Exposing Gender Inequality In Romance

One of the first things you’ll find out upon striking up a conversation with me is that I’m an avid reader of romance novels. This past week considering we had a few days off and a considerably lighter homework load, I took some time for self-care, namely partaking in reading a few rom-coms I found off of a random Goodreads list. Among the top 10 books of this list was “Boys of Brayshaw High” by Meagan Brady. At first, the blurb seemed interesting enough, Raven, an eighteen-year-old girl from the wrong side of tracks arrives at Brayshaw High and immediately catches the eye of Maddox, the enigmatic and attractive leader of the “Brayshaw Boys.” Upon reading through the first few chapters, however, I was appalled by the novel’s blatant disregard for gender inequality. 

On multiple occasions, the male lead is hailed as an “alpha male” or “sex god” for the primary reason of having had sex with many of the girls at Brayshaw High. Maddox as well as the other “Brayshaw Boys” are regarded highly for their heavy involvement in various sexual activities, however the same interpretation is not held for the females who engage in similar activities. It is a common plot point in many highschool romance novels to have the primary female antagonist appear as sexually promiscuous, and generally viewed as the school slut, and “Boys of Brayshaw High” is no different. 

The double standard, and overall aversion to gender equality within this novel was incredibly disturbing. If a woman chooses to/not engage in sexual activities (with as many people as she’d like for that matter), that is her choice and she should not be judged or have to endure slut shaming. As people say, it takes two to tango, so why is that the male counterpart in these situations is always regarded highly and actually admired for his involvement, whereas the female is looked down upon? 

Similarly, in this novel any female who chose to wear revealing clothes or a full-face of makeup, was considered a “try hard” or "bimbo," while any male was lusted after for showing even a bit of skin, which overall, I found extremely off putting. These questions and doubts plagued me whilst reading, eventually leading me to have to put the book down. It shouldn’t be considered negative to embrace one’s sexuality or femininity, and when introducing a double standard between males and females, it is highly indicative of gender inequality. 

Note: This book was a solid 2/10, and I would definitely not recommend reading it. Nevertheless, if you choose to do so, you’ve been warned.