Categorical Gripe

When I think of the many genres of books out there I think of them like different flavors of ice cream. Some people like specific tastes, some only eat one certain flavor, while other like to try something new every time. There is: action/adventure, autobiography/biography, detective/spy, family drama, fan fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, historical, horror, literary, medical/forensic, mystery, non-fiction, picture books, poetry, police, romance, science fiction/speculative, sports, suspense, thriller, war, western and more. One category makes me mad though. I don’t understand why the distinction was made in the title of this genre, a division that totally alienates a specific gender from it. I hate the genre chick-lit, also known as women’s fiction. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate the stories that fit into this category, I hate the name, the need for the category itself. The name implies that men wouldn’t be interested in these stories, that only women would read them. Does a good plot and story have to be gender specific? No, of course not. People gravitate to what they like, certainly. But am I going to forgo reading a book because the MC is a certain gender? No. I should hope the struggles any gender faces in a story is pertinent to the human condition. Are they trying to say that no man enjoyed Bridget Jones's Diary? I'm sorry but that book was hilarious! Made me laugh out loud so many times my husband questioned my sanity for a while. Why is this distinction not made with men’s fiction or (dare I coin it?) dick-lit? Sorry, it does roll off the tongue better than dude-lit, guy-lit or man-lit. To coin such a term says that women wouldn’t be as interested in male MCs, or in the stories these novels have to tell. Of course this is rubbish, I don’t care what sex the MC is, just give me a good story. Stella out! P.S.- Bevis points at Stella and looks over at Butt-head. “She said dick. Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.” "Oh, shut-up!" Stella says.