Books hold a special place in my heart. They hold the power to make a person cry, laugh, or be bored, though even the most boring of books can teach you something. I remember reading Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome in high school and feeling bored, senseless, and stuck reading the slowest plotline known to man. It simply was not my kind of book; it was too slow and had none of my interests, nor did I read about anyone who felt like me or someone I knew. I didn’t think there was anything I could gain from reading this book. There was no connection. However, I still read it.
I still rummaged through each page, and I learned that the act of sitting down and grinding through the long run-on descriptive sentences still worked my brain. I was still giving my brain a good workout, and if anything, I was teaching myself patience and discipline. Overall, I am grateful I read that boring book. Now, no judgment of Wharton or her prose style, however, if simply reading something can hone your intellect, focus, and consistency, imagine what there is to gain from reading a book that you have a deep connection with.
Before we continue into why reading is sexy, we must set the stage for where women are in this day and age. Why should women specifically read more and focus on themselves?
Words aren’t enough to describe how it feels to be a teenage girl (borderline 20-year-old) in college. Each day is completely new and exciting, but at the exact same time, everything can feel so boring and stale. Yes, we are complex; we are humans nonetheless. We, women of the 21st century, have barely enough time to figure ourselves out, so how is it conceivable for us to figure someone else out and pour our energy into a partner? Especially a man. So what if we read a good book instead?
First, please do not read this as a hateful piece of writing. All biases aside, I hope everyone takes time in their young adulthood to understand who they are, what their baseline is, what they want, and what they need outside of someone else. Now, let me state that dating and being actively single in our day and age is exhausting. OK, so now we understand that women are in a high cortisol state: exams, parties, situationships, class, family, future, work, health — everything just keeps piling.
Breathe. Take a minute and read something — anything. Before any judgment, please comprehend that reading requires patience, discipline, and invites intellectual growth. Reading teaches a person new vocabulary, new experiences, and perhaps empathy, some consistency, and an even deeper understanding of who they are. It can force you to start to unravel yourself and learn who you are. Yes, you, not anyone else.
It is so easy for us humans to worry about everyone else but ourselves — to put another person’s needs above our own, to focus all our energy and time on the loved ones surrounding us; however, this amount of effort spent on others can sometimes make a person run away from sitting by themselves and taking the time to fully be okay and understand themselves.Â
When I’m at the gym on the treadmill, I often see someone reading while walking, while on the StairMaster, or between lifting sets. No judgment — read that book. Is it that serious? Plus, seeing someone anywhere in the world just reading — it doesn’t have to be pretentious, even just flipping through an art collection — invites a different perspective of them.
Reading is sexy. I don’t make the rules; we all knew this. Seeing someone read just automatically gives you the notion that they care about small things, and most importantly, that they care about themselves, and they want to better themselves. Neither doom-scrolling nor AirPods blasting can provide you with that same stimulation of a crisp book. Reading is an art that forces you inside yourself to focus on what you can get out of a book.
Like life, a book, either cool or not, still invites an interpretation only you can create. Read. That. Book.