Rahana Dariah / The Persistent / I Never Saw Myself in Romance Novels. Then, One Day, I Did

Rahana was commissioned to illustrate an article by Ruchika T. Malhotra.
Ruchika shares her experience of discovering romance novels at 14, growing up in a traditional Indian family where the idea of women enjoying romance was foreign. Though intrigued by love, she struggled to relate to the fair-skinned, passive heroines in media. Romance novels offered an escape, but they still featured mostly white characters. Despite the growth of the genre, diversity in both authors and characters remains limited, with writers of colour still underrepresented. This lack of representation affects how people of colour see themselves in romantic relationships.
Rahana’s digital illustration depicts a young woman reading and enjoying a Romance novel, so much so that her surroundings have turned into typical colours associated with love and romance, such as the sky being pink.

Art Director: Francesca Donner