Finding that niche group of people that enjoy the same books you do is one of the most satisfying feelings that a reader can experience. But finding out that your favorite celebrity is also into that niche genre isn’t as satisfying, instead, it can be a head-scratcher. Celebrities have always attempted to be “in” with their fans since the beginning of time, through trial and error, many found that hosting a book club is the most “relatable.”

Fulfilling the modern literary community is pretty much unattainable. There are so many nooks and crannies full of hundreds of niche readers searching for their representative. Through booktok many have, but for those who are in the majority, they have Oprah to represent them!

Celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, Orpah, Dua Lipa, Kaia Gerber, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Lena Dunham all host their own book clubs. What goes on in these book clubs is different for each celebrity. For example Kaia Gerber interviews authors, and other celebrities to discuss their thoughts on that month’s pick. She also sells baby tees for 50 dollars. Often picking well-known books with reputations that precede them such as Sally Rooney and Roxanne Gay, it’s obvious that the person running this club has taste. 

Reese Witherspoon’s book club, Hello Sunshine, is notorious for picking books that soon become productions. Shows and movies such as Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere and The Last Thing He Told Me are all books that became something more. It’s clear that her motive for the book club is almost like a tease as to what her production company is working on next, so pay attention to her next newsletter!

But the question inevitably rises, are they really interested in the book or do they just want to be seen reading and somewhat intellectual? 

Bookfluencers like Witherspoon and Gerber both have very different ideas for what constitutes a bookclub. We know that they can both read, but why does the action of reading automatically subconsciously increase our liking for them? Celebrities don’t get an award for promoting the best book or being the most intellectual, so why bother? Do they want to be seen as “it”?

Being seen as an “it girl” is already elusive enough, but adding the word “literary” to the mix adds an even deeper level of elusiveness. For some reason, becoming a “literary it girl” has been the goal for many by following the footsteps of girls like Kaia Gerber. The effortless cool girl that reads a Joan Didion book under a tree without a blanket underneath them is what Kaia has captured. 

“It-girls” being caught off guard with a book in their hands is one of the most effective and effortless marketing strategies. Kendall Jenner was seen reading “Literally Show Me a Healthy Person” by Darcie Wilder on a yacht – the book was immediately sold out on amazon afterwards.

Not only is Gerber promoting those to read, but also the brand that comes with reading. Somehow, reading has shifted from being an activity to being a brand, an adjective almost. Someone could describe a girl as a “reader,” and the rest of the description just falls into place. 

Reading a book now has become more than just for leisure, but for the aesthetic and some find themselves doing it performatively. People who typically don’t find themselves indulging in paperbacks are more inclined to do it now more than ever. Peer pressure to “fit in” in a literary sense is a direct result from the bookfluencer media. Through book clubs, specifically ones done by girls like SJP, Gerber, and soon, Dakota Johnson, has become a brand. 

Celebrities popularizing the idea of book clubs skews the image we once had of them. Book clubs are no longer those middle-aged ladies that are in your neighborhood that always read the books that have the pirate and woman in the long white dress on the cover. It’s girls like Olivia Jade, reading Lolita on a sunchair with a scarf over her head with a matching 500 dollar swimsuit and using the book as a prop. The brand of reading, and the aesthetic of it, is what celebrity book clubs are trying to capture. 

Being a part of this brand of a girl who reads is humanizing them, giving us the thought that they too also read in the morning while the laundry is drying and the bed still needs fixing. There’s no harm in it, but it is crucial to take their book recommendations with a few grains of salt. 

But with all of that being said, as an avid self proclaimed reader, having celebrities promote reading over anything else makes my heart happy and I do own a “hot girls read books” t-shirt. Knowledge is power, and having a book in your hand is the first step. The results of these book clubs no matter what is having followers read the first page of any book, but I think it is more than fair to question their motives.