The Reproduction Of Gender Stereotypes In Contemporary Romance Fiction

 

Nishka Gosrani, SYBA

One might argue that there is little that is more tantalizing than the anticipation of a
dramatic love confession in fiction. But far fewer things are as inherently stereotypical
than contemporary romance fiction sitting on nearly every shelf and cinema worldwide.
This is a genre that is often said to be “for women, by women” yet it still employs a
superfluous method of feminine portrayal in a majority of its outcomes. Surely, the
media unit begins with a strong intention of empowering the “strong and independent”
female protagonist with a big-shot career and seemingly adequate social connections.
However, somewhere through the haze of her success, she fills something amiss. Enter
the male protagonist with all of his bad-boy charm that no one is capable of resisting.
Suddenly, in a painfully formulated sequence of events, the female lead is either
immediately enamored with him or attempts to sidestep his advances but ultimately
fails to do so. What is most unfortunate in such a narrative is that the woman is often
displayed to be feeling a sense of loss when her romantic interest is absent and loses all
agency that she possessed prior to his arrival. Now all her attachments must be looked
at in reference to her relationship. Romantic fiction is in dire need of producing media
that portrays women in a truly independent lens, rather than treating the criteria as a
necessity to display gender equality as a trick to attract viewers