This past week, if you were to take a peek over my shoulder as I scrolled through my TikTok For You Page, it would probably have gone something like this:
- Couch guy
- Smutty book recommendation
- Fictional character fan art
- Couch guy
- Smutty book recommendation
- ~Regular~ book recommendation
- Smutty book meme
- Smutty book recommendation
It’s no secret that your FYP is scary accurate sometimes, which explains how I ended up on #BookTok so quickly after joining the app and how I’ve since come to have spicy booktok book lists recommended to me every other video.
When I first started to see videos of women talking about the exact same books I was reading, I was hype. There’s only a few people who I feel comfortable talking about books with, let alone the actual genre of books I’m reading – it’s easy to feel judged about what you’re reading, especially when it’s considered a controversial topic – so I engaged with every one I saw.
My FYP quickly progressed beyond generic books recs into a more detailed and specific type of genre – romance. More specifically smutty romance, which led me down the rabbit hole of #SmutTok. Finding this little community of people who related to me was so refreshing; not only did I get more comfortable talking about books with other women, but it’s also helped me to bond with some of the people in my real life that I hadn’t been open to talking to about books when we realized we’ve actually read a lot of the same books and have similar interests. I would have never known them on that type of level if it weren’t for #BookTok.
If you find yourself on #SmutTok, you might see women recommending books, rating the level of ~spicy-ness~ and even making up their own smutty scenes. TikTok has created a space where readers can openly discuss and gush over shared interests and desires that would typically be considered taboo elsewhere. The phenomenon of #BookTok and #SmutTok has blown up so much that even bookstores like Barnes and Noble have dedicated sections to popular books that are trending on the app.
Despite some backlash from those who don’t understand, the community still thrives – #SmutTok has 570.4 million views and counting – jumping to each other’s defense and offering educational explanations for the topics that they love. When a man named Chad made a TikTok practically slut-shaming women for liking romance books (and then promptly deleted it in the aftermath), #BookTok/#SmutTok came to fight. Women aren’t ashamed to know what they want, and reading spicy books is one way to experience it. Romance fantasies have no real-life consequences, and are a safe way to explore curiosities on your own. So why are people like Chad so against them and the women that enjoy them?
Pacific Standard chalked the fact that men don’t typically read romance novels up to misogyny and an overall lack of knowledge. Romance novels are often considered to be feminine and are typically marketed towards women, so when society tells men to avoid being feminine as much as possible, the genre seems off limits for them, therefore creating a bigger misunderstanding of the genre and its readers. But in many cases, romance books can even act as an instruction manual for a woman’s SO about what exactly she wants – Chad, why aren’t you taking notes? Check your ego at the door, please and thank you.
It’s because of this scrutiny (and also support from other women) that some creators have entire accounts dedicated to their bookshelves. It creates a safe, nonjudgemental space for people to go to discuss their latest reads, new books and just overall love of romance novels. Not only have women created these communities, but others have been inspired to write their own novels, too. Despite the best efforts of critics, gone are the days where women have to feel ostracized for liking to read, of all things. #SmutTok has offered them a community where they can just enjoy the things they enjoy without having to defend it to anyone else.
If the TikTok algorithm hasn’t gotten you to the right side of #BookTok yet, or you’re curious to see what #SmutTok is all about I recommend starting with these creators: @booksobsessed, @maditasbibliotheca, @its_.sam.03, @anitaslibrary, @natbookz. And if #SmutTok isn’t really your thing, I guarantee there’s a subsection of #BookTok for whatever genre you prefer waiting to welcome you to the community.