If reading is hot, why am I still a loser?

Head to https://squarespace.com/ladyofthelibrary to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code LADYOFTHELIBRARY Reading is having a moment. From designer book cover bags and luxury fashion collaborations with literary-themed collections, book clubs and the rise of the fashionable reader, books have seemingly become the latest must-have accessory. But if reading is finally cool, why does being a reader still feel so uncool? In this video, I explore the growing relationship between high fashion and the book industry, looking at how luxury brands have embraced literature, how books have become aesthetic objects, and what happens when reading becomes part of a carefully curated lifestyle. Is this a genuine celebration of literature, or has the publishing industry found another way to sell us an identity? From the commodification of reading to literary aesthetics, book culture and the performance of intellectualism, let's consider what it really means to be a reader in an age when even our hobbies have become fashion statements. #BookCulture #Literature #Reading 📚 Welcome to Lady of the Library: thoughtful explorations of literature, philosophy, history, and the strange ideas that help us understand the world we live in. GET MORE FROM ME: ✨ Support me on Patreon:   / cinzia   💌 Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.ladyofthelibrary.com/sign-up 🎥 Nerdy Self-Help Channel: @TheAnnotatedMind 🎙️The Annotated Mind Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/mr3k4w4m ➡️🎙️Listen to The Annotated Mind on YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/2rxpjsdv 📩 Video Request form: https://forms.gle/zF6HjhJGZPR2hVx69 🌍 My website/blog: https://www.ladyofthelibrary.com SOCIALS: 📚 Bookish Insta:   / lady.of.the.library   🦋 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cinzia-duboi... 🎓 PhD Insta:   / the.literary.academic   📱 TikTok:   / lady.of.the.library   📚 Goodreads:   / c-dubois   WHO AM I? Hey there, I’m Cinzia DuBois On this channel, I talk about dark and ancient history, literature and folklore. ❗️DISCLAIMER I'm very dyslexic, so I apologise for any mispronunciations that occur when I'm reading scripts for videos. Additionally, whilst flattered, I'm only a PhD student and not a professional educator. As such, I would advise against ever citing my videos or using them as an academic resource: please instead cite references for papers I list in the description box. Chapters: 🔗 Sources and references below. Makusha, Michaela. 2026. “The Rise of the ‘Hot Literati’: How Reading Became Sexy.” The Guardian. The Guardian. July 22, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/books/202.... Marley Wendt. 2026. “The Whitney Review Is More Than Just Whitney.” *I-D*, April 10, 2026. https://i-d.co/article/the-whitney-re.... Daniels, Violet. 2025. “Am I Breaking up with Bookstagram after All These Years?.” Medium. Books Are Our Superpower. January 21, 2025. https://baos.pub/am-i-breaking-up-wit.... ‌Womens Prize. 2024. “Gender Bias in Men’s Reading Habits Still Exists.” Women’s Prize. May 31, 2024. https://womensprize.com/gender-bias-i.... ‌ Castle, Terry. “Women and Literary Criticism.” Chapter. In *The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism*, edited by H. B. Nisbet and Claude Rawson. The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism. Cambridge University Press, 1997. ‌