I recall reading an Askreddit thread about female character descriptions a few years ago and the responses were fantastic, but that thread doesn't seem to exist anymore so I've decided to revive this discussion.

My favorite is Nabokov's classic opener -

"Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta. She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock. She was Lola in slacks. She was Dolly at school. She was Dolores on the dotted line. But in my arms she was always Lolita."

Please share character descriptions most memorable to you and discuss!

I’m wanting to show that this woman is beautiful in a land that is rotten. I want to describe her in a way that is vivid(maybe) but doesn’t fall into the trap of the male gaze or comes off as a bit creepy.

Thanks for any help!