A lot of BL / Yaoi fans hate women, but why?

HGohwell 2020-12-09 05:14:05 UTC #61

Tbh you say that but I've read a lot of bara that's just as unrealistic and toxic played as romance as BL. Being the demographic you're writing about doesn't stop you writing toxic, messed up, unrealistic portrayals of something or all that toxic straight romance wouldn't be a thing either.

And also, hating women isn't just a BL thing. Look at any straight teen romance, or even lesbian romance. It all comes back to that "other girl" trope. Any other girl is a homewrecking slut who's popular and pretty and looking to steal the MC's love interest. It's just more obvious in BL because the MC that's generally a stand in for the reader is a boy not a girl.

BrambleberrySquirrel 2020-12-09 05:26:05 UTC #62

I haven’t encountered a lot of this in Bara I’ve read, but I’m sure it’s out there. It sounds like you’re making an important observation about the pitfalls of romance as a genre in general. Hopefully since this is a forum populated with creators people will take heed and try to change the landscape of these genres in their own small ways.

Comic.Kikikora 2020-12-09 06:39:03 UTC #63

I get jealous when i see my fav handsome character dating girls but i am ok if they are with boys

darthmongoose 2020-12-09 09:12:32 UTC #64

In my experience, this isn't just a BL problem. I see it a lot in Het romance stories with female main characters too. The only other woman in the story is this jealous, antagonistic force, or there are only two female characters outside the main heroine and one of them is pure evil and the other is sassy bff who is not conventionally pretty (ie. she's slightly chubby or wears kooky clothes) and therefore not seen as a competitor for the hot boy/s.

I think there is a lot of internalised misogyny in fiction. It can make it pretty hard to relate to as a queer woman. I'm just there like "wow, look at all these cool ladies, they all sure are uniquely attractive and interesting! ...wait, are they seriously fighting over this boring noodle-boy?"

YuJiaKweh 2020-12-09 09:32:56 UTC #65

Slightly related, real world issue. Dream, popular minecraft youtuber, his stans have recently been sending a lot of hate towards Rae a female youtuber just because she received merchandise from him.
There's just probably something going on within their lives which makes them like this.
Some perceived sense of love/knowing that person despite not actually having ever talked to them in person, simply because they see them on screen.
I think they hate women simply because they're "interfering" with their desired gay ship or whatever.

PlsDelMe 2020-12-09 14:46:18 UTC #66

Do you know why you think like this?

PlsDelMe 2020-12-09 14:47:22 UTC #67

Bechdel test? also, noodle boy lmao.

PlsDelMe 2020-12-09 14:50:46 UTC #68

That youtuber thing also happens with kpop idols, it's so weird, I guess some fans are delusional.

DiegoPalacios 2020-12-09 14:53:53 UTC #69

A noodle boy would be way more interesting than any generic male lead XD

Another problem on many romances (BL, straight or any other category).... is that the character's lives seem to revolve around getting in a relationship with the person they like or to give love advice to the main couple/s

The males are not immune either to be just there to be "love interests" and look pretty.

RoyalynDixon 2020-12-09 15:16:05 UTC #70

I have noticed for a long time now. Especially on female characters who have done nothing wrong. It kinda takes me back to how much hate readers sent towards that character who may not even have any interest in meddling with the relationship. There was one time, a female character was introduced in a cliffhanger and so many people were just hating and jumping to conclusions about how she will tear their ship apart.

The female character was revealed to be the sister of the LI.

And I also agree with a comment I saw earlier, it has to do a lot with the old manga tropes of, "Female character tries to steal away the MC/LI" thing. And there are those who still use that trope which just intensifies this "villainous female" image.

PlsDelMe 2020-12-09 17:11:29 UTC #71

My favorite is this: A female character was introduced in a cliffhanger, people jumped to conclusions, they started hating her, the top comment was "go die in a hole b1tch" and in the next chapter is revealed that she's a fujoshi, then people were like "oh, she's cool now" it's really sad.

rokudoku 2020-12-10 09:28:15 UTC #72

Most of BL authors (especially japan korea) potraying women as seme snatcher lmao, which is might be because most of them is not familiar with actual gay men and actual gay community. And since most of women in BL potrayed like that, naturally their readers hate them. Most of them potraying seme fcuking lots of women and then suddenly gay for main character didnt help either.

lucainarmand 2020-12-10 13:39:02 UTC #73

I think many BL creators tend to write newcomer women/girls to be solely as the obstacle to the couple. This trope is still done beyond death. Sadly, it has long become a principle of BL.

So if a BL ever deviates from this principle, it comes to a shock to readers, especially the young ones. I don't blame them for such principle etched into BL. It's just a cheap element to spice up the drama. They'll eventually get tired of it and learn to appreciate women characters more as they grow. So I won't think too much about it. We can only cool them down by replying to them diplomatically and nicely.

As for the adult haters, oh boy.

I had read one BL involving a girl trying to steal Boy A by blackmailing Boy B into staying away from boy A and if not, his secret as a gay guy will be out and he has to go through all sorts of repercussions in school and at home.

I commented, praising the girl for being cunning and evil instead of pretending to be nice. She might be insecure and has abandonment issues too. And then she grows out of being malicious and makes amends with the boys. Then this woman reader replied to me, "Don't ever give that b*tch credit," even after everyone has a happy ending.