Dirty Secret No More: Erotica Conquers E-Readers
January 30, 2012 No Comments
It seems Canadians love erotic books, but they are hesitant to buy them in traditional bookstores. Long gone are the embarrassed looks at the counter. Thanks to e-reader technology such as Kobo and Kindle, erotic lit fans can purchase books anonymously.
Sales are booming and erotic titles are climbing up the bestseller charts. Smaller publishing houses and unknown writers are breaking into the market with books being sold at $3 or $4 a pop. Clearly, there is a high demand for descriptive boot knocking.
From cowboys to werewolves to torrid love affairs, erotic fiction stimulates the imagination like most other books. In fact, I would argue that romance plot lines are more out of this world than those in science fiction. So why are readers still so uptight about admitting their “dirty little secret?”
One reason is this enduring 19th century idea of female sexuality. While male masturbation is widely accepted as a norm, female masturbation is still a taboo subject, even in the most liberal circles. Case in point, the recent controversy surrounding Rihanna’s You Da One music video. As if women have a black hole between their legs that is only touched by their partner(s). Please!
We continue to hide our favourite “naughty” books in a drawer or under our beds-for more private moments. Good girls don’t masturbate and since erotic literature makes women fantasize, we hide these books or criticize those who openly enjoy them. These tales are brushed off as worthless or a brainless “female” pastime. Since women make up the majority of erotica readers, this public shaming is intentional.
Hopefully with the new e-reader technology, erotica readers will feel more comfortable out in the open. Society also needs to change its perception of who reads erotica. Stop being surprised if the businessman next to you on the bus is reading about two gay lovers in 23rd century cyberspace, and love that you already know the ending, since you finished the same book last week.
Contact the author here: kait@morningquickie.com
