Treat Her Like A Lady (Not A Hag)

[oldbitey]

Simon de Beauvoir suggested that few writers have championed age in women, and she's right. From evil stepmother to “cougar,” there are a number of not-so pretty representations of women as they age in romance fiction, which is odd considering that through its depiction of female protagonists, romance fiction has so often reflected the attitudes

Comments

Anti-Ageist Reading

[anonymous]

Real readers want to read about real characters, and just like they responded negatively to the eighteen year old virgin heroines of "Yore" there will be backlash about the lack of heroines that represent what is actually the largest (and most affluent book buying) reading demographic out there. Readers want a character to identify with otherwise they put down the book and leave the bookstore.

[anonymous]

Yes, yes, yes, yes and no. But I'm happy to write one! If ebooks can do anything for us, I hope they can remove these artificial limitations imposed by publishers on what is acceptable. While I am sure there are some readers who do prefer the status quo maintained in their romance, I am equally sure that there are plenty of others who would like more real-world representations in their characters.

Okay, not annonymous, it's Imelda here, but it won't let me use my Wordpress ID!

[anonymous]

I've read one or two with 40+ heroines, but not many. I read one with a post-menopausal heroine - the author called it Hag Lit, which was a bit of a marketing fail for me.

(Nicola O. here - idk why LiveJournal thinks it should be able to look at my contacts)

By any other name...

[oldbitey]

Hag Lit = total marketing fail. It's up there with Matron Lit, only worse. I don't know why it can't simply be called romance. Was romance the driving force of the post-menopausal story you read, or was it the whole post-menopause angle?

OB