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Romance writer argues men should read fiction to understand women

Ali Berg contends that men seeking dating advice turn to the wrong sources, missing insights embedded in romance novels.

newest coverage 3d agosummary written 3d ago3 pieces NewswiresGoogle NewsMastodon

What to know

  • Romance writer Ali Berg argues men seeking to understand women's desires turn to dating podcasts, YouTube videos, and manosphere content instead of reading romance fiction, which directly explores female perspectives.
  • Berg contends romance novels offer insights into vulnerability, kindness, and genuine connection that traditional dating advice ignores, and that reading fiction strengthens the social skills needed for real relationships.
  • She observes that women are actively discussing what they want at romance festivals, but men largely absent from these conversations, instead seeking answers from other men in alternative media.

“But writing romances has taught me that being hot isn't enough. We're always asking: has he made himself vulnerable? Is he kind? Does he actually make her life better … or is he just tall?”

Ali Berg, Romance writer · Sydney Morning Herald ↗

Ali Berg Romance writer and authorAnita Heiss Australian romance writer

Romance writer argues men should read fiction to understand women
smh.com.au

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 2 pieces in one hour at Sep 20, 1 AM; 3 pieces over 4 days (2 articles · 1 post) Sep 20, 1 AM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Google News 1, Newswires 1Sep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 3 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 5 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 7 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 9 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 11 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 1 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 3 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 5 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — Mastodon 1Sep 20, 7 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 9 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 11 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — quietSep 21, 1 AM — quietSep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 3 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 5 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 7 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 9 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 11 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 1 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 3 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 5 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 7 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 9 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 11 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 1 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 3 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 5 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 7 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 9 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 11 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 1 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 3 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 5 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 7 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 9 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quiet 12
Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 9:53 AM ET
  1. 2

    Mastodon user shares Berg's argument on fiction and understanding

    Tim Richards shares the article on Mastodon, highlighting Berg's observation that men are seeking relationship advice from podcasts and manosphere sources rather than fiction that explores women's perspectives directly.

    • timrichards@aus.social

      Interesting article, suggesting that if men want to understand what women want they should look to romance fiction: 'It’s not that straight men don’t want to know what women want. I think they really do. They’re spending hours looking for answers in dating podcasts, watching YouTube videos promising to explain women and in the corners of the…

      timrichards@aus.socialMastodon3d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. 1

    Ali Berg publishes essay on romance fiction and male understanding of women

    Romance writer Ali Berg publishes an essay in the Sydney Morning Herald arguing that men seeking to understand women should read romance novels rather than consulting dating podcasts, YouTube videos, and manosphere content. She draws on observations from speaking at the Readings Romance Festival in Melbourne and Blussh Romance Festival in Brisbane, where she noted hundreds of women discussing what they want from relationships but almost no men in attendance.

    “It's not that straight men don't want to know what women want. I think they really do. They're spending hours looking for answers in dating podcasts, watching YouTube videos promising to explain women and in the corners of the manosphere that don't seem to like us very much.”
    — Ali Berg

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 2 outlets Men are looking for love in the wrong places. I write about what women really want

    first by The Age, 4d ago · also Sydney Morning Herald