Plus Sized Men Need Love Too

Romance Reflection:

When I originally saw this tweet while scrolling through my timeline, I chuckled and then promptly moved on. When I went back later, I found that it had blown up and that the lines had been clearly drawn. Some people took it as a mocking jab at the genre while others took it as food for thought.

I fall into the latter category on this. Regardless of how long he has or hasn’t been reading romance, it doesn’t negate the fact that he has a very valid point. If anything, what people should be up in arms about is that plus-sized women, BIPOC and otherwise, have been saying this for years and it seems to have fallen on deaf ears. But when a newbie, and a male one at that, mentions it, suddenly we’re all up in arms about a thought that, in actuality, has actually been coming from inside the Romance house for a while now.

Look, I’m not discounting how anyone felt about it. You feel how you feel and you’re completely entitled to your opinion. However, that is also true for people who don’t share yours. I personally think that when people are in love, they tend to love all the parts of their partner. I’m reminded of the line from John Legend’s All of Me about ‘perfect imperfections’ and having a variety of body types in romance novels helps to prove this thought.

Furthermore, we all know the ‘big’ he means refers to height, muscles, and other appendages and not necessarily a plus-sized hero. I looked back over the books I read last year and only two had a plus-sized male love interest. And that was Team Phison and Team Phison Forever, which means the same series and same love interest.

The take away for this is that romance is for all body types and there is no ‘perfect’ one type.We want that for our heroines but our heroes need it, too. There are hardly any short pudgy guys as heroes and, if included, they’re almost always the secondary character.

Another thing to ponder on is that while there were a lot of replies, both negative and positive, to this tweet, there was no reply that recommended a book where the hero didn’t fit this archetype. And while I know there may not be many available, they are out there. The one that first comes to mind for me is Marie Lipscomb but I’m sure there are more or there soon will be, especially after all this.

Book Riot Romance:

Check out this round-up of twenty-four Black and Interracial romances headed to shelves in 2022.

Around the Web in Romance:

Here are some romances about love in NYC, for your consideration for a new favorite trope.

I loved this cover reveal for Ruby Bartlett’s upcoming release. And it comes out in June so I’m fairly confident this will be a gift I give myself.

If you’re looking for some snowed in romances to snuggle up with, give some of these a try.

Take this fun quiz to find out what to get your sweetie for Valentine’s Day. As a bonus, you may also get a bomb playlist out of it!

New Releases:

Here are some of the new releases that should be hitting the shelves this week, barring any supply demand delays or anything of that nature.

Ramón and Julieta by Alana Quintana Albertston (2/1)

Season’s Change by Cait Nary (2/1)

Beguiling Betty by Kimberly Smith (2/1)

Queen of Cambridge by Shakir Rashaan (2/1)

Destiny by Cara Malone (2/1)

Count Your Lucky Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur (2/1)

Us Against the World by Shayne Prescott(2/1)

Dating the Chef by Ember Davis (2/2)

Shades of Lust by E.M. Lindsey (2/2)

Stud Like Her by Fiona Zedde (2/5)

And that is all I have for you this Monday. When we speak again it will be February and we will officially be in the 2nd month of 2022. February is also packed with a lot of events including but not limited to Black History Month, Library Lovers Month, and Friendship Month. It is also the month when we can expect a lot of varied takes on the romance genre so you can be sure I’ll have things to say about that. Until then, give me a follow on Twitter (if you’re not already) under @PScribe801. Until then.