The Female Malaise: Millennial Reader’s Newest Obsession
Ana Hernandez
There is something incredibly alluring that happens when a woman avoids conforming to societal standards, which is why whenever I find myself in a reading slump, I always turn to the most jarring and complex books on my shelf because those have me shuffling between every page. Each time I get to add to my collection, whether from a bookstore or on my Kindle, I am delightfully surprised. One of the main things that draws my focus is complexity, but especially characters that are not only well-written but very… odd. Characters like Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, The Joker from Batman, the Narrator from Fight Club whose name is never revealed, and Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs are just a few examples of unhinged characters in the media I enjoy. But the similarity between these characters is that they have all been men. One of these things that has drawn me to read books about unhinged female characters is how incredibly passive they are written in comparison to men regardless of genre. A study from 2024 supports this theory stating in its abstract that ¨Works of fiction play a crucial role in the production of cultural stereotypes. Concerning gender, a widely held presumption is that many such works ascribe agency to men and passivity to women.¨
Recently, however, my social media algorithm has been featuring books featuring female characters making questionable decisions. From Instagram to TikTok, many novel-centered media accounts have been reviewing books about this trope, admiring how the writing is geared toward the character’s complexity. One of the main things that make this trope so appealing is the addition of a new female archetype. Readers are commonly familiar with the damsel in distress, the femme fatale, and the nurturer. But the madwoman, who exudes a more violent and erratic persona, has appeared to be more inviting to readers and have also been deemed as feminist literature.
One particular book that exemplifies this trope is My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. This book features a severely depressed college graduate from Columbia whose reckless behavior consists of overconsumption of sleeping pills, a tumultuous dynamic with an acquaintance from college, and an on-and-off relationship with an older man. This book, among many others I’ve read with a similar analogy, all contain a female protagonist who is self-destructive, reckless, and has poor decision-making, which leads her into robust situations. For example, In her slumbered haze she calls up an old boyfriend to come over later to wake up to him performing sexual acts on her.
However, the real question brings popular discourse: why do these books attract so much attention? One of the main things we see in these books is that they consist of women obliterating societal standards. Instead of being calm and composed, these characters lack consistency and reliability, which makes these novels all the more interesting to read. These characters’ personality traits don’t portray basic unlikeable characteristics; they become violent, obsessive, reckless, and even murderous. This makes them more appealing to readers as they encompass a more compelling complexity.
These books, however, are not for everyone, as they can include various topics that are not easy to digest or grasp. Their complicated narratives can be triggering for some readers. For example, In the controversial Aussie novel New Animal by Ella Baxter, the protagonist, Amelia, descends in a situational crisis after her mom dies and starts to engage in bizarre sex acts in lieu of processing her unresolved grief towards her mother.
This renaissance of complicated and messy women not only symbolizes the rising acceptance and willingness to understand women that would be historically pigeonholed and institutionalized, but gives a sort of permission for women to be flawed and make mistakes. By identifying with these imperfect characters, women can find some sort of perspective and even respect for their struggles.
Strike Out,
Ana Hernandez
Editor: Bruno Montenegro
Ana Hernandez is an aspiring author with articles featuring topics such as human rights, psychology, and fashion. She has prior experience with Strike Magazine Boca and was also a copywriting intern for an eyewear brand. Her hobbies include writing heartfelt reviews about books, with the majority of their genres being romance, literary fiction, and mystery. She is a student at Broward College pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English with a track in writing and rhetoric. You can see her portfolio here.
