BL/Yaoi discourse ig
I’ve seen like 10 vids abt BL back to back and lately there have been more vids on that so I kinda wanna talk about fetishization in the BL space and have some questions.
So I’ve noticed a pattern. Lately, I’ve noticed more and more white queer especially white mlm (male luv male) speak out against it. They say that BL is harmful and that it normalizes fetishization towards gay/queer men. That women who read BL/identify as a Fujoshi are all weird and gross. ‘Straight Women who read hardcore smut constantly are 100% fetishizers.’
↳To that a certain degree I do agree that there is truth that with the prominence of BL I’m sure there has been a rise of fetishization which should be addressed and called out. But I also think that a lot of those points are kinda wrong. Women reading smut isn’t inherently wrong at all, it’s when they start to mix fiction into reality and start asking queer men uncomfortable questions regarding their sex life and sexuality unprovoked/out of nowhere. Or when they start pushing heteronormative stereotypes onto queer men. And to that I say we call those actions out bc frankly they’re weird and unnecessary but let’s not start hating on all women esp the ones who have done nothing but just read.
I also don’t think it’s that deep that some women refer to themselves as fujoshi. Just bc some fujoshis were known to be fetishizers doesn’t mean that every single one of them are as well. That’s just generalization. People love to use and create terms to describe themselves and their hobbies. “Otakus” “fudanshis” “fujoshis” “___ Stan’s” etc. imo, an issue is when we take a JP term and try to change the meaning to fit it western standards, that’s a bit odd to me.
now this might point might ruffle some feathers and so I’ll try to word this as nicely as I can:
BL is queer Asian media, 98% of the characters are Asian. So wouldn’t the fetishizers consuming BL target and stereotype queer Asian men??
I’m not saying that white queers haven’t faced fetishization bc of BL, I’m sure that they have and it sucks. But considering which race is used most in Bl’s, would they not be the first to get fetishized heavily?? With the rise of discourse about Bl, I’ve only ever seen white queers preach on this topic but I’ve never seen queer asian men talk on it. The ones that do speak up on it are kinda nonchalant abt it. I have a lot of Asian friends that are also queer and dont really seem to care about the Bl discourse as passionately as their white counterparts, so if anyone wants try and explain this phenomenon to me, I’d appreciate it greatly
My two cents on this topic is that we need to gatekeep this stuff from westerners cuz they'll complain about anything at this point
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1 days
“Its because the west is more open or more prone to activism”
Ok white savior, we see you. LGBTQ+ communities ARE extremely active thank you very much. Asian Queers are more than capable of speaking for themselves, so I really really don’t see why white queers are all at front and center acting like this is the biggest challenge that we’re......
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1 days
It is fetishism, the same way lesbian porn is. A lot of fujoshis sexualize these relationships to the point of dehumanization i mean look at eastern asia where this content is made, they have serious lgbtq rights issues, fujoshis will happily jerk of to a stereotypes (becuse that what it mostly is) and then not lift a finger to help the lgbtq or ev......
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1 days
The thing about this is, it’s known that most women who read BL read it for a few different reasons. I saw some paper/article a few years ago on it, and I remember these were reasons: 1.) because they’re attracted to men, in general (the muscles and physicality, etc). Number one seems simple enough and makes sense. Someone else said it best her......
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1 days
I'm so damn tired of people just spouting James Somerton rhetoric. Fucking hell.
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1 days
Honestly, I'm an avid BL reader, and a female at that. While yes, I think some fetishization exist, not all BL have it. We actually have a very clear distinguishing sub-genres to support this. Shounen-ai, this is a BL that has no smut whatsoever and tends to lead from a romantic, and plot driven point. Then we have Yaoi, which is I guess the porn s......
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22 hours
I think the western world in general is more open about activism. Not saying that it's exclusive to the west, but I do think we're louder and more willing to make a ruckus about social issues.
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1 days
Who is reading Asian bl and fetishizing white queer men. Yall ain't got no taste.
But on serious note. Asian countries just arent built to have the luxury to complain about fetishization on queer men when queer men itself aren't even an accepted concept, ya know? Like of course no Asian queer gonna be blasting about fetishization, they're in the ......
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1 days
Its true that fetishization exists, but some people make it seem like its some huge problem. A lot of these types of people hating on BL are also being lowkey racist. Alice Oseman for example prides herself in being the author of a mlm story without sex in it, while saying that BL is fetishizing gay men. "Its not appropriate, because they are teena......
1 reply
1 days
my issue with this discussion is that they act as if BL media is the only media that gets highlighted amongst women. it’s one of those sub-genres that is included in the romance book space. women read romance & queer love is included in that. i have yet to see these people present a situation where women are fetishizing & harassing gay men just b......
3 reply
18 hours