So, it's been a good long while since anyone posted to this blog.
I apologize for that, readers. In honor of International Women's Day, I wanted
to share some thoughts with you on why I write not just romance, but erotic
romance, and what it means to be a feminist erotic romance author.
First let's start with the idea
that romance is feminist literature. This may not sound groundbreaking in the
news department, but it's a rather new idea on the block. For years romance has
been denigrated for being anti-feminist, or bodice-rippers, glorified
patriarchal rape fantasies that simply perpetuate stereotypical portrayals of
women and romance in a male-dominated world. (Phew, that was a mouthful). In
recent times, romance has become a better genre, but it also has become better
understood, and the realization that it is actually the opposite of
anti-feminist is becoming more and more prevalent.
Romance is about women, for
women, written by women. That's what romance is all about.
Note however that women is not all romance is about, of course. There are lots of different
flavors of romance on the market now, with new subgenres and different forms of
love and life becoming more popular every day. Romance is also about men, and
about love. There are ménage stories and m/m stories and stories about groups
of lovers, asexual partners, trans and queer individuals, some who identify as
women, and some who do not.
On the whole, even when the story is not about just women, and not
written just for women, or by women, romance at its core is still about
feminism, about the idea that a woman is just as good as a man, just as
important and worthy, and should have the same ability to pursue life, liberty,
and happiness as any man.
I was asked (as part of a large
group) recently why my books were going to change the world. Why were they
important enough that readers needed them? Whose lives were they going to
change?
Those questions got me
thinking, and now I have an answer.
My books are all about being sex-positive,
body-positive, empowering and feministic. I write all kinds of flavors of erotic
romance: f/f, m/f, m/m/f, BDSM, contemporary, femdomme, multicultural. And
every one of my books has one theme in common: empowering my characters to know
what they want, physically, sexually, emotionally, and to give them the tools
to go after what they want. My characters embrace their sexuality. They embrace
the idea that it’s okay to want and need a partner (or partners), to be
vulnerable and sexy, and to be bold and strong, all at the same time. This is
what makes my romance so feminist in nature.
With every book, I aim to break down the idea that sex is evil, or
that women don’t have a sex drive. I work to dispel the myth that sex-positivity
and embracing sexual desire is a bad thing. I also work to dispel the myth that
feminism = man-eating bitches. Feminism isn’t about hating men. It’s about
loving them in a way that doesn’t mean loving yourself less. And that’s what I
write about. That is why I write erotic romance. We can break down these
barriers. We can change the world.
One book at a time.
Thanks,
Rach
Rach
