Every once and a while, the people of Twitter collectively decide to freak out over something completely absurd. In early August of 2018, that “something” was soap shaped like a penis.
The now infamous soap was part of a book box package from the subscription service “Book Boyfriend Box.” This particular package was based on the series A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. It included illustrations and fanfiction as well, which has furthered the controversy since it is illegal to sell fanfiction under copyright laws.
Initially, people were concerned about the penis soap because they believed Maas’ series to be categorized as young adult fiction. Although many teens have read A Court of Thorns and Roses, it is actually categorized as new adult. This genre targets readers between the ages of 18 and 25 and often includes mature sexual content—as Maas’ books definitely do. Still, people found more reasons to be upset about the soap, warning people not to put it inside of them and stating that it is a health risk.
Yaira Lynn, the creator of the package, made a statement on Instagram following the criticism:
“Our box of course was advertised and sold to adults 18+, we offered multiple warnings about its not safe for work and mature sexual content. The infamous soap should be taken as the joke it is: a literal Illyrian Wingspan it even says so on the label. These are sold as bachelorette joke favors in the real world. We want to clarify that they are for external use only, as instructed on the label.”
Eventually, the hysteria died down. Yet upon reflection, it’s impossible not to be annoyed by the absolute ridiculousness of the entire situation. The readers who were causing a commotion on Twitter over a penis-shaped soap were the same readers who had been consuming the sexual content written by Sarah J Maas herself. I can truly think of no better situation to use the phrase “it’s not that deep.” I mean seriously? It’s a penis. Chill out.