Hey There!
I have a bone to pick. Why is it that when I'm reading twilight on the bus I feel the need to cover the front so that people think I'm more ~sophisticated~ or ~intelligent~ ? Why do I, an adult, feel ashamed telling someone that I am reading a YA (young adult) book at the moment? And why on earth do I get nervous paying for it at the bookstore because I think the person at the register will view less of me? I will often even justify myself saying "I know its embarrassing, but its just nostalgic and fun"
I will tell you why. Young women are never seen as valid enough. Thus the interests and opinions of young women are never seen as valid enough through the male gaze. Us Gen Z girls will recall that One Direction was only 'shit' in 2011 because it was widely appreciated by a demographic of young women. Your grandmother will recall that the same was said about The Beatles who are now considered the greatest musical artist's of all time according to the Rolling Stones. The things that we value are not considered valuable until men dictate that they are and make it widespread.
This has been said about women's magazines which discuss issues pertaining solely to women such as Cosmopolitan. Don't forget Louisa May Alcott, Karen Blixen and the Bronte Sisters who were only able to publish under a male pseudonym. Society views women, especially young women, as not being mature or respectable enough to enjoy their own niche interests or to produce anything of value compared to their male counterparts.
How does this relate to YA books when boys surely read them too? Sure they do. Harry Potter for example is vastly appreciated by young and old people of all genders. But don't ignore that it was written from the perspective of a white, cis, straight male and published by J.K Rowling and not Joanne Rowling, another guise in place to conceal the authors gender (Note: I will no longer be supporting Joanne due to the recent unveiling of her disgusting transphobia).
50 Shades, Twilight, Sarah J. Maas have a largely young female reading audience and are also 'sexy' books. The patriarchy states that these books are not particularly valuable. I think that this is because as women, we may have to seek 'smutty' books and fanfiction. Porn is not made for women because porn objectifies women's bodies and focus' solely on the man's pleasure. Even lesbian porn is glorified in a way that exists primarily to 'turn on' a man. Some women have turned to erotic books or fanfiction written by other women to fulfil their sexual fantasies because their needs are simply not catered for elsewhere. Once again, if it caters to women it is simply not enough to be valued by men and is therefore simply not valuable .
I can't even begin to indulge in my distain for the lack of representation of queer people and especially queer women in popular fiction. And no, Ms Rowling stating that Dumbledore is gay, 10 years after the release of the final book, with no actual canon representation doesn't count. Go ahead, think of the last time you read a piece of fiction (that was not primarily written as a queer novel) and enjoyed a lesbian or bisexual character who had a personality and any characterised substance that wasn't directly rooted to her sexuality or presented by grotesque generalisations and stereotypes. I sure can't think of one.
Regardless of reading romantic fiction as being primarily seen as a women's hobby the patriarchal standards that are deeply ingrained into the way we view women's bodies and women in romantic relationships, for all gender often causes this erotica to be fundamentally misogynistic anyways. Classic tropes such as the rich man supporting the poor women, male dominance, incredibly co-dependant females and the concept of a women not being 'whole' without a man are constantly being jammed into our heads. Even when the author is female. Often we don't even recognise how misogynistic our romantic fantasies are because they have been instilled into us for our entire lives. How are us women meant to enjoy or imagine any experience that isn't in one way or another, shaped for a man. Truthfully, I don't think we ever can.
Finally, we need to stop thinking that 'adults' books or 'men's' books are better. They are not better they are just different. YA plots and characters can be even more intricate and complicated than those found in non-YA books. The only difference is that they are more fucking digestible.
In conclusion, men need to stop.
All the love,
Scar.
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