Of all the aisles in a typical bookstore, none has expanded faster than the one devoted to self-help.
Once known for gentle cheerleading and encouragement, genre now berates readers with ‘you’re an idiot’ messages
NEW YORK: Of all the aisles in a typical bookstore, none has expanded faster than the one devoted to self-help. But customers looking for sage words of relationship advice or a little “you can do it!” encouragement to lose weight may be in for a shock. The new motivational gurus are here with blunt appraisals of our personal shortcomings.
Pointed and politically incorrect titles like He’s Just Not That Into You and Skinny Bitch are riding high on bestseller lists and inspiring copycats.The new, no-holds-barred world of self-help also includes Why You’re Still Single: Things Your Friends Would Tell You If You Promised Not to Get Mad and You’re Fat! Now Lose It!.
Experts say the popularity of these books reflects a demand from young, mainly female readers for in-your-face entertainment mixed with advice. While some say this new writing style may work where traditional prose or experts have failed, others question whether this trend degrades the reader and reflects poorly on our self-centred society.
“There’s this new breed of self-help book,” says Terrence Real, a bestselling self-help speaker and author of The New Rules of Marriage. “They have a very black-and-white message that appeals to some people. Whatever the overt message is, the underlying message is, ‘You’re an idiot’.”
Theories abound as to why self-help has taken this turn and what it says about contemporary US society – particularly women, who are the primary audience for such books. Readers who pick up books these days expect to be entertained, experts say. And an irreverent tone is not only entertaining, but also appeals to young people.
With the non-traditional approach in He’s Just Not That Into You — which sold 30,000 copies in the first two weeks — tells women that if a guy doesn’t call or ask them out right away, he’s not interested, and they should give up. The book’s title — from a dialogue in a Sex and the City — has become such a catchphrase that it’s being turned into a major film starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston.
Today, though book sales are down, self-help genre continue to expand. Almost half of Americans purchase at least one self-help book in their lifetimes. The genre accounted for $581 million in sales in 1998, but today that number has quadrupled to more than $2 billion.
Bombarded with media messages that demand physical perfection, many people feel guilty about their weight or relationships. Instead of being put off by a self-help author’s insults, these readers are drawn to it as the kick they need to achieve their goals. “Now, ‘harsher’ is perceived as ‘more expert,’ “ Real adds.
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