July 16, 2008

Chick Lit Only for Chicks?

As I sat in my car waiting for the light to change at the intersection of Piikoi and Kinau, something caught my eye. Crossing the street was a guy in his 20s-30s who had in his hand a copy of P.S. I Love You. I found this quite intriguing.

While I haven't read the book myself, I've seen the movie, which stars Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler. Now, for all intents and purposes, it seemed like the movie was targeted toward women. I'm sure not many men would willingly watch a flick that focused on how a woman overcame the grief she felt from the death of her husband. Described that way, even I don't think it sounds all that appealing.

With this said, I'm going to assume that the book was also targeted toward women and probably labeled "chick lit." So, you can see why it surprised me that this guy was walking around with this book in his hand for all eyes to see. Granted, it wasn't the original cover but you still gotta give this guy some credit for even reading it.

This new revelation brings up the question: Is chick lit only for chicks? I don't know many guys who would read something that wasn't sports related, let alone read chick lit, but it would be interesting to find out if men really did get into chick lit when no one's watching.

For the most part, these types of books all similar and have identical story arcs. Most deal with the fields of public relations, marketing, television, fashion and journalism. The main character is always looking for love and usually experiences some rocky moments before finding her true love.

Do guys find this topic appealing as well? Who's to say that only women have these issues when society seems to be pushing family life later and later in the game? Maybe guys can relate to this too and it's a universal theme? Maybe they just like the quick read (like I know I do)?

In any case, to that guy on the street proudly clutching his copy of Cecelia Ahern - Bravo!

Image source: www.barnesandnoble.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The closest a man would watch something "chick-litty," I start to think of Nick Hornby, the British writer who wrote the books "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy," which were both followed by smart movies about sensitive-type males...almost like chick-lit but not cheesy or formulaic at all.

skycastles said...

About a Boy was great! I love Hugh Grant (especially since he plays the same dude in every film. It makes it easier to spot him), and this was definitely one of his best films.