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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42947
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/42947
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

It's okay if your noble characters are so well mannered to avoid judging people bu their looks. Yet, this doesn't mean you can't describe the ugly bits.

First of all, as you mentioned:

> They would consider it beneath them to think of a person as "ugly". If they look down on someone, it's in the "oh, they're less fortunate, I should help"

This is called being **_condescending_**. While it can be done in a naive, not-harmful way, some of your characters could be borderline patronizing.

Chaining one's appearence or a physical defect to the idea that "help should be provided\* is, after all, a form of judgment: as Wetcircuit mentioned, this is probably the bias in your narrators.

Moreover, I'd argue that there is a subjective and an objective way to describe thing. Imagine a noble speaking face to face with a commoner. Let's suppose the commoner has a tobacco chewing habit.

A subjective, unfavourable POV could say:

> ... black stained teeth poked from under the man upper lip as he spoke, letting out the foul smell of low quality tobacco. Jon wondered how much of that blackness was due to the vice, and how much due to the general poor hygene.

A subjective, condescending POV could say:

> ... the man spoke with his upper lips slightly raised upwards, in an half smile. Yellow and black stains on his teeth testified the man's chewing habits: Jon knew that a commoner could keep chewing the same leaf of tobacco for hours, before spitting it out. A far cheaper habit than smoking.

But then again, you can describe things in an objective way:

> ... as the man smiled, Jon noticed a black and yellow tint on his teeth and on the internal side of his lips. The mark of a tobacco-chewer.

So, even if your narrator is on par with your characters, it still can take notes of objective details. Also, some physical features are really subjective - a certain bend of the nose or of the eyebrows may add character to a face, be considered interesting rather than out of place and so on.

Original score: 2