Please read this link first: http://therumpus.net/2014/07/writing-romance-fiction-is-a-feminist-act/
In this article it is said that, “It’s [feminism] about having what you want and being honest about who you are. It’s about respecting who you are and what you do.” This is a definition that would be welcomed by some, and cause outrage in others.
Impressions; we all have impressions, stereotypes, and beliefs about those that we interact with on a daily basis, and those that we hear about by proxy. Take a second to think about your own impressions about the people who would be enrolled in a “Feminism and Women’s Bodies” class. Did you think that these would be people who could not get into any other class, people who were extremist man haters, or people that you could see yourself being friends with? Did you anticipate that the class would be all women, or that you would be the only man in the class? Now let’s turn to the media. Think about the romance genre and your impressions of it, barring this class. Many people see romance novels as a guilty pleasure, and that these are airport books best left on the plane. My personal bias used to be that these were tawdry, bodice rippers that would not be described as books of “intellectual merit,” or in other words, not good example books for your English Literature AP essays.
Let’s now switch to talking about media portrayals of our topic. How are romance novels portrayed in the media? Or a more specific question, do we remember the hullabaloo made when Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James hit the shelves, and then the NY Times Best Seller List, (considering the backlash of people, I probably would have used a pseudonym as well), or consider the authors of more recently mainstreamed fanfiction genre? I personally think of the main character (a romance novelist) from an 80s movie called “Romancing the Stone,” (I will link the trailer and imdb page below). This movie depicts Joan Wilder, a very successful romance novelist with a cat and a sparse social calendar. After reading this article, it was clear that the author had gone in with some preconceived notions, namely the expectation of finding “breathy-voiced women with long nails talking about fine young stallions looking to sweep willing young women off their feet.” Bringing this back to a larger topic, we all have the same expectations about feminism and how it is displayed. I reference Roxanne Gay’s Bad Feminist here to ask the question that this blog post is all about: what are the criteria, if any, for making a romance novel be feminist?
Now please read this article before you post (yeah, I’m not sure if I’m allowed to make you guys read two but I’m going for it): http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/03/beyond-bodice-rippers-how-romance-novels-came-to-embrace-feminism/274094/#.UUcdBP_VBb0.twitter
For fun (and satire) here is a buzzfeed quiz to see if you are termed a “bad feminist”:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/catesevilla/are-you-a-bad-feminist#.jqRapvpYa
I personally checked off 25 out of 56 on the list, and Buzzfeed labeled me a “borderline acceptable feminist — or, as some would say, “problematic.””
Romancing The Stone trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WokoWHHAxp4
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088011/
Feminism and Women's Bodies 
While I consider myself a feminist and almost always have, I never deeply considered how feminist romance novels were. I used to think that their mechanics weren’t interesting, that they were written for someone who liked to read before bed or had some down time to get involved in a spicy or romantic story. Looking into this article and the class discussions, however, I now see how the romance-writing industry is very feminist. It is controlled mostly by women, written with women in mind, and read by women. Particularly, the people writing these stories are writing stories that involve women as integral parts, while making sure that the heroines are happy in the end.
However, I do believe we should still examine the problematic aspects of romance. For instance, most romances typically have heroes and heroines with gorgeous, toned/ripped bodies, beautiful hair and faces, and perfect proportions. Typically, they will star able-bodied, heterosexual, and white characters. While there is no problem with this and while I will acknowledge the romance novels that go outside of the norm, I feel as though if writers would like women to connect with these stories, they should be more realistic.Sure, it’s fun to read about beautiful people having amazing and perfect sex all of the time, or whatever, but in the end, there’s no standard formula for a human’s body and we are all different. Those differences should be represented, so all women can enjoy these books.
I agree, and think this article is really interesting because I’ve noticed that not only romance novels, but also many other things that are traditionally associated with women seem to be things that aren’t taken seriously by society. Whether it’s writing off a romance novel as not literature or making fun of girls on social media sites like Twitter or Instagram for doing things that women enjoy, the actions of women just aren’t taken seriously. Consider things like bath bombs and Starbucks, traditionally things women enjoy, and then consider all of the memes made by males making fun of these things. To enjoy any of these things would be “basic” which is an insult. Sure it’s hard to impart to much significance on bath bombs and Starbucks but at the same time if it’s something that women like then why do men have to attack it? Perhaps there isn’t enough testosterone involved and no one is hitting any balls into any goals for any points. For examples of mockery that bath bombs/women’e activities are getting, view this article and consider who the subject of the pictures are and what their genders are.
And here’s the link that I mentioned in my last comment and forgot to actually attach.
http://www.dailyedge.ie/bath-bomb-meme-1859090-Dec2014/
I think that is a fantastic point, TheKoala! You are really getting at another root perception problem. Romance novels fall within a whole category of female things that are degraded. The “basic” stereotype is a point that especially bares mentioning. Thank you for bringing that up! Do you think that women are equal perpetrators of this attitude, or do you think many men just exercise this type of judgement?
I find myself making fun of other girls for being “basic” and even laugh at myself for sometimes fitting the stereotype. Who knows who started the mockery, whether it being male or female. If it was male maybe he just did not understand why so many females enjoyed these things with such passion. If it was a woman maybe she sees herself as an outsider and wanted to degrade something everyone else seemed to enjoy that she did not. I think women are equal perpetrators as men and both just enjoy poking fun at today’s trends. Women should not be ashamed of their interests even if they are seen as “basic”, no matter who is making these hobbies into social media jokes. I’m basic and proud of it.
The lack of diversity in the romance genre is a big issue, and I agree it’s important to expand on the types of characters starring in the novels. After all, if the goal is to appeal to women’s fantasies and make women feel more comfortable with having them, then diversifying the genre and making the stories more relatable is an integral part of achieving that.
I agree with your point. And also would like to add this on as support. When you’re in an airport, you always go into that convenience store that has everything- including books to buy before your flight. They usually have a pretty good collection of those “fantasy, romance” novels that may attract women. However, when I look at them just by the cover: the names, authors, cover art and even titles looks so similar to each other that it sometimes feel like if you’ve read one you’ve read them all. This obviously cannot be the case because then authors wouldn’t be able to get published. However, the point is is that if it all looks the same, you’re going to associate it with another. And that’s where theres also a lack of diversity within the genre.
Slithering chick, you said that romance writing must be feminist because it is written and read by women, but can’t female writers still be sexist? To me, sexism or any prejudice, is the perpetuation of stereotypes while dissolving personal identity. Many romance novels do this by writing about women who’s only goal is to find true love while the plot unfolds for her. I’m reading Dark Lover, and in this novel the heroine has yet to make any kind of effect on the plot, except when it comes to hooking up with men, and then the men themselves drive the plot. I digress. My point is that women also perpetuate stereotypes to each other and female authors aren’t necessarily feminist. Especially when women perpetuate the idea of beauty and sex as something for women to read and aspire for. All of the “good” characteristics you mentioned in women’s appearance were thought of by other women. It is sexist? I’m not sure, because yes there is diversity in what people think is attractive, but is writing your own preference in a book innately destructive? I’m sure It would be unreasonable to expect beauty to be generalized for the public and all women. Does beauty have anything to do with sexism in books? Or is it character development and plot? My guess is the latter.
I also thought of romance novels as a tasteless and intellectually bankrupt genre that precipitated the view of women as sexual objects and nothing more. I consider this view to be a pretty anti-feminist one, and that’s partly why I stayed away from reading romance novels (now that I think of it, The Sheik is actually the first actual romance novel I’ve ever read, and so far it has done a better job of re-enforcing my view of the romance genre then dismantling it.) However, after reading these articles and considering other novels I’ve read that have romantic subplots, I’m amending my view in two ways: 1) the romance genre encompasses a wide range of novels, including bodice rippers, cute, PG novels like Attachments, and love stories with powerful feminist messages. 2) There is nothing anti-feminist about a romance novel incorporating or focusing on sex; rather, writing about women enjoying sex is a largely feminist act. With these modifications, I don’t view the romance genre as an inherently anti-feminist one, as I tended to think before. Further, while there are still novels within the genre that do hinder the feminist cause, there are many ways for a romance novel to advance it. Regarding any criteria for a novel to do this, I have only one: that it leaves the reader (I’m assuming a woman) feeling empowered and more comfortable with herself and her sexuality. As for how a novel can accomplish this, I agree with Jessica Luther (author of the second article) that emphasizing a woman’s own choice and desire behind her actions is a good starting point.
I have considered myself a feminist for a few years now, and up until taking this class I had never realized how inherently sexist my preconceived notions of romance novels were. Romance novels are written and read by women and I truly regret not supporting and empowering them before. Both of these articles are fantastic and really highlight this. However, romance novels do not always exemplify feminist ideals – I personally have a lot of issues with 50 Shades of Grey and the unhealthy way it portrays BDSM relationships. Older romance novels also tend to perpetuate typical gender roles, but modern ones have strong female protagonists that exemplify the cornerstones of feminism.
Before entering this class I had never heard of a feminist romance novel. To me all romance novels were sappy love stories in which the heroine was weak and desperate. After reading this article and participating in this weeks class discussion I’m realizing that romance novels are often feminist. Although I can accept that fact that many romance novels are feminist I still find antifeminist sentiment in many of the romance novels so I think to say “writing romance novels is feminist” is to bold of a statement. I find it troubling to read stories in which the heroine life is devoted to being with a certain man. Even if the hero and the heroine are destined to be together I think to this day many romance novels portray the heroine as a weaker character compared to the hero. I also agree with @slytherinechick that most romance novels describe the hero and heroine as being unattainably beautiful. How can so many romance novels be celebrated for their feminist plot lines when they are at the same time supporting certain stereotypes about women and beauty.
Great points, Slytherinechick and Rj2406! Do we think that romance novels that describe heroines as “flawed” would make the story more feminist or just more real? Would these additions be details like birthmarks, cellulite, and wrinkles, or are we talking about limps, scars, overbites, or unibrows? Another question being, how would emotional flaws differ from physical ones?
The first thing I noticed after reading “Writing Romance Fiction is a Feminist Act” was the author Danielle Summers’ description of the romance writers’ conference. While stating that she was a romance writer herself, she appears almost embarrassed to be at the conference. She goes on to state that she “didn’t take [writing romance] seriously”, which makes me think a lot about my relation to romance writing: nonexistent, until I started taking this class. I admit that I, too, don’t take romance writing seriously, which is why I never delved into the genre. Also, if Summers’ statement is true, that romance novels are “read by women, written by women, and published by women”, then I think the genre in suffering under sexism. Romance is all about women, for women—but no one takes it seriously, not even women themselves.
Also, I took the quiz and apparently I am the “Mary Poppins of feminism” which means that “other feminists approve” of my feminism. And as I am still trying to define the concept for myself and sort out my own views and find my place in society, I guess I can’t argue with that.
I never thought of the inner works of a feminist romance before until I read this article. After reading the article I realize the amount of feminist that write romance novels is very high. The crowd, the characters and everything in it is feminist. I believe that these stereotypes should be broken so that women that better relate to it and stop fantasizing about material things such as image and attractiveness.
@nicklebackfan I agree with you completely in that often the main characters of romance novels are too similar to what society defines as the “perfect woman”. Attractiveness and physical image shouldn’t always be portrayed as “perfect” for characters in these novels, but I do think that it is important to have a successful, funny, or smart woman as the center of a romance novel. These are characteristics that young woman look up to and aspire to. These are characteristics that I think young woman are inspired by when seeing them in a protagonist.
It seems that so far, all of us can agree we never thought about romance novels as feminist before reading the article or really before starting this class. I actually grew up loving romance novels and reading many. I never really thought of these novels as feminist, especially when feeling bad about being a “typical teenage girl”, or more recently described as “basic”, for reading romance novels. After reading these articles and participating in the discussions we’ve had in class, I realize that these thoughts I had were ridiculous. Of course romance novels are feminist! They are written by females, read by females, and loved by females. As @slytherinchick put it, the genre is controlled by women. I really like the way you put that, because before reading these articles, I definitely thought that the fact that the genre consisted of mostly women was a flaw, but you did a great job of explaining how it is a strength. The community should be applauded for empowering the women who read their novels. Although many of these novelists are not taken seriously by some other writers, I thought it was interesting that none of the writers seemed to care. “None of the speakers at the event…said anything about asking anyone else to take them seriously or to give them respect or anything else” Summers writes in her article. It’s facts like this that are truly inspiring to me. I felt especially inspired when reading what Mary Balogh had said at the event: “have the courage to take yourself seriously.” When reading this, all I could think was “exactly!” Who cares if not every single author or person in the world doesn’t take them seriously? They change women’s lives. They make a difference, whether other writers agree with them and see it or not. Until I began this class, I don’t think I ever would have said that the romance genre of writing was feminist in any way. In our society, on the surface it feels as if people consider romance readers as exactly what Summers expected the romance writers to be: “breathy-voiced women with long nails talking about fine young stallions looking to sweep willing young women off their feet.” Clearly, this is not the case, and I am proud to be a woman who reads romance novels.
The reason why I chose this blog to reply to is because I have never heard of a feminist romance. I understand that the production of these novels are almost completely run by women, but does that make it feminist? Maybe I’m just missing a connection piece here… Similarly to Pamela Regis’s formulaic argument about what makes a romance novel, the focus seems to be on the heroine. This heroine that I speak of is often society’s beautiful– long hair, curves out of this world, and a flawless complexion that’ll knock your socks off. Another similarity is that there is always HEA. It may not be a marriage, or it may be left a little open ended, but the reader is always left emotionally satisfied. I understand that this isn’t realistic and can make it hard for women to read these novels, but isn’t a part of feminism is for us women to feel empowered and comfortable in our own bodies? To me, they way someone looks isn’t everything, its how they carry themselves and treat others that is most attractive.
The audience of a romance novel is the majority women. Why would romance novel authors (who are themselves usually women) write books for women that only oppress and objectify the heroine. The fact that there is always a heroine creates the idea that romance novels are feminist. In a world full of action movies where the woman is the one being saved or wearing skimpy clothes along side the hero and sometimes helping, a true heroine is a refreshing change. Romance novels give the woman at least half of the spotlight and lets the reader enter her mind. Romance novels are not simply a tale of far fetched love with the perfect woman being treated as an object and the perfect man doing everything with Fabio on the cover as I once thought they were. These novels are a woman run empire that can control what is written and how the woman is seen by the (probably feminist) reader. Women are ashamed to read romance novels in my opinion but they should not be. Romance novels are a feminist outlet unapologetically focusing on love, sex, and the heroine.
Personally I think that romance books are innately sexist in the way most (again, most) books assume certain genre roles for women and men. The difference between making a book feminist or not comes from the development of women’s characters as she relates to herself and society. A large part of this is her sex life. Even with a pg setting, women should have an honest relationship with herself and be pragmatic when it comes to sex. She doesn’t need to be liberated and have sex/ keep men on the hook to be feminist, but more so to incorporate sex into her life as she sees fit. (And have reasons for doing so!) I think many romance novels make sex or lack there of a disproportionately large part of the women’s concern when you can easily have a romance between 2 people who are independent and happen to fall in love. My point is that romance novels need to create honest romance based on their characters and not create characters personalities based romance in the novel. It’s more realistic that way and would frame both genders in ways that make them human and not objects carrying out the urge to mate and fall in love.
To my understanding feminism has been a loosely defined term for all the right reasons. In other words I feel it something that operates as an umbrella term to encompass a number of attitudes and behaviors with regard to the movement of women who seek empowerment. I think romance novels have developed a “bad rep,” so to speak, for what modern society can perceive as a “sappy,” “lame” or “predictable” set of outcomes and events that occur in these stories. They’re, to a degree, considered to be a “cliches.” This perception of their being, to me at least, is the reason they have been overlooked as mediums to communicate a powerful message about women. I, admittedly, did perceive romance novels to be this way, and have been enlightened to a new perspective. But, my one lingering reservation, which I think may be quickly addressed and debunked by you all, is do we want to associate this movement for the elevation of women’s authority, the movement that will reshape their image for the better, to be affiliated with something that has such an entrenched image in society?
Initially upon entering Feminism and the Female Bodies class I expected my peers to be predominantly female and full of outspoken women that had a clear and definite stance on women’s rights. I did not expect for the class to be filled with people just like myself who were trying to formulate their own views as well and not simply die hard crazy feminists. In the media, the romance genre in general is depicted as being one in which women feign over and a genre that gives its reader temporary pleasure and only generates interest in the moment and once finished is forgotten. After reading the article, my views shifted. I agree with the point made by TheKoala that romance novels among other things deemed as feminine are looked down upon in society and not particularly taken seriously because of the negative connotations associated with it.
You have provided an interesting combination of articles here. The conclusion I drew from the article entitled “Writing Romance Fiction is a Feminist Act,” by Danielle Summers, is right there in the title: the act of writing romance is in itself feminist. In our first meeting as a class we provided the definition of feminism as a movement to assert the equality of women with all other gender identities, without putting anyone else down in the process. As Summers states in her article, that is exactly what romance writers are doing by their genre unapologetically. This genre and its writers exist to bring the readers what they want, whether that be lesbian werewolves, BDSM, or a more traditional 18th century courtship. Like Summers, I can’t imagine anything to be more feminist according to our definition than the act of writing a genre that is widely regarded to be by and for females, without putting down other genres or even caring about the criticism of romance as a genre.
In the article “Beyond Bodice-Rippers: How Romance Novels Came to Embrace Feminism” by Jessica Luther we examine the feminism of the genre from a different perspective. Rather than declaring the act of writing romance as feminist, Luther examines the subject matter of romance novels themselves. A particularly interesting point she raises is about the element of sex within the romance genre. I agree with Ruthie Knox’s qualification that in order for a romance novel to be considered feminist it must present sex as a mutually pleasurable endeavor for both parties involved. This is an important qualification considering the constant struggle faced by women to defy traditionally subservient roles in the bedroom, and to assert sexual equality. When it comes to the issue of sexual equality I implore you to watch this slam poem. It is by two women, and in it they proclaim their frustration, not with men, but with their struggle to overcome all the influences that have taught them to see themselves as somehow less important in the act of sex than their male partners.
So in order for a romance novel to be considered feminist, in order for women to, “Take their bodies back,” sex must be portrayed as an act that is committed for the pleasure and enjoyment of all participants. One might of course argue then that something like Fifty Shades of Grey, or something equally BDSM oriented, could never be considered feminist. I disagree. Who is to say that the subservient party of a BDSM-style relationship does not enjoy said relationship just as much as the dominant party? While their roles in the bedroom may be unequal by definition, they may be equally gratified by the experience.
This video of these two woman confuses and upsets me to be honest. I find it a little frightening that these woman grew up with the feeling they were the inferior or lesser member in the game of sex. I’m almost insulted that these two clearly very strong females allowed others, or society, to “take their bodies” in the first place! I feel as if no one has ever had the strength or power to take my body away from me, that’s my most prized possession, my temple, one no man would ever touch unless I desired him to…….. What I’m trying to say is that I feel saddened that these woman were weak and allowed others to make them feel lesser, their own knowledge of their self worth and pride should have prevented them from now being in the position to have to “take their bodies back”.
I too consider myself a feminist (shocker!) and am pleasantly surprised by the thoughts and ideas this article has made me pounder. I am not really one to read too many sappy romance novels in my day, I tended to think of them as the books my mother would make confusing jokes to her girlfriends about when I was a kid, but my view has change with recent events. The first was the 50 shades of grey phenomenon, some would argue it is the female version of a man’s favorite hustler or playboy magazine, like that’s a bad thing…… I began to become irritated by the judgmental audience criticizing the novel for its inappropriateness, one “not fit for a lady”. My irritation was quickly changed to pride as females stood up to these judgers defending their right to read whatever they please and being proud and not embarrassed to say “yes, I read 50 shades of grey. Yes, it was hot and heavy. Yes, I enjoyed it and recommend it”. The women who stood up and said those things are the reason the book is such a great success, and that sense of confidence in what they were doing, talking about, and spreading, is true feminism. The second element that changed my viewpoint was seeing that same confidence in the female writers and women discussed in the article posted. This pride expressed so loudly and proudly gives all feminists strength and a community. The feminist community will also give the shy or needy support which will only in turn grow an already powerful group.
forfeministeyesonly, I absolutely agree with you about how ridiculous it is that women should feel the need to secret their romance novels around the same way they stuff their tampons into hidden purse compartments. The romance genre can have as much substance and validity as any other, and doesn’t deserve to be sneered at simply because it guarantees love, a happy ending, and maybe a few steamy sex scenes. I have been an avid reader of romance myself, and have fallen victim to hiding my preference for the genre out of fear that people would pass judgement on me for it. I even bought an eReader so that I wouldn’t have to carry around anything with a cover that would betray my guilty pleasure! After learning more about romance novels, their writers, and the community around them I feel a responsibility to put the eReader away and carry around a novel with a shirtless hunk on the cover to take a stand for feminism.
I am all for the shirtless hunk cover 100%! Show it with pride is my thing for sure! Be proud that you are so strong with who you are and what you enjoy to not be ashamed by any means of judgmental glares. Comedy is the best reaction to judgement anyways, learning to laugh at those you throw shame in your direction will prevent the upset and potential hurt they are aiming at you.
Iris1115, I completely agree with what you’re saying here. It is as if we are going backwards in the feminist movement if we allow society to make us feel uncomfortable about feminine things. The idea that men can proudly sift through the pages of Playboy, but a woman feels embarrassed to read 50 Shades of Grey is completely ancient and very offensive. As far as hiding tampons, its baffling to me that men proudly keep condoms in their pockets, while women are anxious to let anyone see their HYGIENE product. The hygiene product is necessary, the condom, technically, is not. Both are good, yet only the male’s product is acceptable? Although it seems to be society as a whole who puts these feelings into place, it is up to the women to not only ignore these social norms, but push against it. Who cares if people see my tampon? At least I’m clean! And who cares if people see that I’m reading a sexually explicit romance novel? At least its classier than porn!