I hate this debate every time it comes up.
What, the BookTok debate? Yes and no. The BookTok is just the latest form this debate has come in, but really, what I hate is this same basic structure that reoccurs throughout various topics and interests. It goes like:
1) A thing gets popular, especially among women, and starts to permeate the culture.
2) People become annoyed by and critical of the thing.
3) The annoyance and criticism of the thing begins to take on a misogynistic tone, a la that kind of, “guy grips hair in faux madness as he talks about how crazy the stupid braindead girly thing drives him” tone.
4) Women sense this misogyny, and in response, turn up their level of defensiveness over the thing ten-fold.
5) All potentially legitimate criticism of the thing and its genuinely problematic elements are now completely lost in the noise, as fans of the thing immediately shoot down all criticism of the thing as inherently misogynistic and out to get them, while genuinely misogynistic detractors continue to make things worse by making the valid criticism harder to see among all the bad faith criticism.
It happens in music, TV, etc., and BookTok books are just the latest version of this same scandal, and I’m so exhausted by it. Particularly, I’m exhausted at how it contributes to the continual watering down of feminism into just, *”defending things that girls and women like,”* that neuters all serious analysis and engagement of these things interact with our culture and society, and the effect they have on women themselves.
Women are not immune from perpetuating harmful ideas, beliefs, and standards about and for their gender. Just because we enjoy something, just because a lot of women enjoy it, doesn’t automatically make it pro-woman or harmless to women. And we need to be able to swallow our pride and engage with this unpopular reality if we want to take the necessity of deconstructing the patriarchal conditioning we’ve all been saddled with seriously. I know that a lot of y’all don’t want to hear this, but the purpose of feminism is not to be one great big validation and back-patting party for everything women ever say, think, enjoy, partake in, or do.
And I’m sorry, but a lot of what gets passed around on BookTok is pretty damn concerning. I’m not going to get into whether or not things like romanticization of dubious consent, age gaps, violent sex, etc. are inherently wrong to write or read, but I do think the fact that they’ve all become so *mainstream and out in the open* is a problem, yes, especially when you take into account how much of this is being combined with the tropes and aesthetics normally associated with YA novels. There is a **dangerously** increasing amount of overlap between the books being read by teenagers and those read by adults because “New Adult”/BookTok culture has increasingly blurred those lines.
There is a lot of room here for some serious talks about various issues, such as the critical examination of (as opposed to the mindless indulging in) fantasies, and the negative effects that modern readers’ seeming refusal to let go of their childhoods (YA aesthetic and tropes) while also simultaneously wanting to enjoy in the perks of adulthood (hardcore erotica and questionable fetishes) has had on the publishing landscape, other, more vulnerable readership bases, and potentially the gender landscape itself. These are real conversations and real potential problems worth addressing, that cannot and should not be simply dismissed with bland excuses of “letting people like what they like” or “you just hate it because girls like it and you hate girls.”
*But at the same time…* it is frustrating how difficult it is to criticize trends and behavior associated with women without this quickly being appropriated as an excuse to just bash women while feeling smart and above reproach. It’s the same thing with the term “Karen,” where on one hand it describes a legitimate problem with classism and racism, but on the other hand people have quickly started to apply it to pretty much any woman who ever disagrees with them ever. As annoying as it is to have our various book-related homepages filled to the brim with low quality smut, it should be noted that low quality smut aimed at men has dominated plenty of other mediums and spaces for years if not decades (I’m looking at you, anime and video games), and not only has this not prompted a massive backlash the way it has with BookTok, but even slight criticism of it in those mediums is often shot down loudly and ruthlessly (again, anime and video games).
There’s also a difference between thoughtful, informed critique of these books, and bashing as a pastime. Yeah, the smut is terribly written, yes, a lot of it is weird and gross, but that really shouldn’t be the only thing you have to say, especially if you are a man criticizing a book aimed at women. *The larger implications that these things have on our society and culture* is ultimately why these things matter, and if your criticism doesn’t convey a serious concern with that, then it’s really not very helpful criticism. It’s just pinching your nose and going “Pee-yoo!” while putting your own tastes on a pedestal, when honestly, your tastes might not be that much better in terms of the socio-implications and effects they have.
I don’t know, I just wish there was more care taken for nuance whenever this type of discussion comes up. I wish people weren’t so defensive of their porn, I wish people treated the topics they discuss and write about with more care, and I wish important subjects weren’t so easy to manipulate to disguise stupider motivations.
But it is what it is, I suppose.
by Lady_Beatnik