In the past two years or so a new sub-genre of fantasy novels dubbed RH (Reverse Harem) or #WhyChoose have taken the book world by storm. RH novels are centred around a single heroine who has multiple love interests and rather than picking one, instead begins a polyamorous relationship.
This stems from authors and readers alike beginning to become frustrated by the stereotypical love triangles and the #TeamEdward vs #TeamJacob or #TeamGale vs #TeamPeeta ship-wars that took the world by storm. Both of those are examples of love triangles in which there was no clear ‘bad’ option for many people…including the heroine herself. So, rather than choosing one or another, a mixture of rising LGBTQ+ and feminist movements gave rise to a woman-centric movement within the genre in which the heroine is free to love as few or as many individuals as she feels, and to develop those relationships naturally.
What had begun as a niche, relatively underground market, rapidly exploded into an inescapable force.
The term ‘harem’ comes from the old practice of having a separate part of a Muslim household reserved for wives, concubines, and female servants. The word harem typically refers to the wives of a polyamorous man, or can derogatorily refer to a group of women who seem to flock to a single man. Playboy bunnies are often thought of to be a modern example of this, along with the family from the sister-wives show.
Overall, the traditional conception of harems is one of misogyny and patriarchalism; after all, women who do the same were typically just called whores, while for men it was acceptable, encouraged, and admired.
The recent conversations, especially amongst younger generations, about gender and sexuality as well as what that is beginning to look like in contemporary society have allowed this literary movement to flourish. Interestingly enough, the trend was actually the convergent result of shifting attitudes, and increased adoption of asian culture in the west. The idea of reverse harem is actually thought to have originated in Japanese manga and anime like the widely popular Ouran High School Host Club series, which were first loved by anime fans then catapulted into the mainstream by streaming platforms such as Netflix and Hulu.
On a more personal note: While I fully respect and support the ideology surrounding this new sub-genre and its popularity, I personally am not a fan. Something about it simply is not my cup of tea, and, unfortunately, I cannot count the amount of times I have begun reading a series that I deeply enjoyed only to find out three books deep that it was a slow-burn RH and not be able to enjoy it the same way as before the romance became central to the plot. Also, this is not a hard and fast rule, there have been exceptions in which the writing, storyline, and relationships developed seamlessly and I was able to fully enjoy the characters and plot.
This is such an interesting blog post! I have also noticed this trend more in T.V. shows and movies. I agree with you that although I appreciate that this can be made a new form of feminism and it is cool that it is gaining popularity and other people are enjoying it, I personally prefer more of the traditional love triangles. I do see that sometimes these love triangles become dry and overused, but sometimes it is nice to have exactly what you expect to happen happen. I think that this was a creative topic to write about in your blog and one that I really had never thought about before!