1. Instalove– This word is used primarily as an insult which is why it bugs me. Instalove is lust, that I'm not arguing. But lust can grow to love. I believe instalove is just a way of saying ‘I didn’t connect with the characters therefore I didn’t buy their feelings for each other’. I really don't think the scorn with which the word is thrown around is warranted.2. Strong Female Character– Most books that boast a SFC are simply men with vaginas. It still places the importance on men and dominant male attributes. Strong women act like men. I call bullshit. Women are people. Messy and complicated. Riddled with strengths and weakness, talents and flaws. Good and bad. Tangled with circumstance and complex human emotion. A product of their environment and societal pressures. One kind of woman isn't more worthy of story than another. How are women supposed to be confident in who they are when we hold even fictional women up to impossible standards?3. Unlikeable– Again, this is mostly tagged to female characters who show flaws, weakness or vulnerability(see number 2). A character does not have to be likeable, they have to be relatable. The only thing the reader needs is to understand why a character makes the decision they do. The reader doesn’t have to agree, or like it, they just have to get that it’s what that character would choose. I would have less of a problem with this one if it were equally applied to male characters, but unfortuately unlikable male characters are often seen as interesting and complex. Not the case for women.4. Clean– What in the world does this even mean? There are two sides to this coin I don’t like. A) A book without sex, swearing, violence etc is considered clean meaning that other books are dirty? Shameful? I don’t like the connotation there. The world is a dark and dirty place. We are already made to feel guilty and shamed about our looks, our desires, our feelings, our wants. We are already told to keep these things secret. Why must this societal shaming be applied to books? B) Books that aren’t clean are often referred to as books containing ‘Content’ which also bugs me because it’s implied that clean books are about nothing important, which is untrue. There are lots of books that touch on a lot of worthy topics that don't revolve around the taboos our culture and religions place on us. There needs to be new words for these two categories but I’m at a complete loss as to what they should be. Any suggestions?5. Romance vs. Love Story– Romance=crappy beach read to be laughed at and mocked. Love Story=A moving and emotional tale of how two people find each other and the struggles they endure for love. Nope. Bullshit. Romance=written by a woman. Love Story=written by a man. Don’t pretend it’s anything different. One could argue that romance=Happy Ever After and Love Story=tragedy, but even then why is it so horrible and unworthy of literary respect for two people to fall in love and stay that way? Why are we a society that puts the highest artistic value on suffering? The world is a lonley and dark place, why can't we at least hold on to fictional forevers?