Chick Lit

I am currently sitting in the guest bedroom of my grandparents' house on beautiful Vancouver Island. This is the last day of my vacation here. This vacation has included much reading.

Due to weight and space issues I had to cut the 7 books I hoped to bring down to 4. This meant, of course, I ran out of books pretty darn quick. Two of the books had been quite enjoyable Steampunk*-style fantasy books with a romance story in. The main character, a slightly Mary-Sue like female, had dimension, was quite capable, and was someone you could cheer for.

Unfortunately however those books (and being on vacation) sparked a craving in me for romances. I enjoy well-written romance books. They are my way of living vicariously. However, after a number of free iBook really bad romances, and a couple of supposed-to-be-vaguely-legit "chick-lit" books, I am feeling very irritated and annoyed.

The female main characters are almost better written in the really trashy books than the chick-lit. In the chick-lit I find the females are all vain, shallow, incompetent, ditzy, and completely one-dimensional. They all love shopping, talking about men, partying, and more shopping. They all have jobs, but those jobs seem to be nothing but a necessary annoyance to them. They have no real interests (though often the male characters have a variety of exciting and enjoyable hobbies).

These women always get themselves into bad situations by doing something completely idiotic, and then lying and doing even stupider things to try to cover up. Eventually all their idiocy comes out, but Surprise! The male character admits an irresistible and everlasting love for her despite, or even because of, the ditziness and idiocy.

Cut me a break. Can I PLEASE have a female character I can actually relate to? One who would pass the Bechdel test by talking to her friends about something other than men? (Or shopping for that matter?) How about a character who is capable, strong, and can communicate effectively? Or a character who is into crafts or activism or skydiving or gaming or ANYTHING other than shopping? How about a character who has friends she talks to about work and family and fun stuff they have done recently instead of just boys?

Can I have a character who isn't swept off her feet by cheesy lines and unrealistic promises? How about one who believes in herself, even if single, without coming off like an ice-queen? Or one who values her independence and strength?

Basically, can I please have a character that isn't a caricature for all that is wrong with gender stereotypes in this society? Otherwise I will have to write my own book and that's a scary premise.


(Disclaimer: I have found a few chick-lit authors who manage to write half-decent (though still pretty one-dimensional and depressingly incompetent) characters. They are just few and far between. I have learned my lesson however, and will not be straying from them again anytime soon.)




*I recently decided I needed to explore this genre that produced such amazing esthetics. After finding a list of recommended books online I set about finding them and devouring them. It has been a very enjoyable experience, and I have discovered some great books. I look forward to tackling a new genre when I finish this list.