Feminism in Romance

Talia Hoggan

Vicki LeQuire

RC 2001-101

19 October 2020
 Abstract

This essay will be arguing that romance fiction as a genre has a greater literary purpose than

society gives it credit for. Evidence will be based on scholarly articles written by female authors

that primarily discuss the positive aspects of romance novels, as opposed to the generally

accepted idea that all of these books contain no literary merit. This argument focuses on the

progression of modern romance, the desires of readers, and important educational aspects that

can be found within the genre. After analyzing many scholarly articles on the subject and

discussing each point, it can be concluded that the romance genre is one to be respected.
 Literature Review

Romance novels have received massive amounts of criticism over the years for

portraying women as weak and in need of men, and generally containing problematic themes​.

However, scholars have been exploring and defending the genre of modern romance as a

medium through which women can embrace their own sexuality and empower themselves​.

Control over Sexuality

Throughout history, society has stigmatized sex in relation to women, causing many to

feel unclean and shameful for having any desire whatsoever​.​ The academic and romance writer

Jenny Cruise writes how society and the media has used women as sexual objects meant to

satisfy men​.​1​ She contends that romance novels allow women to take control of this sexuality for

their own purposes as opposed to anyone else's​.​ Ann Oakley, famous sociologist, feminist, and

writer emphasizes this point and refers to sexuality as a human right that has been denied to

females​.​2 To
​ this end, if romance novels are accepted and encouraged as opposed to looked down

upon, readers can diminish these ideas that have been imposed upon women​.​ Author Linda

Christian-Smith goes as far as to say that young adult romance-fiction should be encouraged to

teenage girls so that they can develop their own femininities and understand/accept their own

desires​.​ This way, girls can understand from a relatively young age that what they are feeling is

natural and acceptable, and nothing to be ashamed about​.​3

Healthy and Consensual Relationships

In addition to romance fiction developing young girls’ femininities, this genre can also

explain sensitive subjects that young women unfortunately must be informed about​.​ Authors
Spiering and Kedley have analyzed a novel that can particularly help girls comprehend what is

going on and what to look out for in relationships: ​Forever​ by Judy Bloom​.​ This novel deals

with the topic of sex amid high school girls, allowing readers to not only better understand

themselves and the hormonal/sexual changes they may be experiencing, but also the concept of

consent.​4​ This idea can be explored through sexual script theory, which is defined by Simon and

Gagnon as a theory in which sexual storylines stem from or are influenced by cultural norms,

which might differ between men and women.​5

Sexism and Gender Roles

One of the first opponents to romance novels, Tania Modleski argues that the main

characters in traditional romance novels consistently find their happy ending through ridding

themselves of their pride and ambition, essentially sacrificing themselves as individuals​.​ This

behavior theoretically encourages the reader to follow suit​.​6​ Gill and Hendereckioff, other

scholarly authors, agree that romance novels are problematic examples to the reader​. ​They claim

that the majority of heroines in these books have the same characteristics; thin, physically fit,

clean shaven, etcetera​.​ These authors claim that this archetype creates an unfair expectation for

women and severely limits the socially accepted idea of beauty and who will get their happily

ever after​.​7​ However, Janice Radway counters this point with the fact that these authors failed to

address the theories of why their audience reads and the reasons for their book choices​.​ She also

argues that Modleski, Gill, and Hendereckioff do not mention anything of the modern romance

books that challenge gender behavior stereotypes and traditional sexual relationships​.​8​ ​Professor

Barbara Seeber continues this counter argument by stating that even in many of the older,
traditional romances such as those written by the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen, the authors still

managed to subtly defy “patriarchal literary standards”​.​9 ​Author Pamela Regis also uses these

female romance authors as examples of how romance can be a celebration of freedom and joy.​10

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Though romance fiction is widely considered to be a “guilty pleasure” with no merit to

the reader, scholars have been arguing the importance of this genre in regard to the

empowerment of women and the standard set for healthy relationships​.

A History of Women as Sexual Objects

​For decades, society has used women as sexual objects meant to satisfy men.

Advertisements will feature mostly naked women meant to attract the attention of of the opposite

sex; a great example being a Budweiser commercial that shows a naked woman lying on the

ground with only bottle caps covering her genitals. Kerin Roger, William Lundstrom, and

Donald Sciglimpaglia comment on this demeaning objectification quite accurately by stating that

“the idea of women as sex objects arises from the use of a woman as an attention getting

strategem when her presence adds little but decoration to the product being advertised.”​11​ This

use of women as a strategem dehumanizes them and strips them of power, as they are “reduced

to the status of mere tools for men’s purposes.”​12

Counteracting Objectification

Romance novels are a way for some women to feel as if they have taken back this power.

The majority of books in this genre are authored by females, and are thus written in such a way

that the main (female) character is not described with an underlying sexual tone, as is often seen

with male authors. Rather, the main character is often arguably sexualizing the other gender for a

change (in the case of heterosexual romances). Female protagonists embracing their attraction is

a healthy example for female readers, as she is not objectified nor shamed for her attraction. It is

for this reason that author Linda Christian Smith states that “romance fiction should be

encouraged to teenage girls so that they can view themselves in a healthy, human manner, in

addition to understanding and accepting their own desires.”

Romance as a Tool for Recognizing Healthy Relationships

In addition to romance novels being an effective tool to familiarize younger female

readers with their own sexuality, this genre is also a great medium through which readers can be

informed about the concept of consent. Readers can observe female characters handling

problematic situations in a healthy fashion, providing a proper example and standard for how

readers should not only expect to be treated in a romantic relationship, but how to stand up for

themselves. Examples of the former are often seen in romantic tropes where the main character is

lovingly taken care of: being fed hot soup while they are sick, having their hair held back as they

are throwing up after having too much to drink, or simply being comforted after a bad day.

Examples of the main character standing up for themselves could be turning down consistent

sexual advances or refusing to be treated in a disrespectful manner. This incorporation of healthy

behaviors and expectations into novels helps work toward setting a cultural standard for society,

which falls under Simon and Gagnon’s “Sexual Script Theory”. This theory states that “sexual

scripts can be seen as providing guidelines for appropriate sexual behavior and sexual

encounters, as sexual behavior and encounters are learned through culture and others in

interactions.”

Opposition to Romance Novels

The majority of people tend to believe that romance novels are sexist and problematic.

Tania Modleski, one of these believers, enhances this point by stating that main characters in

traditional romance novels consistently find their happy ending through ridding themselves of

their individuality; abandoning any personal goals and interests in order to pursue a relationship.

She argues that readers are likely to model this problematic behavior, which just emphasizes
historically sexist patterns. Authors Gill and Hendereckioff argue that even more traditionally

sexist ideas are often found in romance, as the majority of heroines in these books set unrealistic

expectations for women; being very thin, perfect skin, etcetera. Readers may look at the

standards set in these books and feel unworthy, or somehow less of a woman if they don’t fit the

criteria.

A Comeback to This Opposition

Though it is true that many novels in the romance genre are unrealistic, author Janice

Radway argues that the previous arguments fail to consider the reason why readers have come to

those novels in the first place. Many females read romance novels as a reprieve from their

everyday lives, perhaps because they desire to see a man take care of them, while in their actual

life they have to take care of everybody else. Perhaps they do not have a successful relationship,

and they wish to read something that solely revolves around a picturesque romance. However,

many modern romance novels increasingly do not contain these stereotypical traits; many strive

to challenge the norm. They may feature a strong heroine who owns a successful company, or a

variety of queer romances.

Discussion

Though many older novels are considered to be problematic due to upholding certain sexist

stereotypes, a large amount of readers come to these books for that exact reason; despite

knowing the content is not realistic or correct, the false storyline is a source of escapism from

their everyday lives. They may want to be the “damsel in distress” after a day of feeding a large

family or leading a whole office at work. In addition to this, an increasing amount of romance

novels are straying from the norm and should no longer be considered problematic, as they
feature strong, independent men and women who do not rely on the love interest. Due to these

changes in romance fiction, the negative stigma surrounding the genre should be changed.

Conclusion

Romance fiction can provide examples of healthy relationships, problem solving, and

independence in women. Though it is true that romance novels in the past may contain

traditional, conservative views of women, some readers are intentionally reading those books

with a purpose to escape their everyday life. Even so, more and more romances are challenging

these traditional stereotypes and providing a vast amount of material for young women to utilize,

whether for entertainment or informative purposes.

 Notes

1. s.e. smithView profile » s.e. smith is a writer, “How Romance Authors Became Literature's
Feminist Utopians,” Bitch Media, n.d., ​https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/the-case-for-romance-authors​.

2. Cristina Reis, “The Ann Oakley Reader. Gender, Women and Social Science - By Ann Oakley,”
Gender, Work & Organization​ 15, no. 1 (2007): pp. 110-112,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2007.00384_2.x​.

3. Linda K. Christian-Smith, “Becoming A Woman Through Romance,” ​Routledge,​ January 2019,

https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429322778​.

4. Jenna Spiering and Kate Kedley, “‘You Can’t Go Back to Holding Hands.’ Reading Judy Blume’s
Forever in the #MeToo Era,” ​Study and Scrutiny: Research on Young Adult Literature​ 3, no. 2 (April 2019): pp.
1-19, ​https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2376-5275.2019.3.2.1-19​.
5. Gagnon, John H., and William Simon. ​Sexual Conduct the Social Sources of Human Sexuality​.
Hutchinson, 1973.
6. Tania Modleski, ​Loving with a Vengeance: Mass-Produced Fantasies for Women​ (New York:
Routledge, 2016).

7. Rosalind Gill and Elena Herdieckerhoff, “Rewriting The Romance,” ​Feminist Media Studies​ 6, no.
4 (2006): pp. 487-504, ​https://doi.org/10.1080/14680770600989947​.

8. Janice A. Radway, ​Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature​ (Verso,
1987).

9. K. Seeber, ​General Consent in Jane Austen: a Study of Dialogism​ (Montréal: McGill-Queen's

University Press, 2014).

10. Pamela Regis, A​ ​ Natural History of the Romance Novel​ (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania
Press, 2013).
11. Roger A Kerin, William J Lundstrom, and Donald Sciglimpaglia, “Women in Advertisements:
Retrospect and Prospect,” Taylor & Francis, May 30, 2013,
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913367.1979.10673287​.
12. Evangelia (Lina) Papadaki, “Feminist Perspectives on Objectification,” Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy (Stanford University, December 16, 2019),
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-objectification/.
 Bibliography

Christian-Smith, Linda K. “Becoming A Woman Through Romance.” ​Routledge,​ 2019.

https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429322778.

Gagnon, John H., and William Simon. ​Sexual Conduct the Social Sources of Human Sexuality​.

Hutchinson, 1973.

Gill, Rosalind, and Elena Herdieckerhoff. “Rewriting The Romance.” ​Feminist Media Studies​ 6,

no. 4 (2006): 487–504. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680770600989947.

Kerin, Roger A, William J Lundstrom, and Donald Sciglimpaglia. “Women in Advertisements:

Retrospect and Prospect.” Taylor & Francis, May 30, 2013.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00913367.1979.10673287.

Modleski, Tania. ​Loving with a Vengeance: Mass-Produced Fantasies for Women​. New York:

Routledge, 2016.

Papadaki, Evangelia (Lina). “Feminist Perspectives on Objectification.” Stanford Encyclopedia

of Philosophy. Stanford University, December 16, 2019.

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-objectification/.

Radway, Janice A. ​Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature​. Verso,

1987.

​ ​ Natural History of the Romance Novel​. Philadelphia: University of

Regis, Pamela. A

Pennsylvania Press, 2013.

Reis, Cristina. “The Ann Oakley Reader. Gender, Women and Social Science - By Ann Oakley.”

Gender, Work & Organization​ 15, no. 1 (2007): 110–12.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0432.2007.00384_2.x.

s.e. smithView profile » s.e. smith is a writer. “How Romance Authors Became Literature's

Feminist Utopians.” Bitch Media, n.d.

https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/the-case-for-romance-authors.

Seeber, K. ​General Consent in Jane Austen: a Study of Dialogism​. Montréal: McGill-Queen's

University Press, 2014.

Spiering, Jenna, and Kate Kedley. “‘You Can’t Go Back to Holding Hands.’ Reading Judy

Blume’s Forever in the #MeToo Era.” ​Study and Scrutiny: Research on Young Adult

Literature​ 3, no. 2 (2019): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2376-5275.2019.3.2.1-19.