(Pilot Study) The Survival Script: Exploring Women’s Dark Romance Book Consumption as a Defensive Rehearsal for Sexual Threat

Consumption of dark romance books with highly aversive sexual content, including rape, has become increasingly popular among heterosexual women (e.g., #spicybooktok community on TikTok). Although some studies suggest this interest in book “spice” could be related to a woman’s interest in taboo topics, there is also the possibility that reading these types of books could serve as part of a woman’s threat management system for rape avoidance. In this context, reading dark romance books with aversive sexual content (such as sexual assault) would provide the opportunity for women to mentally rehearse defensive strategies against rape in a low-risk setting. Furthermore, women who have a history of sexual assault may also seek out dark romance books for their aversive content either to play a role in mental rehearsal or as a method of processing past sexual trauma. The purpose of this study is to determine if a woman’s fear of rape and history of sexual assault is related to the dark romance books they report reading. Specifically, we aim to examine if women who report seeking out dark romance books due to their aversive content also have a high fear of rape and/or history of sexual victimization. This could aid in understanding why women may choose to read dark romance books with themes of rape.