The Appeal of ChickLit

ChickLit. The very word elicits a number of different emotions. If you’re a woman, you might smile. Men typically groan, shudder, or get nauseated. I admit that some ChickLit is even hard for me to stomach. Either the plot is too silly, or certain characters are so vapid and vain I can’t relate to them, like any of the Real Housewives. No, we’re not even gonna go there. However, good ChickLit at its core is a valid and wonderful genre. We just need to demystify it a little.

I cut my adult reading chops on Harlequin romances, the best “soft porn” a twelve-year-old chick’s money can buy! The stories and characters represent everything life should be. At the heart of it all is the strong, handsome, rich knight in shining armor who saves you from certain death by, oh let’s say, pushing you out of the way of a raging bull, barreling down the streets of Pamplona. And if that weren’t enough, still sweaty from fighting the bull, your knight can think of nothing else but carrying you to the nearest bed and ripping the bodice from your muddy but cleavage-revealing, diaphanous gown and...  Well, you know the rest.

Oh come on now, stop pretending to gag and listen up. This is fantasy, people and it’s good! I’ll say it again—it’s good. Romance represents everything life should be. Syrupy and sappy? Maybe. And the point is? Actually, that is the point. Romance and other ChickLit can be syrupy, but it’s supposed to be. Like all stories, it’s an escape. And guess what? Romance sells big time.

Let’s look at the flipside—DudeLit (the technical term also begins with a “D” but rhymes with ChickLit, and decorum prevents me from using it here). Now, I love this genre too, and I think it’s at its best on the big screen. Nothing beats a great James Bond film. Forget being the Bond girl, I want to be James Bond! He’s cool, a really snappy dresser, drinks the finest champagne, gets to take care of the bad guys, and drives some stylin’ cars. What’s not to like?

Of course, my ultimate is Clive Owen in the movie Shoot ‘Em Up. Never seen it? Then you’re in for a treat. He saves the girl, saves the baby, and takes care of the bad guys all with one hand tied behind his back. You’ll be cheering!

I think we can learn to appreciate both ChickLit and DudeLit for the purpose they serve, which is a fantasy, a diversion.

Guys, pay special attention here because I’m gonna give you a tip: don't reject ChickLit. You say you don’t understand women and what they want? Try reading a chick book or seeing a chick movie and you’ll go from “clueless” to “not as clueless as you were yesterday.” Look at the male authors who write love and romance novels—Leigh Greenwood and Nicholas Sparks, not to mention many others who write under female pseudonyms. They caught the clue.

And ladies, don't reject DudeLit. You’ll earn a front row seat at the window into his psyche if you read something with a high body count, lots of explosions, and a ludicrous plot where the hero jumps off the Empire State Building and takes out no less than 10 bad guys on the way down. 

Hey, we could all use a little guilty diversion every now and then.

--TR, October 2010

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