I was an outsider... but I was also sympathetic with people that were struggling to get up, because I struggled to get up.
I believe if you write a great book, the chances are it'll get a great reception.
There are two ways to go about it. You can take a compass and draw a perfect circle and make two perfect eyes as neat as can be. Or you can do it freehand and have some fun with it. Like I did. Give it character.