Do any of you have a hobby of reading books? If so, you must have interacted narrowly or broadly with other book lovers. This interaction can be through discussion forums or simply two-party communication. For example, to simply ask for updates on books they like or give each other views on books they have read.
Then, have you ever heard the opinion of people who vilify a certain genre of book?
For example, commenting on people who like the fiction genre as having bad taste. Usually also by comparing the genre with other genres that he thinks are more interesting.
In book lovers forums, this kind of incident is not uncommon.
One type of book/novel that is often underestimated is the teenlit romance genre or novels that tell teenage love stories. This genre is characterized by characters who are still teenagers (usually high school students) with their love journey and are peppered with family conflicts, friendships, and self-discovery.
Many people underestimate teen love novels. They think this genre is too shortsighted and cliché. In fact, some people compare it to other genres such as classic novels whose conflicts are more serious.
Is this assumption correct? That teen novels are too petty and cliché?
Well, here's the answer.
Everyone is free to have an opinion or view on something, including the genre of books. Petty, trivial, or just like a genre to be liked depends on each individual, how they judge it. After all, how people perceive is also beyond our control.
The problem is when the dislike is stirred up so that it offends other people until the other person feels insecure about his pleasure. Moreover, to the point of making statements that cause other people to vilify certain genres.
In cool language, this event is called book-shaming. Quoting merriam-webster.com, book-shaming is a condition when someone belittles another person because of their reading or the genre they like. The result of this behavior is that people feel offended, uncomfortable, and insecure.
Book-shaming is a negative behavior
If it has reached this level, the person's dislike of course cannot be justified. Besides being toxic, this can even affect the community's interest in reading because of the skewed stigma it causes.
After all, teen love novels have a role in the process of increasing literacy culture. Based on the Lingua Scientia Language Journal, the production of youth novels is able to increase literacy in Indonesia (Agustina, 2017). By liking teen novels, people can be more interested in continuing to read books even from various other genres.
So, if you are a lover of teenage love novels, especially a victim of book-shaming, don't ever be insecure. Ignore other people's negative comments, and prove that this genre is not as bad as other people think. Spirit!