Jenny L. Howe on plus-size representation and masculinity in romance

Rebel Ever After

This week my guest is Jenny L. Howe, the author of The Makeup Test, On The Plus Side, and How to Get a Life In Ten Dates, which comes out this Tuesday December 10th. She’s also the author of the forthcoming YA romance, Love at Full Tilt.

Topics discussed in this episode include: why every man in romance has the body of Chris Hemsworth, how romance often celebrates toxic masculinity, the fatphobia of (some) romance readers, how to write actual body diversity among your characters (not just the heroine! and also monsters don't count!), if horror is any better at fat representation, the current state of book discourse online, why reviews are not "feedback" for authors, and if we should worry about teenagers reading romance novels. Spoiler alert: ehh, sort of.

You can follow Jenny as @jennylhowe on Threads, BlueSky, Instagram, and TikTok, and find her work at jennylhowe.com

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You can follow me (Ella!) on Threads, Instagram and BlueSky @brosandprose for updates about the show and other romance/political shenanigans.

P.S. My queer millennial second-chance romance BUT HOW ARE YOU, REALLY is available at bit.ly/buthowareyoureallynovel