I want to preface this by saying that I am a person with trauma. I have triggers. I am coming at this conversation speaking from experience, but I can only speak from my own experience.
Trigger warnings, sometimes called content warnings, are meant to inform readers about potentially disturbing or triggering aspects of the book they are about to read. Common trigger warnings include those of sexual violence, suicide, self-harm, and child abuse, among other things that might potentially cause readers upset. They are intended to give the person consuming the content, in this case literature, the choice to continue or to avoid the trigger.
Trigger warnings have a reputation for ruining the fun, and spoiling the reading experience, in some circles. But readers who don’t need them can always just skip them, and just because they’re there for those who do require a heads-up, doesn’t mean the fun is over.
Some authors take an inherently serious subject, the potentially traumatizing content of their work, and turn it into something that will still warn their readers, but also is entertaining in and of itself. Brynne Weaver is a perfect example of this. The content warnings in Leather and Lark had me laughing before I turned the first page, but they also had me prepared and aware of what I was getting myself into.
I do believe that trigger warnings are important, even if I consistently disregard them and read the book anyway. Not once have I heeded a trigger warning, unless the dog dies. But still, it is helpful to know what to expect in the pages to come. There is something to be said, in terms of mental health, for knowing what is about to happen and to be able to mentally prepare for what potentially triggering things you are about to encounter.
The argument that content warnings spoil the events of the book is one that I can understand, even if I don’t agree. Sometimes they tell a reader things they may not have guessed otherwise, and take the edge off the surprise. Although, once again, they can always be skipped.
Trigger warnings in literature are mostly found, in my experience, in romance novels. We all know they are going to end in a happily ever after. We know they will likely contain sex. We know that there is a good chance the enemies will become lovers in the end. What’s the difference between knowing all that and knowing that a book might contain scenes that depict sexual abuse, eating disorders, or suicide?
There has been a great deal of discussion and debate about whether trigger warnings are actually effective. Some research indicates they may actually do more harm than good. But for me, that is beside the point. It’s about giving the reader the power to choose what they are about to read, to go in fully prepared for what may come. If they are triggered by reading books about sexual assault, they can close the book and move on. Trigger warnings, while sometimes playful, and often ignored, are an important part of the romance novel space.
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