I am a reader of romance novels, and I am a black woman. I know that the characters in most of the romance novels I read do not represent people who look like me. But I choose to suspend belief and immerse myself in the story. However, there are moments when the language used by the author takes me out of my acceptable delusion, and reminds me that I am not represented in the narrative.

Recently, while reading a romance novel, I came across a sentence that made me cringe.

“ …so I settle in to worship her perfect, pink-tipped breasts. “Look how beautiful you are.”

Damn, thanks a lot. Thanks for reminding me and taking me out of mentally inserting myself into your storyline. Why do YOU, yes YOU THE AUTHOR, keep placing a color on genitalia? Genitalia should NOT have a color. Just stop it…please just stop it.

In this era of readers “shaming readers for NOT reading Black Love Romance,” I take the hit. I will read what I want to read, and I will continue to support “black love romance” too. But I refuse to keep reading stories where the author continues to exclude a certain portion of their reading audience and does not care to delete the word “PINK” in their narrative.

Normally, if my star rating is 4, I would deduct and make it 3, and so forth. But I have changed my mind. I will DNF and record it on Goodreads and Amazon as a 1-star reading. I refuse to support authors who refuse to be inclusive. I know in the long run this will not matter to the author and to readers who are not POC, but damnit, I am going to make it my mission to call each and every one of them out.

I don’t care if my tweets go unnoticed or if there is no engagement. I will continue to shout at the top of my lungs:

PINK PU$$Y ALERT: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.

It’s time for change in the romance novel industry. It’s time for authors to be inclusive and mindful of their language. Let’s make sure that all readers feel seen and heard.

Carry on!!!!