diff --git a/hspec-wai-json.cabal b/hspec-wai-json.cabal
--- a/hspec-wai-json.cabal
+++ b/hspec-wai-json.cabal
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
--- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.15.0.
+-- This file has been generated from package.yaml by hpack version 0.19.3.
 --
 -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack
 
 name:             hspec-wai-json
-version:          0.8.0
+version:          0.9.0
 homepage:         https://github.com/hspec/hspec-wai#readme
 bug-reports:      https://github.com/hspec/hspec-wai/issues
 license:          MIT
@@ -29,14 +29,16 @@
       src
   exposed-modules:
       Test.Hspec.Wai.JSON
+  other-modules:
+      Paths_hspec_wai_json
   build-depends:
-      base == 4.*
-    , hspec-wai == 0.8.0
+      aeson
+    , aeson-qq >=0.7.3
+    , base ==4.*
     , bytestring
-    , template-haskell
-    , aeson
-    , aeson-qq >= 0.7.3
     , case-insensitive
+    , hspec-wai ==0.9.0
+    , template-haskell
   ghc-options: -Wall
   default-language: Haskell2010
 
@@ -47,10 +49,11 @@
   main-is: Spec.hs
   other-modules:
       Test.Hspec.Wai.JSONSpec
+      Paths_hspec_wai_json
   build-depends:
-      base == 4.*
-    , hspec-wai-json
-    , hspec-wai
+      base ==4.*
     , hspec
+    , hspec-wai
+    , hspec-wai-json
   ghc-options: -Wall
   default-language: Haskell2010
diff --git a/src/Test/Hspec/Wai/JSON.hs b/src/Test/Hspec/Wai/JSON.hs
--- a/src/Test/Hspec/Wai/JSON.hs
+++ b/src/Test/Hspec/Wai/JSON.hs
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 ) where
 
 import           Data.ByteString.Lazy (ByteString)
+import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as B
+import           Data.Char
 import           Data.Aeson (Value, decode, encode)
 import           Data.Aeson.QQ
 import           Language.Haskell.TH.Quote
@@ -52,7 +54,37 @@
   fromValue :: Value -> a
 
 instance FromValue ResponseMatcher where
-  fromValue = ResponseMatcher 200 ["Content-Type" <:> "application/json"] . equalsJSON
+  fromValue = ResponseMatcher 200 [matchHeader] . equalsJSON
+    where
+      matchHeader = MatchHeader $ \headers _body ->
+        case lookup "Content-Type" headers of
+          Just h | isJSON h -> Nothing
+          _ -> Just $ unlines [
+              "missing header:"
+            , formatHeader ("Content-Type", "application/json")
+            ]
+      isJSON c = media == "application/json" && parameters `elem` ignoredParameters
+        where
+          (media, parameters) = let (m, p) = breakAt ';' c in (strip m, strip p)
+
+          -- Technically, no parameters are required nor optional for
+          -- application/json.  However, as charset=utf-8 is widely added by
+          -- other software and compliant recipients should ignore any charset
+          -- (as per http://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/application/json)
+          -- we ignore charset=utf-8 here.
+          --
+          -- This is a decision made for pragmatism!
+          --
+          -- I'm still pretty much against ignoring any other charsets.  Adding
+          -- a charset parameter is non-standard and hspec-wai is not just a
+          -- compliant recipients but a testing software.  Hence I take the
+          -- stance that the job of a testing software is not just to accept
+          -- what a compliant client would accept but also to enforce standard
+          -- conformance.
+          ignoredParameters = ["", "charset=utf-8"]
+
+      breakAt c = fmap (B.drop 1) . B.break (== c)
+      strip = B.reverse . B.dropWhile isSpace . B.reverse . B.dropWhile isSpace
 
 equalsJSON :: Value -> MatchBody
 equalsJSON expected = MatchBody matcher
diff --git a/test/Test/Hspec/Wai/JSONSpec.hs b/test/Test/Hspec/Wai/JSONSpec.hs
--- a/test/Test/Hspec/Wai/JSONSpec.hs
+++ b/test/Test/Hspec/Wai/JSONSpec.hs
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {-# LANGUAGE QuasiQuotes #-}
 {-# LANGUAGE OverloadedStrings #-}
+{-# LANGUAGE NoMonomorphismRestriction #-}
 module Test.Hspec.Wai.JSONSpec (main, spec) where
 
 import           Test.Hspec
@@ -34,24 +35,28 @@
           ])
 
     context "when matching Content-Type header" $ do
-      let [MatchHeader matcher] = matchHeaders [json|{foo: 23}|]
+      let
+        body = [json|{foo: 23}|]
+        [MatchHeader matcher] = matchHeaders body
+        match = (`matcher` body)
 
-      context "when body is ASCII" $ do
-        let
-          body = [json|{foo: 23}|]
-          match = (`matcher` body)
+      it "accepts 'application/json'" $ do
+        match [("Content-Type", "application/json")] `shouldBe` Nothing
 
-        it "accepts 'application/json'" $ do
-          match [("Content-Type", "application/json")] `shouldBe` Nothing
+      it "ignores 'charset=utf-8'" $ do
+        match [("Content-Type", "application/json;charset=utf-8")] `shouldBe` Nothing
 
-        it "accepts 'application/json; charset=utf-8'" $ do
-          match [("Content-Type", "application/json; charset=utf-8")] `shouldBe` (Just . unlines) [
-              "missing header:"
-            , "  Content-Type: application/json"
-            ]
+      it "ignores whitespace" $ do
+        match [("Content-Type", "application/json ; charset=utf-8")] `shouldBe` Nothing
 
-        it "rejects other headers" $ do
-          match [("Content-Type", "foobar")] `shouldBe` (Just . unlines) [
-              "missing header:"
-            , "  Content-Type: application/json"
-            ]
+      it "requires a Content-Type header" $ do
+        match [] `shouldBe` (Just. unlines) [
+            "missing header:"
+          , "  Content-Type: application/json"
+          ]
+
+      it "rejects other values for Content-Type" $ do
+        match [("Content-Type", "foobar")] `shouldBe` (Just . unlines) [
+            "missing header:"
+          , "  Content-Type: application/json"
+          ]