An article written by an advice columnist says that romantic novels may do women a disservice by portraying situations that are more harmful than they are helpful.Susan Quilliam, an British advice columnist and psychologist, wrote an opinion piece that was published in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care. In it, she says that she realizes that these novels "are not helpful" as the female character is often "seen as the weaker subject who does all the giving and bows to what the man says.”
The article says that the scenarios presented in romance novels do not give an accurate--or even realistic--picture of a healthy relationship. Quilliam says, "Sex may be wonderful and relationships loving, but neither are ever perfect and idealising them [in romance novels] is the short way to heartbreak."
But Quilliam also says that romance novels aren't all bad. In her article, she says that in a survey published in 2009, 75.5 percent of study participants say that reading romance novels has impacted their sex lives in a positive way, including being open to try out new sexual activities with their partners.
Get more tips on handling relationship issues from these FN articles:
- Make It Last: 5 Elements of a Healthy Relationship
- True Love: 8 Secrets to a Happy Marriage
- The Mature Girl's Dating Guide: 5 Quick Tips for Relationship Problems
- Mature Girl's Guide to Dating: 3 Things Every Woman Should Do before Entering a Relationship
- 10 Bad Habits that Could Be Hurting Your Relationship + How to Break Them
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(Photo by Kanaka Menehune via Flickr Creative Commons)
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