If you think you aren’t “into” Monster Romance, you may be wrong. The “monster” in monster romance can include the most out-there thing a person can imagine to mainstream werewolves and vampires. Are you into “Twilight”? Then you’re into monster romance, according to some experts.*

So, why is Monster Romance such a big deal?

Some people just like it. Enough said. For others who want to dig deeper, there are several theories … and they have to do with sex, fantasies, power, and even politics.

Researchers found that 1 in 3 women were drawn to monster fantasies compared to 1 in 5 men. One explanation … A fantasy about monsters distances us from real life, often real-life power structures we aren’t comfortable with. A woman dominated/ravished by a cis-gender man raises certain questions that a woman dominated/ravished by an orc doesn’t.

Monsters, often seen as “others” in the fantasy world, aren’t part of the patriarchal structures that reinforce exploitation and oppression. Thus, with monsters, we can safely explore power dynamics and situations that we otherwise wouldn’t feel comfortable with.

Romance is fantasy and a romance in a monster world is better equipped to take that fantasy to some pretty wild places often to make a point. (For more, check out the Monster Romance episodes of the “Sex & Psychology” podcast). 

A great example is “Morning Glory Milking Farm: A Monster Bait Romance”. If you don’t know the book, it is the story of a human woman (FMC) and a minotaur (MMC) falling in love. The FMC takes a job at a minotaur “milking farm”, think high-end spa crossed with a “massage” parlor by the airport, but totally legit. (I’ll let you guess how she “milks” him.) 😉

This story and its compelling examination of sex work and racism (all in the name of giving humans stronger erections) could only be written as a monster romance. I believe if it were humans in a real world, commentary about the book would get bogged down in sexual politics and cancel culture. But in the monster world, we can draw parallels with reality and examine ideas more freely. Plus, it’s fun.

If you’ve written off Monster Romance as too “out there”, I encourage you to give it another look. For better or worse, there are messages about sex and sexual fantasies that are more safely explored in alternate worlds. And exploring ideas with a sense of openness and acceptance is the foundation of sex positivity.

   *The experts: Justin Lehmiller, PhD, a social psychologist and research fellow at the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University and author of the book “Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How it Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life”; And Ella Gallego, researcher, writer, and founder of the Monstrous Desire Study, one of the most prominent studies of “monsterfuckers” with 2,200 respondents