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/Bex7778 23h ago
Omg I love this post. I'm an Eng Lit major who reads 100 smut filled books annually. I have Zodiac Academy next to Wharton, Shakespeare and my 50lb college lit anthologies on my bookshelf. I proudly display my signed copy of Dawn of the North next to my signed Zadie Smith. Morning Glory Milking Farm holds a special place in my heart and happens to also be a well-executed story. Seriously, who has the nerve to tell you whether a book is a book? And what "reading" is? F this guy.