across lots, and lots, of media that treats the feminine-presenting form as "average" height or taller, AND much thinner than most non-Hollywood women actually are, these days.
So to have seen this, when I realized the next book was about Doli and rushed (in my elation) to read the synopsis, was a notable disappointment.
ANYWAY, I will be drawing Doli myself, as I saw her, for self-care purposes. And here's the bare bones so far:
And all of that said, I will leave you with one of my favorite moments with her in the story:
(Transcription of the highlighted bits:
" “He was very generous on our trip here,” Arleta whispered as her cheeks heated slightly. “And a perfect gentleman, but we’re only friends.” She stopped and worked out the timing in her mind for a moment. “We’ve only known each other for less than two days, really.”
Doli let out a giggle, her eyes sparkling with delight. “Well, look at us. We’ve only known each other for a few hours and we’re already best friends. Did you know that some elves are fated?”
“What does that mean? Arleta asked, intrigued by Doli’s quick change of subject.
Doli’s eyes lit with pleasure. “I visited the library here – it’s massive by the way – and read through a few books on elven culture. You know, to figure things out. I love libraries and books.” She leaned in closer. “Some of them – not all – get night visions of their soul partner. They can experience these for years, starting when they are very young.”
Arleta tipped her head in great interest. “Do they always find these soul partners?”
“No,” Doli said with a hint of wistfulness. “If they don’t, they will never settle for anyone else. They could never fully commit to another.”
“That’s sad.” Arleta winced as the large ogre she’d seen before took his seat directly in front of her, completely blocking the stage.
“Or romantic,” Doli sighed.")
And all of all of THAT said, I do highly recommend the book!! Illustration issues aside - and I'm looking at you too, World of Warcraft - the more Dwarven romances we support, and more feminine-presenting Dwarven representation we support, the more (and better) we'll get!!
So, check it out here on Goodreads and please pick it up at your local bookstore or library, if you can!!
