Krista Diamond on the Double Standard Facing Women Writers in the Age of the Personal Brand

In a piece for Vogue, Krista Diamond, who wrote Close Relationships With Strangers, sheds light on the difficulties female writers face, particularly with harassment and self-promotion. After sharing her story about escaping a toxic relationship while working at Death Valley National Park, she received a harsh email stating, "Men abuse women because of women like you." Diamond points out that women often have to market themselves aggressively, citing debut novelist Rachel Taff, who learned new tools like Canva and TikTok. Interestingly, 49 out of 50 top Instagram posts and all leading TikTok posts under #DebutAuthor were from women. She also shares how a TikTok video led to 1,215 comments, many negative, prompting her to leave the platform. Meanwhile, she contrasts this with the more private lives of male authors like J.D. Salinger. Diamond notes that almost 25% of female journalists receive unwanted sexual advances online, with some, like Chloe Lauter, adopting separate identities for safety. She quotes MJ Corey on the necessity for women writers to curate their public personas.