Romantasy, Masculinity, and the Problem With Xaden Riorson

In this video, we look at what romantasy stories are really saying about masculinity, power, consent, and romance. 📚 REFERENCES 1. Zowa Neele Hotanen (2026) Constructions of masculinity in romantic fantasy: An analysis of a genre Master’s thesis, Cultural Studies Programme. 2. Laura Niebling (2025) “Consent capital: From romantasy's ‘alpha male archetypes’ toward a new cultural theory in post-digital storytelling” *New Media & Society, 28*(9), 4752–4769. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444825137... 3. Núria Pedrós Peró (2026) Love at first fight: How the enemies-to-lovers trope shapes narrative structure and gender implications in Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing Bachelor’s dissertation, Departament de Filologia Anglesa i de Germanística, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. 💭 What do you think makes the powerful, dangerous, emotionally wounded male lead so appealing? Let me know in the comments! If you enjoyed the video, subscribe for more videos about books, culture, gender, and the ideas hiding underneath the stories we love. 🐉📚