A famous TikToker once said, “Gorgeous, gorgeous girls don’t go about their day as planned. Gorgeous, gorgeous girls stay in their bed until 3pm, with fuccin’ Smut in their hands!” Smut novels are the perfect amalgamation of young adult and erotic fiction. Even the prestigious Goodreads website has surrendered to the allure of this new up and coming genre and has named a separate Shelf for Smut Books.
The publishing of Twilight practically lit the flame of smut fiction which spread like a wildfire. The inglorious media platform, Wattpad, is the production base of these kinds of novels. From the erotic parodies of Fifty Shades of Grey to the fan fiction of explicit romance between Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, you’re going to find it there. People wrote about getting kidnapped by a mafia boss or being sold to One Direction by a drug addict mother…and we let them.
‘Smut’ is not just a word used to describe a book with steamy scenes; it’s now emerging like a whole new species of books. Apparently, being able to read ‘Smut’ with a straight face in public is worn like a medal. ‘Bookstagram‘ and ‘BookTok‘ promote such books like no other and us readers are attracted to them like a moth to a flame. Since such storylines are in demand, the new adult writers are unstoppable more than ever. In fact, this genre comes in various shades – you want fantasy smut? Read ACOTAR Series by Sarah J Mass. Interested in dystopian smut? Go ahead and grab Shatter Me Series by Tahereh Mafi. And the list goes on!
From extreme s*xual tension to weirdly hot bedroom scenes, it seems the authors are literally inking down their fantasies.
Apart from fulfilling the purpose of entertainment, it also touches imperative themes like sexual health and sex education. Many questions which people are afraid or embarrassed to ask are answered through these books. The blossoming popularity of this genre is beginning of a new era where people are not ashamed of what they like and finally accepting the kinky version of themselves.