How TikTok Bought Fiction Back Into Fashion
Reading’s had a facelift.
Noughties rom coms and Netflix’s high school dramas would have you believe that reading books places you somewhat low on the social hierarchy. Fictitious, hot popular kids appear to tease anyone who dares venture into a library or spend their free time with their noses between the pages of a book. But oh, how the tables have turned.
Instagram is filled with selfie after selfie that, as well as showing casually curated OOTDs, proudly feature stunningly aesthetic books centre stage. The phenomenon has been dubbed as hot-girl-reading. Pictures in front of overflowing bookshelves, library snaps, curated photos of a brekkie and book laid out on a stunning blanket — the platform is ripe with users showing off their reading material. In real life, kitsch cafes are filled with people taking their hot-girl books out from their hot-girl tote bags to sit amongst their Pinterest-ready spread and get reading.
In a bid to show off his reading material, musician Henri Purnell even crocheted his own bag strap, allowing him to carry a book around on show wherever he goes. When I spoke to Henri, he told me, “I enjoy reading because you can be creative from an imaginary perspective. Combining written words with your imagination is a beautiful act of picturing the story in your very own way and style.
“I created a bag out of a book because I wanted to have it be more handy. Carrying like I do gives you the opportunity to access it fast — and it works as a fashion statement piece. Books can so perfectly describe your personality. Carrying your book as a bag adds a special and more personal touch to your outfit.”
So where has this hot-girl-reading trend come from? For one, we’re all tired of being bombarded by tech and conflicting information online 24/7. Getting offline and turning to reading as an internet-free escape can provide a sense of stability in oh-so-unstable times. The increasing focus on well-being and time sans screen has also placed reading as a show of self-care, taking time to focus on relaxation and entertainment away from prying eyes and the pressures of social media. Ironically, the trend has blown up massively thanks to booktok, the side of TikTok reserved for book lovers and fans of fiction.
#Booktok has amassed 101.9 billion views on TikTok, with video reviews, recommendations and round-ups dominating the platform. Coco from the booktok account Cult Of Books, shares her love with of reading with her 74.8K followers and continues to grow her following in the bookish space.
She told me, “Booktok is an honest space, we talk, debate and love all things bookish. It’s a weird word to use but I would say authenticity is at the heart of booktok. The space is real and earnest and I feel like that’s the reason people love it and why it’s continued to grow.
“I was a total booktok fan for a couple months before I decided to join. It was actually Carla, the person I run my account with, who told me to go for it. I think I’m a relatively funny and relatable person and I have some amazing books I’ve read over the years that I’ve always wanted to share with people.
“In my opinion, booktok for sure uplifts minority voices — definitely in the spaces I occupy. I’ve been able to see so many amazing people from different communities and cultures that I can say have become lifelong friends. I want everyone to know that this booktok space is amazing for me as a black girl, I’ve made lifelong friends and it’s really helped build my confidence as well. So please come join — I would love to get to know you all!”
The increasing celeb endorsement of reading has also aided in making the pastime more glamorous. From the Hadid’s being papped carrying novels in 2019, to, in 2020, model Kaia Gerber launching her own book club, and more recently, newsletters from Dua Lipa and Lorde often containing literary recommendations to keep the art of reading cool and alive.
Books are also being recognised as markers of taste and self-expression with picking which books to go on your shelf, or Insta story, becoming akin to picking out what to wear. Choosing what books to read and show ourselves reading is becoming yet another means to present our most curated selves through the culture we consume. Ergo, if you read hot-girl books then you must be hot.
“Two books I rated 5 stars last year are Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Both are gripping books and make for very interesting reading!” — Henri Purnell
What is a hot-girl book though? Deciphering the tags across booktok, it simply appears to be a book that other hot-girls are reading and recommending. The titles in this internet created genre range in topic from soul searching non-fiction titles to light-hearted novels to dark tales of crime and cover-ups. But the main similarity across all hot-girl books is their incredibly aesthetic covers.
The search for glamour in reading has led us to backtrack on the very loosely followed rule of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. We’re now following the rule that if a book matches your aesthetic, there’s a higher chance that you might be able to enjoy and relate to it — it matching your feed is simply a plus. Even snobbish academics and dedicated book readers who might be offended by the idea of books as fashion accessories have certainly read books for clout. Just because what you’re reading looks good with your soy chai latte doesn’t mean you’re being too shallow to appreciate its contents.
“I love hot girl reading! It’s a staple in my life and I love seeing beautiful people and what they are reading. My current recommendations are Again by JL Seegars and Electric Idol by Katee Robert.” — Coco
This wave of fictitious fashion could simply be the latest trend in our endless pursuit of a curated on and off line persona. Or it could signal that being culturally informed, or at least up-to-date with culture, is more important than ever and is, juxtaposing what noughties films drilled into us, in fact, attractive.
