Are books the hot new accessory among celebrities?

In the days of yore, when I was a little kid—not so long ago, mind you—my mother imparted to me a bit of tongue-in-cheek wisdom: “Befriend those who dwell amidst tomes aplenty.” Though I struggled to fully grasp her jesting profundity, I took her advice to heart. Now, as an adult, I am eager to pass on this invaluable insight to my own children (when the time comes).

To me, books are the litmus test of intellect, the barometer of erudition, the very emblem of cerebral prowess! The act of reading, of imbibing wisdom inscribed within books, is hailed as a venerable skill. Throughout history, books have also been badges of status. The ancient Roman philosopher Seneca wrote about his distaste towards people who owned a lot of books but who didn’t actually read. Even British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood once quipped, “A status symbol is a book. A very easy book to read is The Catcher in the Rye. Walk around with that under your arm, kids. That is your status.” For centuries, access to books also remained restricted to individuals belonging to lower castes and classes—an injustice that Rassundari Devi bravely confronted with her groundbreaking autobiography, Amar Jiban (My Life), published in 1876.

There has been a remarkable resurgence in the popularity of books. And while you may hate on Gen Z for their unconventional fashion choices—like the rise of underwear as outerwear, among other things—they are undeniably spearheading this revival of reading. At the forefront of this movement is 22-year-old model Kaia Gerber, who calls reading “sexy” and has recently launched her own book club, Library Science.

Gone are the days when we only cared about models’ diets; now, we also want to know all about their literary preferences. Take, for instance, 28-year-old model Kendall Jenner, who recently shared pictures of her lying on the beach and reading Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking (although not exactly a beach read, we get the sentiment, Kenny). She has also been, in the past, photographed reading Darcie Wilder’s Literally Show Me a Healthy Person, and Miranda July’s collection of short stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You, both of which were sold out on Amazon later.

And it’s not just models; actors like Timothee Chalamet openly endorse classics like Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment as personal favourites. Saltburn star Jacob Elordi was once spotted with Prima Facie, a gripping novel rooted in Susie Miller’s exploration of sexual assault and the legal system. Even American fashion designer Marc Jacobs often shares selfies of him holding a book on his Instagram account. However, Bollywood may still need a few more pointers on book selection, case in point, Ananya Panday’s recent photo ops with Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind.

As for me, I carry my dog-eared copy of Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections to work each day, harbouring the hope that one day I’ll reach its end. The book definitely adds to my look, and it seems I’m not alone in using books as fashion accessories; at the A/W ’24 Skall Studio show during Copenhagen Fashion Week, models strutted down the runway with books in hand. Even in the 16th Century, people used books as props to signify cultural refinement, as seen in portraits. Take, for instance, Agnolo Bronzino’s Allegorical Portrait of Dante, where Dante Alighieri is depicted with a sizable edition of Paradiso, suggesting a man of cultural sophistication—though notably, he isn’t portrayed actually reading the book, which serves as an early example of using a book as a symbol to convey a deeper meaning about an individual.

Though a practice as old as time itself, the recent trend of celebrities posing with books has sparked a flurry of online discourse, suggesting we’ve entered an age of performative reading,

“Prop or not, the resurgence of printed books is undeniable.”

which begs the question: why does the Internet love to raise its eyebrows over a glimpse of a book in the hands of a celebrity? Maybe, it’s because these celebrities are seldom photographed with culturally unglamorous books, or maybe it’s the suspicion that they rely on ‘book-stylists’ (ahem, dream job) to curate their literary choices to match their outfits.

But prop or not, the resurgence of printed books is undeniable. In an article published earlier this year, The Washington Post mentioned that “about 42 per cent (of Americans) read physical books in the past year, compared with 22 per cent who read digital books or 19 per cent who read audiobooks”. And these numbers apply to the rest of the world as well. According to Prateek Agarwal, marketing and partnerships manager at Penguin India, the reading renaissance may be attributed to the COVID-19 lockdown. He says, “The pandemic definitely revived reading habits. Books, as always, happen to be the most suited companions during isolated times.” He adds, “I believe the lockdown gave birth to new readers and rekindled with the ones who had lost touch with their reading habits. Numbers, especially in the Indian subcontinent, will side with this observation.” Abhay Singh, senior manager for marketing and publicity at Simon & Schuster India, says, “Sales have gone up approximately 300 per cent to 400 per cent post-COVID specifically of titles called ‘soft romance’ so these would include any authors like Colleen Hoover, Hannah Grace, Lauren Roberts, and all because of the influence of BookTok (the part of TikTok where users talk about books), the knock-on effects of which can be felt here in India too.”

Reading circles in Delhi have also experienced a surge in popularity of late. Among them, communities such as Lodhi Reads offer a sanctuary for silent reading sessions, bringing people together even in hushed camaraderie.

If we consider reading as a mirror reflecting the contemporary world, it might suggest a deep longing for solace amidst the chaos—a whimsical desire to immerse ourselves in the cocoon of literature before facing the clamour of reality. Could this enduring fascination with physical books herald a resurgence of interest in printed magazines? It is a possibility I am certainly not ruling out.

Book clubs worth bookmarking

Kaia Gerber’s Library Science

Dua Lipa’s Service95

Dakota Johnson’s Tea Time

Emma Roberts’ Belletrist

This article originally appeared in Cosmopolitan India, March-April, 2024 print issue. 

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