Social media has allowed accessibility to creators all over the world. Whether you act, sing, dance, paint, write or do anything else creative, you have the opportunity to showcase your skillset through a medium where you can get discovered overnight. New York designer Christine Rhee has combined her love for books with her passion for creativity to make fake book covers for well-known classics. Recently, Emily Temple of LitHub discovered Rhee’s Instagram for her “Fake Books For Men” series, and we are so here for it.
Many years ago, reading was considered a masculine hobby because men were often allowed more to go to school for longer than the average woman. Nowadays, reading is viewed by many as a feminine hobby because there is the assumption that women are more likely than men to stay home. To counteract this assumption, Rhee has taken on books written by female authors to make them more attractive to a male audience. The Valley of the Dolls book above is an exquisite example of her work, as are the covers for Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.
But not to worry! She also pokes fun at books traditionally geared towards men. Similarly, this series is called “Fake Books for Women,” Below is an example of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.
So, what have we learned from Christine Rhee? That reading is for everyone! That readers should never judge a book by its cover because you never know the kind of story you’ll find inside! Chances are, most readers already fill their bookshelves with books by both male and female authors, with both male and female views. But just in case you needed a reason to get out of your preferred genre comfort zone, take this as your sign! Now, get out there and buy some new books! And be sure to check out Rhee’s updates to her series on her Instagram, monobrow_ny.
In case you missed it, we post weekly articles about our Bookstagrammer of the Week. If you love all things books and social media, you may also like our BookTok and Bookspot series.
FEATURED IMAGE VIA MONOBROW_NY ON INSTAGRAM