Trigger Warning: This episode contains mentions of sexual content (fictional)

Disclaimer: this whole train of thought started after watching a video that’s now unavailable.

In this episode, I break down why porn and smut aren’t the same, why access for young readers is a real issue, and why “unrealistic expectations” is a lazy argument.

We look at the history of romance and erotica, from Victorian times to Fifty Shades to BookTok, and why this debate only ever targets women.

From Lolita to Game of Thrones, men write explicit content and get called “literary.” Women do it, and suddenly it’s “ruining books.”

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sources:

https://99bookscart.com/blogs/news/smut-books-meaning?srsltid=AfmBOoofBABdeNYJKhOLm5xTJOuj3OHd1TIa7WIkxH91AZj3oDBGFinr

https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/n0611a/is_reading_smut_bad_for_you/

https://www.verywellmind.com/smut-books-ruin-dating-8685580

https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2025/09/reading-for-pleasure-shouldnt-mean-reading-to-get-off

https://www.smunth.com/the-blog/smutory-a-history-of-smut

https://www.cnbc.com/2012/09/28/Notable-Naughty-Reads.html

https://mariasbookishcorner.com/2025/06/17/do-women-only-read-smut-lets-talk-about-the-latest-sexist-trend-on-social-media/

https://lithub.com/what-do-we-mean-when-we-say-womens-fiction/