Pulp novels were originally about hard-boiled detectives and femme fatales.

 

As the genre continued to evolve, the stories began to be more about the wanton escapades of women and girls coming of age.

    ...In the 60's they bridged such taboo topics such as drugs and lesbianism.

 

though these works were generally read by men,

they were the predecessors to the modern Romance novel, now mainly read by teen girls and disillusioned housewives.