Alix Earle admitting shes never read a book is crazy, not sexy and universities are making it worse
It used to be embarrassing to admit you’re not well-read, but now it’s totally acceptable — if not chic.In a Monday Instagram video for Interview Magazine, influencer and social media megastar Alix Earle was asked: “What’s the last book you read?”“I’ve never read a book,” the 25-year-old said without embarrassment, curled up in a bathrobe in Milan.“Like, maybe Dr.
Seuss.”Apparently one of the most famous Gen Z women in the world — who boasts 8.7 million followers on TikTok and nearly 6 million on Instagram — thinks it’s cute to admit that she’s never read a book.That’s a terrible message being sent to the millions of girls who look up to her and follow her on social media, where she became famous with her “get ready with me” videos.
Earle, sadly, is not an outlier.She’s part of a larger generational trend.
I’ve even heard from my own friends, in their 20s and early 30s, that they barely read, if at all.One recently told me she’d read two books in her entire adulthood.But, it’s not just Gen Zers spending more time on their phones instead of the pages.
People of all ages are turning their backs on sitting down with a good book.In 2025, the American Time Use Survey analyzed 20 years of data from almost a quarter of a million people and found that the percentage of Americans who read for pleasure on a given day has nearly halved in recent decades, from 28% in 2004 to 16% in 2023.Worse yet, while typical 15- to 19-year-olds spend 1.3 hours a day using the computer for fun, they spend just nine minutes on average reading for fun.In the UK, just 32% of children and teens say they enjoyed reading for pleasure — a 36% decline since 2005.It’s not just that young people don’t want to read.
Increasingly, they’re pretty bad at it.Only a third of American high school seniors got “proficient” level reading scores in the 2024 NAEP exams.We have a crisis on our hands.
A generation is growing up glued to their devices, su...