Uhm...no...

[meganbmoore]

First non-LJ/DW thing I saw while catching up on reading lists:

“In fact, some marriage therapists caution that women can become as dangerously unbalanced by these books’ entrancing but distorted messages as men can be by the distorted messages of pornography,” said best-selling author Shaunti Feldhahn, who studies the differences between men and

Comments

[prozacpark]

Um, what century are we living in? I'm remembering all the romantic period articles on how reading gave women psychological disorders. And how it was DANGEROUS.

Romance novels are a response to patriarchy, and of course, instead of seeing the PATRIARCHY as a problem, we'll go ahead and blame women somehow. Oh, world. Fail less.

[rosehiptea]

I'm remembering The Female Quixote.

instead of seeing the PATRIARCHY as a problem, we'll go ahead and blame women somehow

So much this.

[dangermousie]

I agree with the article insofar it supports a broad proposition that the media you consume, especially if you consume a lot of it, does affect your view on the world/expectations/even morals

[thinking_lotus]

You are going to be a different person if you read a lot of 19th-century German philosophers than if you don't - this isn't any different from the effect romance novels would have (though obviously the changes produced would be somewhat different).

Certainly the period of my life in which I read ALL of Henry James colored my outlook on life, and probably not for the better, either.

[reynardine]

I'm still trying to get past the suggestion that reading self-help books together is somehow going to improve my marriage. :-P

[fairest1]

How about "Let's laugh at this article together"?

[fairest1]

*reads article* So. Wouldn't it be saner to not stop them from reading it outright but move them to romances (and for dudes, porn) that portrayed healthy, happy relationships? I'm not going to say 'realistic' because that usually ends up being interpreted as 'majorly screwed up'.

[thinking_lotus]

yes, Sei Shonagon would SO have been a blogger if the internet had existed in Heian Japan.