heather11483 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
heathershaped) wrote2010-01-26 10:46 am
heathershaped) wrote2010-01-26 10:46 am
Entry tags:
So
Fandom is having another one of its messy revolving debates, this time about slash and het (femslash? what femslash?) and misogyny and I guess I have a take, such as it is.
I read slash. I read het. I read femslash. I read poly. I read gen. I'm not even the most prolific writer by anyone's definition, and I have written all of those things.
In my experience there is no genre in the bunch that is inherently more enlightened, more 'feminist', more progressive, more transgressive, or even less heteronormative than any of the rest. There's nothing about any of those genres that, by definition, makes one better or worse by any of the criteria I've listed.
That said, we all have personal preferences. Anyone who's been reading my journal for more than a day will know that I gravitate toward girl-centric pairings (whether het or femslash or poly) and gen. That I have less interest in shows that don't have women or people of color (or women of color!). That I'm not especially fascinated with the slashability of white male leads from show to show, at least not any more than other pairings. I can't lie and say that my experiences with slash culture have nothing to do with this, but I can say that it's first and foremost a matter of what I like to see and read and squee about and expose myself to.
I can say that I have felt marginalized by slash culture (overall) and the tendency to ignore, disappear, or write off female characters as boring or unattractive or unworthy of their attention, not to mention the male lead's affections. That I am weary of the excuses I've seen for this. Others have written about those excuses more eloquently than I could and those are discussions that need to happen.
But, you know, I've also felt pretty marginalized by het fandoms that pit women against each other on the basis of attractiveness and personality and worthiness of the male lead's affections. I'm also weary of their excuses.
And I've been hurt by nearly every corner of fandom and its tendency to marginalize characters of color regardless of gender, even when they're main characters.
I don't know; basically I wish people would stop doing all of that shit. (That is not to say that everyone everywhere is doing that shit; if you are not in fact doing it, you are not who I'm talking about. I'm not sure the existence of these problems is particularly debatable, I'm just saying.)
So no, I don't feel comfortable with some of the discussions out there insinuating that there's a genre that is better or worse, or more worthwhile - not even the genres that have more of the things I want to read. I've run up against fail everywhere. All I can do is tailor my fannish experience the best way I can to avoid running into things that make me ragey. Make icons and picspams. Write, read, and rec the things I wish there were more of. ("Be the audience I wish to see in the world".)
And while I'm here, I wish people wouldn't rank the importance of these stories, or prioritize their need to be told. There's room for everything. It's not written anywhere that we need stories about two male heroes kissing more than we need stories about brown girls who become Queen of England -- or vice versa. I think "oppression olympics" are a myth. I want it all: I want lesbians who are not evil, women of color who are loved and recognized for their beauty rather than desexed and pushed to the background, women who save the world and all the men in it, men who love other men in a textual way, bisexual characters who actually exist. I want to see everything.
The way I see it, any time we get a story that is not the same old story, that's a victory. Whichever one you want to tell, good for you.
...But seriously, stop doing the shit I mentioned above.
That's all I really have to say about that.
ETA: I'm at work atm but will get to any replies asap; also, I am getting comment notifications late on LJ. But I see you!
I read slash. I read het. I read femslash. I read poly. I read gen. I'm not even the most prolific writer by anyone's definition, and I have written all of those things.
In my experience there is no genre in the bunch that is inherently more enlightened, more 'feminist', more progressive, more transgressive, or even less heteronormative than any of the rest. There's nothing about any of those genres that, by definition, makes one better or worse by any of the criteria I've listed.
That said, we all have personal preferences. Anyone who's been reading my journal for more than a day will know that I gravitate toward girl-centric pairings (whether het or femslash or poly) and gen. That I have less interest in shows that don't have women or people of color (or women of color!). That I'm not especially fascinated with the slashability of white male leads from show to show, at least not any more than other pairings. I can't lie and say that my experiences with slash culture have nothing to do with this, but I can say that it's first and foremost a matter of what I like to see and read and squee about and expose myself to.
I can say that I have felt marginalized by slash culture (overall) and the tendency to ignore, disappear, or write off female characters as boring or unattractive or unworthy of their attention, not to mention the male lead's affections. That I am weary of the excuses I've seen for this. Others have written about those excuses more eloquently than I could and those are discussions that need to happen.
But, you know, I've also felt pretty marginalized by het fandoms that pit women against each other on the basis of attractiveness and personality and worthiness of the male lead's affections. I'm also weary of their excuses.
And I've been hurt by nearly every corner of fandom and its tendency to marginalize characters of color regardless of gender, even when they're main characters.
I don't know; basically I wish people would stop doing all of that shit. (That is not to say that everyone everywhere is doing that shit; if you are not in fact doing it, you are not who I'm talking about. I'm not sure the existence of these problems is particularly debatable, I'm just saying.)
So no, I don't feel comfortable with some of the discussions out there insinuating that there's a genre that is better or worse, or more worthwhile - not even the genres that have more of the things I want to read. I've run up against fail everywhere. All I can do is tailor my fannish experience the best way I can to avoid running into things that make me ragey. Make icons and picspams. Write, read, and rec the things I wish there were more of. ("Be the audience I wish to see in the world".)
And while I'm here, I wish people wouldn't rank the importance of these stories, or prioritize their need to be told. There's room for everything. It's not written anywhere that we need stories about two male heroes kissing more than we need stories about brown girls who become Queen of England -- or vice versa. I think "oppression olympics" are a myth. I want it all: I want lesbians who are not evil, women of color who are loved and recognized for their beauty rather than desexed and pushed to the background, women who save the world and all the men in it, men who love other men in a textual way, bisexual characters who actually exist. I want to see everything.
The way I see it, any time we get a story that is not the same old story, that's a victory. Whichever one you want to tell, good for you.
...But seriously, stop doing the shit I mentioned above.
That's all I really have to say about that.
ETA: I'm at work atm but will get to any replies asap; also, I am getting comment notifications late on LJ. But I see you!
no subject
The way I see it, any time we get a story that is not the same old story, that's a victory. Whichever one you want to tell, good for you.
Oh my god, yes, that, thank you. ;alsdja how are you so awesome??
no subject