I've read a lot of anti-fanfic stuff lately (specifically in regards to slash fics), and I'm sick of it being dismissed as the fancy of delusional fangirls. I feel like this is just another example of society trivializing the female sex drive, as well as being homophobic. While it is pretty much cliche for men to imagine female slumber parties where girls hit each other with pillows and then start making out (or getting into so-called "cat" fights and then making out. Or sharing a bed and then making out. Or simply being in the same room and then making out), the idea of women imagining two hetereonormative males making out is considered disgusting, and sometimes downright exploitative by society. Why? Why is it ok for the so-called "male gaze" to dream up lesbian scenarios, while the opposite is seen as perverse? Why is it ok for every teen show in existence to introduce a brief dabble in lesbianism for their female characters during sweeps week which is then "swept" under the rug and never talked about again? Why can't male characters ever be confused? The only example of this being shown on network tv I can think of was when Blake on Glee thought he might also like girls, before ultimately deciding that was the alcohol talking. Which is great and all, but why not show a straight character being curious? Or for that matter, actually have a bisexual male character??
Does male bisexuality only exist in Britain?! Or bisexuality just in general, since the vast majority of "bi/curious female" characters on American network television eventually either end up deciding they were just suspiciously curious during sweeps weeks after all (I'm looking at you The O.C., Melrose Place, Friends, every other popular network show afterellen.com has ever recapped) or that they are actually gay such as Willow on Buffy and Santana on Glee.
It is also perfectly acceptable by tv networks, tv/movie creators, and actors for fans to see subtext between two female characters (to bring them up again Willow and Tara, for example, was pretty much a result of fan lobbying, as was Santana/Brittany), but if fans see subtext between two previously assumed heteronormative men then it is immediately dismissed as being ridiculous (see every adaption of "Sherlock Holmes" EVER. Or "Star Trek." Or "Batman"). But why can't Captain Kirk be bisexual? Star Trek, after all, does take place in the future. I imagine sexuality will only continue to become more open in western society as time goes on- assuming Rick Santorum doesn't become president of the free world. See this lovely article about straight men kissing in Britain, if you're doubtful.
~*** Weird, but important "intermission": I also realize it's super weird to people who don't ever read fanfic that such a huge percentage of fanfic consists of female authors dreaming up homosexual situations between heterosexual male characters. Another night, I'll probably procrastinate on homework again by writing about how I think it mostly boils down to a suppressed wish by young modern-day women to experience sex on equal terms to their male counterparts; we live in a world where society is so still downright obsessed with things like hymens and female virginity, and women are frequently blamed for being raped or abused, and slash is basically a way of bypassing all of that and equalling out the playing field a little bit, while still exploring the boundaries of sexual fantasies in a safe, supportive environment. Mixed in with that, I would say women fantasizing about homosexual sex is really no different than men fantasizing about lesbian sex, and that it likely occurs for largely the same reasons. But that's all for a different night. For the purposes of *this* blog post, try to suspend your disbelief if you have to and just accept that it's not a symptom of some weird mental illness.***~
If porn is considered a normal part of society, why is erotic fanfic considered so abnormal? As far as I'm concerned, I believe fanfic is essentially the "female gaze." There has been tons of literature written about how women prefer reading erotica, while men prefer watching porn. There have been plenty of porns which take inspiration from popular movies and television shows. But god forbid women write about the characters being in sexual situations. Then it's considered exploitative towards the actors, and not, you know, when porn stars are actively trying to look like them while they perform hardcore acrobatics.
I know I'm making wide sweeping generalizations here, and one can argue both porns and fanfic based on television and movies are exploitative towards the actors, but the fact remains that a porno version of a successful movie is often described as inevitable and hilarious, while fanfic is more likely to be described as disgusting and perverse by both the actors who portray the characters and by society in general.
It's my opinion that fanfic is just an extension of how female arousal works. It comes largely from the brain, not the sex organ. And I think it's probably easier and more arousing for a lot of women to insert pornographic scenarios and fantasies into story lines and characters they are already completely comfortable with, then picturing or watching nameless strangers getting it on for money. Furthermore writing a fanfic allows for the insertion of something as important (if not more important) then the actual sexual situations into the storylines: the aftermath. I will admit I'm not an expert on pornographies, but from what I have seen and from what my guy friends have told me, it doesn't seem like there's a lot of pornos that devote screen time to what happens after the screaming orgasms are over with. Inserting a sexual fantasy- especially one that might push comfort zones- into a storyline involving characters the author and readers are already comfortable and familiar with can make all the difference, because the readers can rest assured that the vast majority of the time, the encounter will take place within the confines of a loving and comforting relationship. This ultimately allows for the characters (and therefore the readers) to come out the other side with little or no shame. Or if the characters do end up angsting afterwards, there will at least be a clear warning put up ahead of time so that the readers know what they're getting into when they click on the link.
*And* in the darker fanfics where there isn't a lovely, comforting relationship for the characters to fall back into after they explore their deepest, darkest fantasies? Well in those situations, the author and the readers of the fanfic can walk away knowing that the situation never really happened. In other words: no poor, struggling actors had to perform their most disturbing sexual fantasies in front of a camera, because someone had the imagination and the nerve to dream it up. Fanfic is (at least in a Utopian world where no one is ever made to feel ashamed for the simple audacity of having sexual fantasies) guilt-free. It is erotica to the nth extent, where all the characters are old, familiar friends who may be abused or debased in one fix, only to be exalted and worshiped in another.
Obviously the above scenario for how and why fanfic occurs doesn't apply to all fanfictions; it possibly doesn't even apply to most. There are also plenty of fanfics that have little or no sex in them; and still more that do not even have romantic relationships or "pairings" in them. But I would argue that it's the driving force behind a great deal of fanfic. And I would argue that is not a bad thing.
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