The list of condescending remarks goes on and on. The truth is that the way contemporary romance novels are viewed within the literary world needs to be drastically changed. I can acknowledge that the fluff and spice scattered throughout the pages of a romance novel might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but that shouldn’t take away from their value, and the way readers and writers alike perceive them.
So — where do these comments stem from, and why are contemporary romance writers are so often put down and seen as “less than” by other writers? We live in a culture that loves to put down women, and it does not spare women-centered content. Think of all the women-dominated genres and ideas throughout our society that are so often ridiculed: romance novels, soap operas, fashion, etc. All of these subjects are constantly made to feel inferior. If you’re somebody who enjoys any of these things, you often find yourself having to have some sort of defense ready to counteract people who want to criticize and dismiss their value.
This “bad reputation” thrust upon contemporary romance books is rooted in misogyny. I want to reiterate: if you do not like contemporary romance, that’s totally fine! It’s okay to have opinions and tastes (that’s the point of books!) But there is a difference between acknowledging that romance might not be a genre you gravitate towards and completely dismissing the genre as a legitimate craft.
Romance writers are writers as much as any other genre. As a writer who is currently working on several projects (one of them is a contemporary romance book), I can vouch for the time and effort it takes to write these stories. It’s not something you just throw together — it takes months of outlining and drafting and revising, just like any other book just because the content within the genre centers around love and the potential of a “Happily Ever After” does not make the story meaningless.
If you’re on the fence about whether or not you want to give contemporary romance books a chance, let me break down some of the reasons why you should. Contemporary romance books are meant to be enjoyed. They are intended to be a beacon of hope in a rather bleak and arduous existence. Not to mention that contemporary romance books are often centered around women’s experiences and offer diverse perspectives that put women on the center stage. They’re not meant to be something you have to dissect and analyze. They’re meant to be stories that uplift and resonate with your emotions — stories that make you feel something.
It’s also important to remember that romance books aren’t just the books you find at the airport with some bare-chested man cradling a woman in his arms. The romance genre has expanded significantly within the past ten years, amplifying the voices of women across all backgrounds and catering to various voices that were often not adequately and appropriately marketed. So, if you pop into your local bookstore, you’ll see a variety of BIPOC and LGBTQ authors on the shelves. There’s “The Wedding Date” by Jasmine Guillory, “The Kiss Quotient” by Helen Hoang, and “One Last Stop” by Casey McQuiston, to name a few.
Contemporary romance books might not be something you enjoy reading yourself, but I hope you can begin to understand the importance of the genre and the intrinsic value it holds. Women-centered stories deserve to be acknowledged within the literary world — not just as a form of “light” reading, but as stories that are just as important as any other genre.
Changing the narrative around romance novels would be my ideal “Happily Ever After.”
This is the opinion of Isabella Victoriano, a junior communication studies major from Miami. Email comments to editor@theloyolan.com. Follow and tweet comments to @LALoyolan on Twitter, and like the Loyolan on Facebook.
