As a teen I loved… LOVED Mills and Boons. All that romance,
passion, love and of course, for the more hormonal side of me – Coitus, as Sheldon Cooper refers to it.
Recently, one of my friends dropped off a whole bag of Mills and Boons and as I sat reading all of them I couldn’t help
but notice how alike all of them were. So I took a pen and a book and vented
out my frustration. And I will rewrite my musings for you.
Because I’m awesome, I’m going to rant
FOR and AGAINST Mill and Boons.
“Ah! Mills and Boons! Who doesn’t love
them? Or rather used to love them. I mean come on! You’ve read one book, you’ve
read them all!
Mill and Boons have always been
associated with love, lust, passion, seducement… And perfection. Every Mills
and Boon character is perfect. At least their outward appearances are. But come
on! Seriously? There’s no such thing as perfect. And all married women know
that. Okay a small correction… All unmarried women who are out of their teenage dream zone also know that. But
what about us teenagers who are easily influenced? I’ve been reading mills and boons since sixth grade and
now I know you’re thinking about how irresponsible of my parents were to allow
me to read and stuff but in their defense, I read them on the sly. And if it
makes you feel any better mom did lock all her books once she found out.
Until recently, as a sixteen year old, I
used to look around trying to find the perfect
guy until one day it just hit me. I was searching for my perfect Mills and Boons guy who does
not exist!
But really M&B authors… Why don’t you make your character a wee bit more
realistic? Because you know what? All women do not have slender legs that never
end or that perfect hourglass figure or that itty bitty waist. All women do not
have tight little bottoms and really firm breasts and honestly… No one has that
really flawless skin without even one single blemish or freckle. Okay… Maybe movie stars and models don’t, but
that’s about it!
And puh-leez! Why, oh why are your guys
well over six feet? You do know short guys exist. And why do all your guys have
to be stinking rich or have to be Sheikhs or Cops/ Army guys/ Snipers with
wounds?
But of course, after a few hours of musing
and sighing I’ve come to the conclusion that if Mills and Boons did not contain
fluffy stuff with guys and gals being flawless, then there wouldn’t be any
M&B at all. Plus, I’ve realized that M&B is for those who need a little
fairytale magic in their lives and heaven help us, so do we.
In the end, I guess it all falls on us.
We have the power to make OUR story into a M&B book!
Love,
Serena
But that's the point of these books...it's all a fantasy and people who read them want to get lost in and believe in that fantasy for the moment. Yes, not all ladies have perfect figures and not all men are hunky six-footers, but that's why you can always fantasize that you look like that and your lover does too.
ReplyDeleteTrue... But sometimes things go a tad bit too crazy when you actually start searching for a six foot bad ass hunky dude with a gentle heart! Lol! :P
DeleteLove,
Serena xoxo
you know what i have never read one of these romance novels..but i can see how women get lost in them...the covers of the books always have a half naked man with a crazy bod and a sultry godess of a woman! hehehehe.
ReplyDeleteI know right! They say that the cover of a book is what appeals the most to people... So it's no wonder really, that romance books sell like hotcakes!
DeleteHehe, well I never read M&B, but I did read a lot of Meg Cabot! But yeah, the unrealistic characters do shatter one's heart on coming face to face with reality. But after reading a variety of books, I learned that love may not be what you think it is like and its ambiguity is what makes it such a favourite topic for artists and writers :)
ReplyDelete