misogyny, heated rivalry, & the complicated process of having an opinion
i've been seeing the discourse on misogyny in fandom spaces (particularly in m/m shipping), and it bled into whether or not heated rivalry is misogynistic fundamentally because of "how it treats women"
and this has led me to really sit down and reflect on what parts are subjected to my own criticism, and which feel null to the conversation
there's is no question women don't get enough stories. that there's a major distinction in marketing something for all and then something for women. that barely any slash works in fandom with women can compare to the monstrous numerical amount of m/m works. that these patterns have begun informing whether the role of the woman should begin to interfere with the story (subjecting her to the backlash of being angry, of being bitter, of being out of control and unlikable) or taking strides in the story (posing her as a storytelling device or 'taking away' the focus of m/m) or have the woman take a backseat for the better flow of the plot (fujoshing out or whatever the fuck they're calling it, basically letting go of complexity or conflict in order to not disrupt the story). these examples are abt m/m stories, because if we talked about a placing that put women in any sort of relational possibility, we can go into making her a "white lamb," a "sexual resource," or quite simply, a "reward"
now, i don't think i slack on pointing out shows' weakness in how they write women. partly because im a woman, partly because i grew up surrounded by badass, highly educated, highly successful women who prove new things to me every day, and mostly because i have a strong grasp in my roots with feminism, intersectionality, and the ability to find them in everything
heated rivalry, i think, cannot fit the bill of considerations for the show to be whole heartedly graded for its ability to write women. i think Yuna is a good, strong-headed mother with a clear character voice. i think Svetlana has a complex and muddled air around her, much like the majority of Ilya's life and character backstory. i think Rose is a story device to explore Shane's sexuality, which portrays a very true and painful reality for people that are dealing with internalized homophobia in trying to fit themselves in.
could these women have rage? could these women have different, more angry, or more sad, or more joyous reactions? is the true criticism not about the emotion, but the active verb of not having a bigger weigh in the story?
i think it's good to point out Svetlana had every reason to be more active, if not for the fact that Ilya appears in an emotional state (through the majority of the series) that has him incapable of being open with his interactions with anyone, including himself. Shane doesn't talk to his mother because that requires him to come out, which makes a wall against vulnerability. Rose is the first person Shane comes out, and is the first person to offer explicit kindness to him as a fully-officially-out-loud gay man. so all of these women are present and character developed and play a role in the story, but are unable to offer bigger roles (like all other characters) because of Hollanov's inability and refusal to open up
so in this case, structurally, and in regards to the inner struggles of the main characters and the arc of the plot of the first book/season, i find myself at a loss in what exactly was done wrong. and i don't just mean the fact that "it's not on the page." i think oftentimes, we get stuck on saying what we could change within the pages, when really, authors and directors have creative freedoms. they chose that arc, they chose those characters, they chose those decisions and settings and situations. what i mean here is, what could have really been useful in a female character's role and weight in the story, that didn't radically change the biggest aspect that stopped and then allowed Hollanov's relationship?
i couldn't find any. there weren't crazy mistakes done by women. and i think, you know, these women are empathic towards these men they have great affection for. and in this case, i think the reactions fit themselves as good enough?? like, do i think heated rivalry has a strong female character?? no. but also it's a romance, and both leads are men because it's an m/m romance. i could say they're well voiced, well developed, and i think importantly, fairly interesting. i, at least, cared about them more that hayden pike (though i love him anyway, no hate pike)
i dont mean to say that this isn't a very real, very necessary conversation over our expectations from creators (in producing or writing or fandom spaces in general). i can admit that in fandom, i dont really engage with f/f shipping, despite being a queer woman. in private, i write female queer love stories. i write poetry to women. i had a very sad valentine's day because i'm going through that best-friend-but-maybe heartbreak. and yet, in outside spaces, i appear to be a yaoi driven freak. i'd like to do more auto-reflecting on that, and i think it's good to question myself over these positions. but in the few rage posts i've seen over hr, i think i'm going to say to this unprompted vent to the void the following — yeah, i don't agree with that one
now, i want to end my lil set of thoughts with another case study i think would be really interesting to me. i've been watching Hannibal with a friend and while i adore him and the show, the women are so terribly written that i crash out. the first three episodes of season 1 were basically me ripping it apart every two minutes. and yet, i find the show charming and WEIRD and very very gay. this, i think, makes for a much more interesting conversation about the limitations "queer" when observing the attributes that are undermined by its misogyny. hannigram continues to be one of the top ships here on tumblr (I CAN'T WAIT TO FINISH S3 AND DIVE INTO FANFICS) and i think that's a good place to continue my reflection lmao
so in conclusion, think critically, question yourself, and above everything else, remember your pride. proud to be queer. proud to be a feminist. proud to give a fuck. okay im going to bed it's 4am!!
jacobvanloon
tangentwithtanner
amandla
pixelskylines
kianamaiart
izzy806
snowghoul
