There has been a resurgence of the popularity of reading ever since COVID hit in 2020.
Ever since then, the “hot reader girl” aesthetic has taken Gen-Z by storm. People post themselves going to Barnes & Noble, reading in aesthetically pleasing places like cafes or the beach and recommendations.
But is it just for show?
Content creators on YouTube and the older generations seem to think so. There seems to be a good amount of people that think that some individuals are only promoting reading for “aesthetic.”
“The Book Leo”, a content creator on YouTube, made a video about this phenomenon. She references articles that discuss how BookTok romanticizes the aesthetics/lifestyle of being “‘a reader’ instead of actually reading.”
One of the articles in question has received criticism because of how it paints new readers. “In the shallow world of BookTok, being ‘a reader’ is more important than actually reading” written by Barry Pierce, has gotten a lot of attention since it has been released.
There are many concerns that some individuals have surrounding this phenomenon but we will be focusing on the “aesthetics” of BookTok.
Some individuals are concerned that newer generations are using reading solely for the purpose of looking a certain way.
In the article, Pierce says, “There is an uncanny falseness behind it all, a showy nothingness that only approximates bibliophilia. Who doesn’t want to be seen as literary? Being perceived as having read a lot of books warrants a fair share of cultural capital. If you can fake it, then why not?”
There may be another way to look at this though.
Maybe it is good that younger generations are hooked by the aesthetic of being a reader and will consume more books because they want to fit this image.
Romanticizing reading has been a thing for years! This has been happening far before BookTok was a thing.
It’s a good thing that more people are reading books. We shouldn’t shame anyone for their enjoyment of anything. Some may buy hundreds of books just to make their bookshelves look nice, but if someone classifies themselves as a reader, we should support their decision.
It seems as though some people have this issue regarding BookTok because it is an entertainment-based app. There are a lot of criticisms of BookTok, but there is a lot of good that has come out of it too.
Although BookTok and some individuals’ love of reading could be seen as shallow, maybe this isn’t always the case. Everybody has their own perception of themselves and how they’d like to be viewed.
We should be happy that younger audiences are reading and if they aren’t hurting anyone, what’s the problem?
BookTok has actually made me want to read more books!
ReplyDeleteI personally love booktok and its introduced me to a lot of new books that I really enjoyed reading!
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting take on BookTok. I like that it has introduced me to so many different things, but I do also see your point.
ReplyDeleteI think BookTok has definitely made me the bookworm that I am today.
ReplyDeleteBefore I discovered BookTok, I was in a reading slump. I actually read and enjoy the book recommendations but I also understand that some people use it as an "aesthetic." But, like you said, even if it's the case, it's not hurting anyone.
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