I don't know why but for some reason at some point in my life something has led me to think that talking about YA in an academic environment will make people look down on me. Thing is, there are people who have done just that but not everyone is the same. Also, what's so bad about YA in the first place, that anyone should be ashamed of reading it?

I think the root of the problem is Hollywood and the over-sensationalization of YA and anything teen oriented, may it be Bieber, Twilight or even The Hunger Games. Anything related to today's youth just explodes until it's in everyone's face, whether you want it or not. 

BOOM!

With widespread recognition comes widespread hate and haters. And no matter how secluded and introverted you are, you're bound to come upon one person that thinks reading YA is stupid. Some indicators might be things like, "Novels are a waste of time", "Why don't you read things that matter?" , "That stuff doesn't count as literature" , "Is that book about vampires?" 

When thinking back to it, I've always been quite protective of the fact that I read YA books. "I like to read." That is my introductory sentence but I seldom offer up what it is I like to read, any further than stating fiction as my preferred genre. Only those in my close circle get recommendations and book talks from me. In fact P.E. had no idea I read books until the mutual friend that introduced us also spilled the beans. 

I'm an incognito nerd :P

This all really came up when I was sitting in my very first Philosophy lecture beside a girl to whom I finally introduced myself after multiple minutes of contemplation. We exchanged the formal degree introductions, her an English Major and I the Business Major. She then went on to ask me what my hobby was and I slowly said..." um reading...fiction" Thinking she might be interested in the classics and such I felt quite overwhelmed. Long story short, she declared her love for YA and we then had a great conversation about Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. 

P.E. and I when we book fangirl

Now, while it's easy to blame Hollywood and embarrassing pre-teens for going wild over everything, it's also important to remember that people will be judgemental if they want to be and it's our choice to let them or stand up for what we enjoy. I like YA, I won't mention it to people like I do my name because it's a private interest but I'm not going to be ashamed of it either. Most of my close friends are actually a direct result of our shared interest in YA lit. How can something that brings people together in a friendly, innocent way be bad?

SOURCE

-MARI

P.S. NOTE: True story; I have a "I read YA" pin on my bag, and every single day I've waited for someone to say, "OMG ME TOO!" so I can fangirl about it. And not one goddamn person. So enjoy your friendship. :( -P.E.