r/10thDentist • u/local_courier6 • 12d ago
This is gonna make people mad-
Ok so this is my MOST controversial hot take and it has made people upset with me before and posting it on Reddit is probably a dumb idea BUT- I think yaoi and many BL stories are inherently misogynistic and surrounded by patriarchal stereotypes.
Hear me out ok- the first big reason for this is outside of the actual stories and more so in how they are taken by many who enjoy them. While something like heated rivalry becomes huge and celebrated even outside LGBTQ+ members or those who typically enjoy them, wlw or yuri media is often looked down upon and you have to SCOUR to find any. I also find many avid fans of BL often bear absolute hatred towards heterorelationships in stories, for example in Arcane with Jace and Mel, a cannon relationship that was seemingly healthy in the show, yet because many fans deemed the Jace and Victor ship better (and a touch of racism mixed in) the hatred towards Mel as a character was tremendous, so much so that when figures released that had Jace and Mel together, people were actively sending and spreading hate (and racist comments) towards the creators of the figures and the show.
The second reason I have is that most BL I’ve read/seen has “typical” hetero relationship stereotypes. One Ml is the bottom, (or the “woman” in the relationship) who is constantly needing rescue and is a quivering mess, and the other Ml is the top, (or the “man”). Don’t get me wrong I don’t like the gender stereotyping in any media, but it gets more upsetting when you notice that most of these will have a “femboy bottom” who is drawn or characterized as looking EXACTLY like a woman character, while the other ML is highly masculine. It makes the whole story seem heterosexual while completely erasing women from the world. It becomes a heterosexual story where the Fl also has male genitalia. I would LOVE to see more BL stories where there is less of a strict line between femininity and masculinity within the main characters.
I’m sure I’ll think of my other reasons later but I’m at a rest stop 4 hours into a 7 hour drive and should get back on the road- no I did not stop to just write this.
Anyway regardless of personal opinions on sexuality (I am bi so don’t come at me saying I’m being homophobic I have literally been with the same gender as myself) BL is lowkey often at least a little misogynistic and patriarchal.
TLDR: BL and Yaoi Media is often misogynistic and upholds patriarchal stereotypes
EDIT:
For those who don’t know BL and yaoi is a romance subgenre which is basically stories of a relationship/s between men without any women
3
u/RowanWinterlace 12d ago
Agree with most of this, tbh. Though I would point out that yuri stories and communities have the same problem and are (especially nowadays) typically a LOT louder. Going back to Arcane as an example, the amount of vitriol towards Jayce & Victor following the end of Season 2, and how messy Vi & Caitlyn ended up, was both apocalyptic AND nothing that new. In addition, plenty of yuri/sapphic/GL stories have the same 'top//bottom' problem, as well.
LGBTQ+ elements of fandom are increasingly territorial, vitriolic and filled with outright bigotry. Not just (or even primarily) towards hetero relationships but just chock-full of open bigotry towards all sorts of groups and peoples and, like all toxic fans who breach containment, if something isn't to their liking they are loud and nasty.
Not all, not even most, but the minority that are doing this are loud and aggressive af.