By J. H. Morrison, Culture & Relationship Editor
Why do editors and publishers still buy these manuscripts? sexy lady groped in bus from behind.mp4
Survivors of public sexual assault report feelings of dissociation, fear of public transport (agoraphobia), and a long-term erosion of trust in strangers. The romantic storyline that uses groping as a catalyst for love does not merely trivialize this harm; it risks gaslighting survivors into believing their trauma should have a silver lining. Survivors of public sexual assault report feelings of
For millions of commuters, the bus is a neutral zone of exhaustion, the smell of rain-soaked coats, and the silent prayer for an empty seat. But in the world of romance novels, K-dramas, fan fiction, and even pop lyrics (looking sideways at certain Lady Gaga-inspired character arcs), the crowded bus has been refashioned into a crucible for passion. It is where harassment is reframed as destiny, and where a grope is the inciting incident for a love story. But in the world of romance novels, K-dramas,
In fan-created “AUs” (Alternate Universes) featuring Gaga as a character, or in analyses of her song “Bad Romance,” the bus scene becomes a metaphor for the transactional nature of fame: the public gropes you (metaphorically), then expects you to fall in love with the machine that saved you.
But there is a growing backlash. A cohort of feminist romance writers is now actively subverting the trope. In Ava Reid’s A Study in Drowning , the bus scene is reframed as a trauma trigger, not a romance beat. In fan circles, “Dead Dove: Don’t Eat” tags warn readers when a grope scene is meant to be disturbing , not arousing. It is imperative to state, clearly and loudly: In real life, being groped on a bus is not a romantic story. It is a crime.