#she isn't isolated and losing herself/going monstrous/having to relearn humanity because of it but still actively taking part in society | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nellasbookplanet · 5 days ago

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I'm still working on the monster romance book rec list (it’s gonna be at least another month, I have like five potential entries to read first, but there’ll be a different rec list posted by new year's in the meantime) and truly I'm only growing more consternated about the lack of monster ladies in f/m romances.

Most of the monster ladies I found were f/f. Obviously it's great that there's several sapphic monster romances, but it's a bit strange to me that m/f romances are so unwilling to make the heroine monstrous or inhuman in appearance. Historically the beauty and the beast story (and its many monster/animal bridegroom variations; east of the sun west of the moon, prince hat under the ground, eros and phsyche, etc) could be used as a lesson/comfort for girls entering arranged marriages, telling them that this strange man might seem monstrous at first but if only she's Kind and Good and Trusting maybe it'll turn out he's a Good Man Actually (take a look at these videos by lindsay ellis and princess weekes for more info!), but today the monster romance vibe is more that of recognition of the Self through the Other (think Shape of Water) as well as questions of What Makes a Monster, Really (also smut, lots of smut, but that's not my vibe and not what I was looking for for this list). A good beauty and the beast retelling will take this into consideration (disney's version being an excellent example).

But is there no longing in the m/f romance world to as a woman feel that we are the monster and wanting to be recognized as worthy of love regardless? Why must the self-recognition always be through a pretty (or at most bland) face? Why is the only piece of media seeming willing to even consider taking the concept of a monster woman finding love seriously fucking Shrek?

Anyway, do tell me if you know of any other titles doing the monster lady romance thing, please, I'm dying.

#obligatory mention that i'm not a historian just a rando on tumblr #i didn't do research on monster romance/beauty and the beast/arranged marriage over what i've picked up through osmosis over the years #so don't use me as a source or anything #look stuff up! i found lindsay ellis' and princess weekes' videos on monster boyfriends interesting and informative #anyway only one of the batb retellings i read for the upcoming list was a reversion with a beast lady and beauty boy #and even then it bent over backwards to make her Less Monstrous #she gets a magical potion that turns her human for a few hours so the romantic lead gets to know her human self as well #she isn't isolated and losing herself/going monstrous/having to relearn humanity because of it but still actively taking part in society #she wasnt cursed bc she did something reprehensible she did but rather bc someone else was reprehensible to her #let her be monstrous! let her make the choice to be monstrous!!#like it was an okay book i liked it well enough this is a problem with the pattern at large #let! women! be! monstrous!!!#nella talks books

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