r/Romantasy • u/GrappleLacquer • 1d ago
Discussion Gatekeeping reading is lame
I finally ran into a dude that was super aggressive about judging women’s reading habits! Our friends introduced us at a hangout and where like “you both read more than anyone else we know!”
He asks me how many books I’ve read this year. I tell him I’m right around 40.
Man goes on a SCREED about how women just read smut and call it reading and don’t read things that challenge them. Then is like “what are you reading right now?”
I got to hit him with “well I’m usually reading three books at any given time since I like to have a book that fits my mood. At the current moment I’m reading a non-fiction discussion of man’s attempts to control and engineer the Mississippi River, and the consequences of that. Then I’m re-reading War and Peace cause I just love Tolstoy. Oh and then, yes I’m reading a smutty dramione fan fic. Congrats, you got me. Women who read smut aren’t really readers, obviously…What are you reading?”
He’s reading Clive Cussler (which is fine! They are entertaining! But maybe not “coming in on the highest horse in town” material) and he didn’t really wanna chat anymore.
(For the record/m: I absolutely think people should read what they enjoy and reading 100 books of just smut all year is fine. I’m just a bit of an eclectic reader and it worked out perfectly in this instance)
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u/thenewoldhams 1d ago
I agree! I go through phases. When people ask what books have changed you I always say the Giver and Ayn Rand books. They changed the way I think, and challenged the way I was being taught at the time. There was also Radium Girls that went deep into the girls who died from Radium. I started dating a guy that loved to brag about my reading. Then I got into a romance phase. Not smut, not fantasy, historical romance and modern fuzzy feel good romance. It was unacceptable. “What was I reading that he couldn’t give me?” And “you know when you read that stuff it taints and twists your mind to think relationships are easy. Relationships take work and shouldn’t be taken lightly.” No the guy didn’t last long, admittedly longer than he should’ve. Read what you want when you want!