As I browse the romance section of my favorite bookstore, I can’t help but wonder: Where are the characters that look like me?
The typical cover is a heterosexual couple — muscular man and slender woman — sharing a romantic gaze that would make anyone fall in love. Both characters have idealized physical features, flawless skin, perfect hair and sculpted bodies.
I don’t find myself in these characters and the glaring absence echoes louder than the turn of any page. Where is the representation of diverse bodies in the books in which we find comfort? From classic novels to contemporary bestsellers, literature has perpetuated a narrow standard of beauty.
Lauren Crawford, adjunct professor at the university, explains the publishing industry is a capitalistic system that feeds on itself. The industry invests money in authors who will write characters and plots that will make the most money. The industry is not willing to try anything different from the tried-and-true formula, which limits diverse representation in literature.
The literary world should confront this issue. Crawford, who is in the process of writing her own romance trilogy, said authors and publishers have tackled issues of diversity such as race and sexuality while neglecting diversity in terms of body types.
“There was a time when there was no diversity at all,” said Crawford. “Now, there is a measure of it. We’ve created a platform for BIPOC authors and characters because we advocated for it. The same goes for LGBTQ representation and ethnic folklore/myth. Once the majority of the reader fan base believes they have enough representation, the trend might move toward body type inclusivity.”
Publishing companies should think of the countless readers who, when searching for characters who resemble them, come away feeling invisible. Where are the protagonists with bodies that are larger than society’s standard of beauty? Where are the heroes whose strength lies not in conforming to beauty standards, but in resilience, intelligence and gentleness?
By neglecting diversity in literature, we perpetuate harmful stereotypes and deny readers the opportunity to see themselves reflected in stories we hold dear. As avid romance readers, we need to start investing our money in authors who write the characters we see in the mirror. There are stories out there with characters who look like me and you, but with no publishers supporting them, these books are still far too rare.
As Crawford said, if the majority of romance readers “invest in books with body inclusivity and fair, positive expression, then the publishing industry will consider it a good investment to fuel those authors.”
That will lead to authors feeling confident and comfortable to write the characters that are important to them, not the characters that conform to impossible beauty standards. Let’s go, readers.
