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CU Boulder | Culture > Entertainment

Men Vs. Romance Books

Sofia Falvo Student Contributor, University of Colorado - Boulder
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

With “BookTok” on the rise, more women are sharing their love of romance books, bringing this genre into the spotlight. Ranging from small-town romance to romantasy to dark romance, it seems women who love to read this genre are finding their niche in the community. Many of the popular romances contain NSFW or “smut” content. Women on social media have been more open about their sexuality and kinks in the rise of conservatism in Gen Z. That is where the backlash starts.

As someone who is constantly on TikTok, posting my own book content, and watching others’ book content, I regularly come across men on the platform who frequently say that women who read romance containing smut are cheaters or undateable. Why is this so controversial now when romance novels containing smut have been around since the 1700s? 

This is when the rise of conservatism in our generation comes in. Many of the men posting about how romance novels are wrong are members of Gen Z. In my opinion, this shaming of women who are comfortable in their sexuality stems from the content young men are consuming. Incel and red-pill content is fed to these young men by influencers, podcasters, and even our own president that women are inferior to men and should fulfill a role of being a good stay-at-home wife who is complicit to their husband. Within this view of femininity, a “good” woman is not loud or freely sexual.

 

This. This is where the hatred of women being sexual comes in. It is a threat when women start doing things that men enjoy frequently. When women are expressing their sexuality, it rapidly becomes such a popular mindset from men that it is “creepy,” “weird,” or “perverted.” Sexual content is consumed by men and has been normalized for a long time. From Playboy magazine to 18+ websites being a click away on every device, it is normal for a man to be horny and show what they like to others. The double standard of not letting women do the same goes hand in hand with trying to get women to be submissive and stay silent. 

While this is an ongoing debate online, I truly think women should be able to be weird! We should be freaks and be our authentic selves because that is what the patriarchy hates.

So, the next time you feel a bit of shame for liking that cringe, smutty romance book, think of it as a form of rebellion.

Sofia Falvo

CU Boulder '28

Sofia Falvo is a Junior at CU Boulder, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Philosophy. This is her first year being apart of Her Campus and is ecstatic to be in a space where women can be themselves. She graduates in 2028 and is working to become a OCD specialized therapist. She is very passionate about books, women's rights, advocating for mental health, and writing down her thoughts.

In her free time Sofia enjoys curling up with a book inside (with way too many candles lit) or giving her self tarot card readings. She also enjoys collecting crystals and downloading the maximum amount of books on her Kindle will allow.