πŸ’œ Rep search entry πŸ’œ Hi @fairyloot! I’m πŸ’œ Rep search entry πŸ’œ  Hi @fairyloot!  I’m Millie- a 16 year old book worm (with parental permission!) juggling study (English lit) and working my way through piles of books.  I’m forever raving about my favourite book of all time: The Night Circus. Some of my other favourite fandoms are Caraval, Song of Achilles and TID.  Your boxes are so gorgeous and of such good quality- @fairyloot was actually the first book box I ever got! For that reason, I’m always checking when the next rep search is coming around so I’m so excited!  I love interacting with my friends and followers here and unboxing on my stories is usually the highlight of my day!! I also enjoy experimenting with reels so I could showcase your products in some extra fun ways!!  Thank you so much for this exciting opportunity ✨  #fairylootrep2021  #bookrep #bookrepsearch #booklover #bookworm #bookish #bibliophile #booknerd #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #booklove #bookblogger #bookcommunity #bookobsessed #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me a book (or bookish item) ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me a book (or bookish item) you bought only because of Bookstagram!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I got the Stalking Jack the Ripper series because of Bookstagram and I loved it so much! Also ACOTAR, which was so worth it πŸ’•  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #readersofinstagram #simplemoments  #bookstagrammademedoit
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some books/ series you D ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some books/ series you DNFd  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I was talking about this in my blog post today but I definitely think there should be less stigma around dnfing!  Some books I’ve DNFd over the last year are The Lost Book of the White, Belle Revolte and Deeplight 😭 maybe I’ll finish them one day πŸ€”  #aestheticpost #amreading #bookbookowlbookmarks #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #bookgram #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite s ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite series!!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I love the Caraval series, The Infernal Devices, Narnia, ACOTAR, SJTR and loads more I can’t think of right now!! And of course, Folk of the Air!!,  #aestheticpost #amreading #thecruelprince #folkoftheair #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram
ππŽπ“πƒ- what’s on your tbr for this mo ππŽπ“πƒ- what’s on your tbr for this month?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’ve just finished the Shadow and Bone series so I’m hoping to read Six of Crows in March! I also want to finish off The Selection series 😁  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #tbr #marchtbr
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite t ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite things about spring!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I asked this on my story today so I wanted to continue it here!!  Some of my favourite things about spring are the flowers, the lambs and the warmer (and longer!) days ✨  #aestheticpost #aquietmoment #spring #springiscoming #springflowers #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #beigeaesthetic #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #10kaccount #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- have you seen the new Grishavers ππŽπ“πƒ- have you seen the new Grishaverse trailer?? What did you think of it?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m reeling right now, and I’m about to watch the live chat back but i cannot wait!! I’ve nearly finished S+B and then I need to read Six of Crows before April!!  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #amwriting #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #ofsimplethings #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #malandalina #sixofcrows #shadowandbone #leighbardugo #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- how are you doing? Really? 𝐀 ππŽπ“πƒ- how are you doing? Really?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m doing ok at the moment- I’ve been feeling quite down and out of control recently but I feel like things are looking up 😊  I want to know how you’re truly feeling (you can dm me if you don’t feel like leaving it in the comments)  #aestheticpost #amreading #aquietmoment #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments  #mentalhealth #selfcare #mentalhealthawareness
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite s ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite series!!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m currently reading the Shadow and Bone series (on book #3) and I’m really enjoying it!!  I also love ACOTAR (but I still haven’t read the new one πŸ™ˆ), Noughts and Crosses, ToG and Caraval! πŸ’•  And speaking of Caraval, this gorgeous bookmark from @bookbookowl is probably my absolute favourite out of my collection! Isn’t that quote just so perfect?? You can use my code WANDERING15 on the whole range of bookmarks!!  #aestheticpost #amreading #bookbookowl #bookseries #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bibliophile #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #readersofinstagram #pinterestinspiration #shadowandbone
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Reading · December 16, 2020

The Issue of Toxic Masculinity in YA Fiction

YA fiction is a broad and diverse genre. Over the past years, it has only grown, and now has a readership that is actually 55% adults.

But this is still a genre targeted at teenagers, making the normalisation of toxic masculinity even more worrying.

What is toxic masculinity?

Toxic masculinity typically describes β€˜manly’ features that are often celebrated, despite being harmful.

This includes traditional masculine values, such as being aggressive, over-protective, suppressing emotions, β€˜mansplaining’ and dominance.

Toxic masculinity is dangerous for all genders and has a massive impact on our society.

Toxic masculinity in fiction

Literature often shows a snapshot of reality, so it’s not surprising that even the nastier parts show up in our fiction.

This isn’t inherently bad. Like anything, fiction should show the real parts of life, including the bad parts. Toxic masculinity has become a common trope in literature when exploring sexism and equality.

The issue is when toxic masculinity is glorified in fiction, or glossed over entirely. It’s no surprise that something that is increasingly present (and overlooked) in society is often normalized in fiction.

Although this is present in many genres, today I’m going to focus on the category of YA fiction. With such a young, potentially easily influenced readership, it’s important to spread the right messages through these books.

READ MORE: The 7 Worst YA Fiction Tropes

The trope of the β€˜bad boy’

If you’re struggling to come up with examples of toxic masculinity in books, this is an easy trope to spot. 

The ‘bad boy’ turns up in the majority of YA stories– a dark, brooding love interests with a mysterious past and questionable morals.

Throughout the story, they become more and more over-protective and often controlling of the female character.

Sure, there’s no inherent problem with finding the bad boy hot. But it’s important to be able to differentiate between someone who snaps sometimes and a character who emotionally abuses the protagonist.

Examples of toxic masculinity in YA fiction

Twilight

The number one instance in YA fiction has to be Twilight. I’m sure you’re all familiar with the relationship dynamic between Edward and Bella. Edward is overly controlling of Bella (following her and even watching her sleep), which we are supposed to accept as being because he loves her so much.

Edward often tells Bella he can’t live without her, and even threatens to kill himself when they are not together. Sure, this may sound romantic, but really, it’s emotionally manipulative, completely tying her to him.

In fact, when Edward leaves, he has manipulated Bella to the point where she seriously considers killing herself, despite having only known him a few months. Sounds normal, no?

If this relationship dynamic had been shown as dangerous and unhealthy, it would have been fine. Instead, Edward’s obsession is demonstrated as romantic and protective.

After

This Wattpad fanfiction, turned book, turned movie is absolutely crammed with toxic tropes. Hardin, the main love interest, is the very image of a β€˜bad boy’– sullen, handsome and with a whole host of (pretty nasty) secrets.

Hardin emotionally uses Tessa throughout the whole book, acting differently with her around friends, and acting overly aggressive whenever anyone else who gets close to Tessa.

Throughout the book, he plays hot and cold with her emotions and manipulates her with lies shared between him and his friends.

YA fantasy

Toxic masculinity is especially rife in YA fantasy. Some of the most popular series, including the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas and the Folk of the Air series by Holly Black, feature toxic characters who are obsessive and overly controlling.

Although there are some steps made to show this as harmful in ACOTAR, ultimately, the men (or β€˜males’) are overly controlling and extremely aggressive (often this is just played off as ‘natural instinct’).

In The Folk of the Air, what is supposed to be an ‘enemies to lovers’ scenario, is extremely toxic (both emotionally and physically abusive). Cardan, the main love interest, goes beyond ‘bad boy’ and is completely abusive towards Jude in the first book. This is suggested as being because he himself has issues with his family (which doesn’t excuse anything), and because he is ‘jealous of Jude’.

Have you come across toxic masculinity in YA fiction? I’d love to hear any books you’ve noticed it in. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or you can connect with me directly on any of my social medias.

In: Reading · Tagged: popular ya fiction, sexism in ya fiction, toxic masculinity, toxic masculinity in twilight, toxic masculinity in ya fiction, toxic masculinity in ya romance, ya contemporary, ya fantasy, ya fiction, ya fiction cliches, ya fiction tropes

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In my recent post, the 7 Worst YA Fiction Tropes, I wrote all about the most overused and harmful clichΓ©s in YA fiction. Today, I thought it’d only be fair to list some of the most popular, best fiction tropes that make for gripping and enjoyable books.The 6 Most Popular Fiction Tropes
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Hi! I'm Millie, an avid reader, blogger and bookstagrammer from the UK. You can usually find me buried in a book or stressing about my recent writing project. Here on the blog, I also share tips and strategies on posting, taking pics and engaging on bookstagram and building a book blog

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πŸ’œ Rep search entry πŸ’œ Hi @fairyloot! I’m πŸ’œ Rep search entry πŸ’œ  Hi @fairyloot!  I’m Millie- a 16 year old book worm (with parental permission!) juggling study (English lit) and working my way through piles of books.  I’m forever raving about my favourite book of all time: The Night Circus. Some of my other favourite fandoms are Caraval, Song of Achilles and TID.  Your boxes are so gorgeous and of such good quality- @fairyloot was actually the first book box I ever got! For that reason, I’m always checking when the next rep search is coming around so I’m so excited!  I love interacting with my friends and followers here and unboxing on my stories is usually the highlight of my day!! I also enjoy experimenting with reels so I could showcase your products in some extra fun ways!!  Thank you so much for this exciting opportunity ✨  #fairylootrep2021  #bookrep #bookrepsearch #booklover #bookworm #bookish #bibliophile #booknerd #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #booklove #bookblogger #bookcommunity #bookobsessed #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me a book (or bookish item) ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me a book (or bookish item) you bought only because of Bookstagram!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I got the Stalking Jack the Ripper series because of Bookstagram and I loved it so much! Also ACOTAR, which was so worth it πŸ’•  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #readersofinstagram #simplemoments  #bookstagrammademedoit
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some books/ series you D ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some books/ series you DNFd  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I was talking about this in my blog post today but I definitely think there should be less stigma around dnfing!  Some books I’ve DNFd over the last year are The Lost Book of the White, Belle Revolte and Deeplight 😭 maybe I’ll finish them one day πŸ€”  #aestheticpost #amreading #bookbookowlbookmarks #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #bookgram #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite s ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite series!!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I love the Caraval series, The Infernal Devices, Narnia, ACOTAR, SJTR and loads more I can’t think of right now!! And of course, Folk of the Air!!,  #aestheticpost #amreading #thecruelprince #folkoftheair #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram
ππŽπ“πƒ- what’s on your tbr for this mo ππŽπ“πƒ- what’s on your tbr for this month?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’ve just finished the Shadow and Bone series so I’m hoping to read Six of Crows in March! I also want to finish off The Selection series 😁  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #tbr #marchtbr
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite t ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite things about spring!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I asked this on my story today so I wanted to continue it here!!  Some of my favourite things about spring are the flowers, the lambs and the warmer (and longer!) days ✨  #aestheticpost #aquietmoment #spring #springiscoming #springflowers #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #beigeaesthetic #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #10kaccount #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- have you seen the new Grishavers ππŽπ“πƒ- have you seen the new Grishaverse trailer?? What did you think of it?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m reeling right now, and I’m about to watch the live chat back but i cannot wait!! I’ve nearly finished S+B and then I need to read Six of Crows before April!!  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #amwriting #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #ofsimplethings #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #malandalina #sixofcrows #shadowandbone #leighbardugo #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- how are you doing? Really? 𝐀 ππŽπ“πƒ- how are you doing? Really?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m doing ok at the moment- I’ve been feeling quite down and out of control recently but I feel like things are looking up 😊  I want to know how you’re truly feeling (you can dm me if you don’t feel like leaving it in the comments)  #aestheticpost #amreading #aquietmoment #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments  #mentalhealth #selfcare #mentalhealthawareness
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite s ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite series!!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m currently reading the Shadow and Bone series (on book #3) and I’m really enjoying it!!  I also love ACOTAR (but I still haven’t read the new one πŸ™ˆ), Noughts and Crosses, ToG and Caraval! πŸ’•  And speaking of Caraval, this gorgeous bookmark from @bookbookowl is probably my absolute favourite out of my collection! Isn’t that quote just so perfect?? You can use my code WANDERING15 on the whole range of bookmarks!!  #aestheticpost #amreading #bookbookowl #bookseries #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bibliophile #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #readersofinstagram #pinterestinspiration #shadowandbone
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite a ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite authors 😁  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I love Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus is my favourite!). I also really like Philip Pullman and Carlos Ruiz Zafon (and of course Cassie Claire!) ✨  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #pinterestinspiration #authorsofinstagram #favouriteauthor

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