I just meant that the idea of two members of the opposite sex being involved with one another seems to hold an appeal in many cultures and it has nothing to do with body or gender shame whatsoever.
But anyway I seem to only be able to read fics about male characters when they are slashed with other males I think because in that context, when they are written as vulnerable and tender with one another, they remind me of women and it makes them accessible.
The only exception is incest, because I do enjoy some het incest, but generally that is also handled in a way that makes males act very differently then they would in a traditional het relationship. Again, there seems to be another level of emotional depth that arises from the tragedy of the whole situation.
As for general het, I don't see the appeal at all. Fanfic and fandom in general for me is about escapism and a world where anything is possible and heteronormativity is really everywhere you freaking look so if I wanted to be exposed to that all I would have to do is pick up any book or turn on the television or go to a movie or walk down the street.
As for why some bi/lesbians don't read femslash (and I know some who don't), I imagine it's not very foreign or exotic to them. We can have lesbian sex, we don't need to read about it. Reading m/m gives us a chance to experience something we will never experience in life. I know that's how I felt when I went through a phase of *only* reading Ryan/Seth from the OC fic. But basically just the whole idea of men being vulnerable and intimate and emotional together is so, so hot to me because it's something you don't see very often. Women can be that way in friendships all the time. But male friendships are portrayed as so restrained even when they are having a bonding moment and I just want to see them cross that line into being totally emotionally naked with one another and when they do it's so delicious.
Also I think for some people yaoi is a way to enjoy male sexuality without seeing it as a threat to your own sexuality because it is acceptable for bi/les girls to enjoy the m/m but if you're a lesbian and you're drawn to a het ship it can make you wonder if you'd like to be in a het ship and lead to question your sexuality (though this sounds ridiculous, it has happened to me...) Also if you're writing m/m, other les/bi friends think it's lovely but if you're writing het, they can be all "whyyyyy are you writing het???" which is kind of close minded but whatever. But if it's incest, it's not considered caving into the whole heteronormativity thing because incest is still basically another form of alternative sexuality.
So if you writing m/m, you are still supporting gayness so it's yay and approved.
Personally, I have always been drawn to female characters since childhood and found the male ones totally uninteresting except in a few select cases prolly cuz I am that big of man-hating lesbian ZOMG! Except I don't hate men, they just bore me. Unless they are kissing other men. Cuz then they are made feminine and lovely.
And I really don't want to do my take home essay exam so this is probably a lot of procrastinating...
no subject
I just meant that the idea of two members of the opposite sex being involved with one another seems to hold an appeal in many cultures and it has nothing to do with body or gender shame whatsoever.
But anyway I seem to only be able to read fics about male characters when they are slashed with other males I think because in that context, when they are written as vulnerable and tender with one another, they remind me of women and it makes them accessible.
The only exception is incest, because I do enjoy some het incest, but generally that is also handled in a way that makes males act very differently then they would in a traditional het relationship. Again, there seems to be another level of emotional depth that arises from the tragedy of the whole situation.
As for general het, I don't see the appeal at all. Fanfic and fandom in general for me is about escapism and a world where anything is possible and heteronormativity is really everywhere you freaking look so if I wanted to be exposed to that all I would have to do is pick up any book or turn on the television or go to a movie or walk down the street.
As for why some bi/lesbians don't read femslash (and I know some who don't), I imagine it's not very foreign or exotic to them. We can have lesbian sex, we don't need to read about it. Reading m/m gives us a chance to experience something we will never experience in life. I know that's how I felt when I went through a phase of *only* reading Ryan/Seth from the OC fic. But basically just the whole idea of men being vulnerable and intimate and emotional together is so, so hot to me because it's something you don't see very often. Women can be that way in friendships all the time. But male friendships are portrayed as so restrained even when they are having a bonding moment and I just want to see them cross that line into being totally emotionally naked with one another and when they do it's so delicious.
Also I think for some people yaoi is a way to enjoy male sexuality without seeing it as a threat to your own sexuality because it is acceptable for bi/les girls to enjoy the m/m but if you're a lesbian and you're drawn to a het ship it can make you wonder if you'd like to be in a het ship and lead to question your sexuality (though this sounds ridiculous, it has happened to me...) Also if you're writing m/m, other les/bi friends think it's lovely but if you're writing het, they can be all "whyyyyy are you writing het???" which is kind of close minded but whatever. But if it's incest, it's not considered caving into the whole heteronormativity thing because incest is still basically another form of alternative sexuality.
So if you writing m/m, you are still supporting gayness so it's yay and approved.
Personally, I have always been drawn to female characters since childhood and found the male ones totally uninteresting except in a few select cases prolly cuz I am that big of man-hating lesbian ZOMG! Except I don't hate men, they just bore me. Unless they are kissing other men. Cuz then they are made feminine and lovely.
And I really don't want to do my take home essay exam so this is probably a lot of procrastinating...