{"id":2007,"date":"2010-07-22T21:46:42","date_gmt":"2010-07-22T11:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.msnaughty.com\/blog\/?p=2007"},"modified":"2010-07-22T21:46:42","modified_gmt":"2010-07-22T11:46:42","slug":"where-the-hell-is-my-prince-charming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/msnaughty.com\/blog\/2010\/07\/22\/where-the-hell-is-my-prince-charming\/","title":{"rendered":"Where The Hell Is My Prince Charming?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Porn
\nGorgeous cartoon from Stuff No One Told Me<\/a>, via Erika Lust<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I think we need to make this point a little more often. Romance novels are often derisively called “porn for women” and, while this is inaccurate in a lot of ways, it does make a point about unrealistic fantasies. Both porn and romance\/fairytales offer a fantasy version of the opposite sex and depict sex and relationships in a very unrealistic way.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, there isn’t the same moral panic about girls reading teenage romance novels as there is about boys looking at porn. But maybe it’s something we need to talk about more. <\/p>\n

Just speaking from personal experience, I used to love Sweet Dreams and similar girly romance books when I was 14 and it led to plenty of confusing experiences when I finally got boys to pay attention to me. I expected them to act a certain way and floundered when they didn’t. I wouldn’t say it was a major problem, really, but it meant I was somewhat deluded about how this whole “love” thing was supposed to work. <\/p>\n

Thankfully, it all worked out OK for me in the end and I did marry my Prince Charming. I just had to get used to the fact that he farts.*<\/p>\n

Still, it’s a question worth asking: do romance novels encourage girls to have a warped view of men? Of relationships? Of sex? And does it feed into the general world view that sells Men Are From Mars-type books? Does it encourage the Cosmo-style idea that men are mysterious creatures who are afraid of committment and must be seduced with feminine wiles?<\/p>\n

Or is this another case of not giving young women enough credit? Are romance novels, like porn, just a bit of easy entertainment?<\/p>\n

And since I’m asking questions, here’s one: why don’t boys (in general) read romance? Is it because, like porn for women, there are no books that actually dare to offer male-friendly stories that focus mainly on love and relationships? <\/p>\n

It’s an intriguing idea, romance for men. I’m now wondering what it would look like. Excuse me while I go away and see if I can find anything like it on the net.<\/p>\n

* As do I!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gorgeous cartoon from Stuff No One Told Me, via Erika Lust. I think we need to make this point a little more often. Romance novels are often derisively called “porn for women” and, while this is inaccurate in a lot of ways, it does make a point about unrealistic fantasies. Both porn and romance\/fairytales offer a fantasy version of the opposite sex and depict sex and relationships in a very Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,23],"tags":[138,169,279,523,915,688,856],"class_list":["post-2007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-quirky-weird-funny","category-ramblings","category-sex-and-women","tag-books","tag-cartoon","tag-erotica","tag-men","tag-porn","tag-romance","tag-women"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t