Things I Learned About Romances
Another genre I've been reading a bunch of are romance novels. I haven't read any of the big names (like Colleen Hoover), but what I've read so far is very much targeted towards women. Here's what I've learned.
A Note: I make some real sweeping generalizations about things I read in four novels. It's a little tongue-in-cheek, and I'm not saying what women do and don't like in their real or imagined men.
1. Women like their men jacked.
Of the novels I've read so far, the men in three of them have been described as quite sculpted. Lots of shoulders and abs are mentioned, and surprisingly few forearms (my wife tells me that exposed forearms are very popular). The protagonists damn near fall for the men immediately upon sight of their hot bods. Two of them were TV stars with TV star good looks, and the third was described as an Indian James Bond (they didn't say which Bond one though...).
The women in these books varied in their appearane. One woman was slim and petite, another tall and curvy, and the last short and fat. I find this interesting as an inverse to what you usually see in TV and movies. The men always come in all shapes and sizes (and sometimes ages... shudder), and the women are super models with varying levels of personality. Unless they are the comedy relief. Those women are almost always protrayed as fat and dumpy (even if it doesn't fit how they actually look). Often in TV sitcoms, the men are chubby shmucks with a wife that is way out of their league in looks and personality.
The fourth book was about two book nerds. Their phsyical descriptions were less about their physique and more about subtle deatails and gestures. I kind of gathered that they were slim to average. Both definitely tall, because the protagonist's sister was very short. I think the author really liked lips. A lot of lip action in that one.
2. Women like their men's junk jacked too.
A funny thing I noticed was that in two of the books the protagonists explicitly call out their partners penis as being thick. They were enticed by how thick it was, and described the initial penetration and how it felt. One book implied thickness by the stretched feeling the protagonist had when her and her partner first had sex.
I noticed this, firstly, because I'm kind of a pervert (okay, a lot of a pervert), but I also find it interesting in comparison to online porn. They both examples idealize a big dick, but differently. Online porn is always focused on the length, and trying to convince everyone that twelve inch penises are a thing and you should be scared of them (which I think is pretty racist). Romance novels, though, prop up girth as the desired trait in a penis, but they don't linger on it. It's a quick mention before they move on.
I really like reading the sex scenes in romance novels so far. Not just becuase "hey, spicy fun", but becuase it isn't as objectifying as a lot of online erotica tends to be. There's a human connection in sex, and romance novels carry connections made during more mundane activities into the sex. It's not just about penises and vaginas. It's about beath, and touching, and that electric feeling that was felt earlier but now with more intensity.
3. There's a Lot of Happy Endings
So as I mentioned in my mystery post yesterday, I'm a good news guy. I don't like stories that end on a downer. Romance has me covered there. The problems that the couple faces in these stories are all over the board. Some problems are their own doing, some are other obligations or a system outside of their control. It varies, but they usually get everything buttoned up in the end so the couple can happily be together. I like that. With how shitty the world tends to be, I need a happy ending. Books for me are an escape into something more pleasant.
Best of all, they have so far (fingers crossed) not done anything super questionable. Like say, a man gaslighting his romantic interest with different online and offline personalities (I'm looking at you You've Got Mail, Kathleen Kelly deserved better).