It’s that time again, the time when we take a look at female writers who specialize in dark fiction. For those who aren’t familiar with this yearly spotlight, the horror community observes Women in Horror Month every February. Why? Because, despite iconic female horror writers like Mary Shelley, women are sorely underrepresented in the genre. There are various theories as to why this is, the main one being that female stereotypes portray women as meek and incapable of writing the same caliber of horror as men.
I believe there is merit to the power of stereotypes. Just as people judge books by their covers, many also judge authors by outward appearance. I think far too many women’s works are going overlooked, never even given a chance, because of judgments made without so much as a glance at the actual text. As far as we’ve come in civilized society, women are still plagued by expectations that are both unfair and harmful. We are sex symbols, nurturers, homemakers, mothers—existing in a man’s world, our purpose in many cases being to exist for men.
Granted, feminism has helped to fracture these stereotypes, but it has not destroyed them. Are potential horror readers going to choose a book written by a knock-out blonde, a sweet grandmother, or a quiet but pretty young woman over one written by a gruff-looking guy oozing testosterone? I know a good number of women write under male pseudonyms just to gain equal footing with their male counterparts. And guess what? Their books sell notably better than the books they publish under their actual names.
I believe there is merit to the power of stereotypes. Just as people judge books by their covers, many also judge authors by outward appearance. I think far too many women’s works are going overlooked, never even given a chance, because of judgments made without so much as a glance at the actual text. As far as we’ve come in civilized society, women are still plagued by expectations that are both unfair and harmful. We are sex symbols, nurturers, homemakers, mothers—existing in a man’s world, our purpose in many cases being to exist for men.
Granted, feminism has helped to fracture these stereotypes, but it has not destroyed them. Are potential horror readers going to choose a book written by a knock-out blonde, a sweet grandmother, or a quiet but pretty young woman over one written by a gruff-looking guy oozing testosterone? I know a good number of women write under male pseudonyms just to gain equal footing with their male counterparts. And guess what? Their books sell notably better than the books they publish under their actual names.
Women in Horror Month is our attempt at shattering those stereotypes for good, urging readers to give female authors a shot despite any reservations they might have about doing so. It’s about proving we can compete with the best of men, that we have what it takes to write stories capable of making you shudder and giving you nightmares.
So, what do you say? Do you have it in you to help us to make Women in Horror Month obsolete? Think you might take a chance on my traditional Gothic horror, Finding Poe, or my mixed-genre dark fiction collection, Jane, Volume 1: Revival?
I’d sure appreciate it.
As always, thank you for your readership and support!
So, what do you say? Do you have it in you to help us to make Women in Horror Month obsolete? Think you might take a chance on my traditional Gothic horror, Finding Poe, or my mixed-genre dark fiction collection, Jane, Volume 1: Revival?
I’d sure appreciate it.
As always, thank you for your readership and support!
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