Bodice Ripper

If there is a perjorative term in romance fiction, "bodice ripper" is it. The term, officially, refers to a specific era in romance fiction where the hero forcibly "takes" the heroine, or rips her bodice in prelude to raping her. It is not clear why this particular scenario gained popularity, but today's romance authors and readers view the term "bodice ripper" with disgust due to the violent implications of the phrase.

Authors whose names are commonly associated with the term include Kathleen Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers. Though "bodice rippers" technically can only refer to historical romance (modern women rarely wearing bodices), the press often unfortunately uses the term when discussing the romance genre.

Sources

Bodice Ripper at Wikipedia