They could be out of context, but this thread of bashing women is consistent through the whole article. This isn't the first time I've seen female authors of m/m and slash fan fiction say things like this. :(
I used to feel this way, and then I started getting older and wiser. It's easy to see where this can start from, we're taught to believe that women are the competition from a young age, and for anyone who was like me--an overweight, glasses-wearing geek who was severely bullied--it can take a lot of time not to see other women as the enemy. But I learned, and my writing is a lot better for it.
Also I find the assumption that men can't be in an unequal relationship to be, at the very least, awkward. It seems to predicate itself on the idea that men never end up in abusive relationships or relationships where there's a power imbalance, and that's...not even actually possible?
I agree, on this unrealistic view of men's relationships. There are many men in the gay community who are not treated equally. There are a lot of books and documentaries about how gay men struggle because of how homophobia is so intwined with toxic masculinity. There's abusive relationships, rape and racism in the gay community too.
These ignorant, stereotypes about the "nirvana" of masculine love are the reasons a lot of m/m doesn't appeal to me. Because they seem less about portraying realistic gay relationships and more about worshiping masculinity. :/
True. I wish there was a transcript of the who conversations. What bothers me is these aren't new attitudes in this genre. I've heard many of the same kinds of comments from other female m/m romance/slash fan fiction authors.
I also wonder in what context these comments wouldn't be problematic. Guess we'll never know unless AAR releases more details.
As I said above, I'd like to know in what context these comments could be taken positively.
As for the very real issues of "bitchy" women, aka sexist stereotypes about women, in romantic fiction. I don't see how sexism against women is going to be fixed by only writing about men.
Also I find the assumption that men can't be in an unequal relationship to be, at the very least, awkward. It seems to predicate itself on the idea that men never end up in abusive relationships or relationships where there's a power imbalance, and that's...not even actually possible?
I agree, on this unrealistic view of men's relationships. There are many men in the gay community who are not treated equally. There are a lot of books and documentaries about how gay men struggle because of how homophobia is so intwined with toxic masculinity. There's abusive relationships, rape and racism in the gay community too.
These ignorant, stereotypes about the "nirvana" of masculine love are the reasons a lot of m/m doesn't appeal to me. Because they seem less about portraying realistic gay relationships and more about worshiping masculinity. :/
I also wonder in what context these comments wouldn't be problematic. Guess we'll never know unless AAR releases more details.
As for the very real issues of "bitchy" women, aka sexist stereotypes about women, in romantic fiction. I don't see how sexism against women is going to be fixed by only writing about men.