: Re: What kind of writing would be considered offensive? I am a young author writing a fantasy series. In my series, the main character has two different eye colors and looks down on herself because

@Phylliss352

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looks down on herself because she thinks she is ugly

That's the difference. You as the author aren't saying that from the outside, the character thinks of herself as that from the inside.
Many readers have issues today with HP Lovecraft, who (in common with many people of his class and era) was profoundly racist. Various stories describe how ugly someone is, simply because they are black - not as the person saying it, not even as the narrator saying it (and remember we don't have to like the narrator), but as the author stating a fact. That's what racist writing looks like. In Lovecraft's day, these opinions weren't even controversial, but we know better today.
Conversely, consider the politics of Afro-textured hair. Women of African origin have frequently internalised feelings of unattractiveness due to not meeting European standards of "beauty" (and may still do so). For a character to express this is not racist; it is a reflection of the character and how she interacts with the society around her. Similarly, characters who resort to cosmetic procedures (whether surgical or non-surgical) may express feelings about their appearance which relate to the character and not to racist attitudes from the author.
Of course the author could still be biased, whether consciously or unconsciously. If you don't have a lived experience of African-American cultures (plural!), you might want to check with someone who does, just in case you've made assumptions in good faith which are going to get you into trouble. Ditto cops. Those are going to be your biggest issues.
I suggest you're not so much in trouble with the eyes though.

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