Well, really, we’re NOT unheard of.
Granted, some folks don’t know of the word “whump” and don’t know about our happy and pleasant little community here on Tumblr…
But the things we like are absolutely NOT a secret enjoyment. Hollywood already knows that people like seeing the kinds of things we like - to varying degrees. In fact, Hollywood already knows and assumes people enjoy seeing much worse things than what we like. It’s why “torture porn” is a well-established subgenre of horror, as well as why more and more mainstream action television shows and films are including graphic scenes of outright torture.
Now, what we like… isn’t even as controversial or graphic as that. Most of us don’t like graphic scenes of gore and literal torture, and we almost unanimously don’t like the deaths that follow such scenes in most horror flicks. By most accounts, our interests are far tamer than that - and more in line with men who enjoy seeing women in scenes of peril.
And that, as well, has been around forever and is basically considered more-or-less acceptable. Sure, there are some people who take fiction a little too seriously and try to equate such interests with misogyny (which all whumpers should fully understand is an erroneous assumption, since we all know first hand that our own love of whump has nothing to do with misandry), but it’s generally considered an acceptable interest, although admittedly one that’s more often than not considered sexual in nature.
And I think therein lies the conundrum. Both “torture porn” and “damsels in distress” are long-standing areas of interest that are more or less acknowledged (and largely accepted) by society… yet we whumpers still feel like OUR interest in whump is somehow scandalous and unacceptable. Partly, this is just the very human tendency to amplify your own “faults” and differences whilst downplaying others’. But the issue is also partly based on sexuality and gender issues.
Statistically speaking, most “torture porn” and “damsels in distress” fans are straight men. And we all know, like it or not: straight men have more or less ruled the roost for centuries now. You can look at literally any form of media the world over and see how the likes and dislikes of straight men have shaped its very existence. Comic books and video games are extreme examples, but the same influence has also shaped the movies and television shows we watch. Yes, things are starting to change, but we’re still living in a world largely shaped by the influences of past decades - decades that were far less focused on equality in entertainment than we are now.
When we look at whump with this in mind… We can’t help but see that the only real difference between whump and its torture porn / damsel in distress counterparts is that whumpers are, statistically speaking, women. And therein lies the problem. Society has always told us that women are supposed to be the gentler, more nurturing gender. Movies and television shows have long been gender-coded to present action, adventure and all the things that whumpers like as being entertainment for men.
So when a man who likes the same kind of content as we do tunes into a show “for men” he’s going to see a lot of the blood, gore and women in peril that he wants to see. It’s not even something he has to join a community on Tumblr to appreciate. It’s just right there for him, always has been for decades, and his interest in it is more or less assumed to be present. In fact, men who express a dislike for this kind of content have often been called “pussies” or otherwise had their very masculinity questioned for not fitting the status quo.
But for women, we have the opposite problem. Yes, times are changing, but not fast enough to erase the fact that our interests would’ve certainly been considered “unladylike” and maybe even psychologically suspect by society for decades centuries forever. While men have had pulp fiction and tv shows and films made to cater to their interests… women with equivalent interests would’ve been shuffled off to an institution faster than you can say “hurt/comfort”.
I sincerely believe that what some whumpers struggle with is not that our interest would be questionable for anyone to have… but that, for centuries, it has been implied that such interests are questionable for women to have. I also believe that realizing and understanding this tendency in ourselves can help us not only come to accept our own interests - but see that the very act of accepting them in ourselves and others is actually an important step to take in society’s march toward true equality of the sexes. While we live in a world that regularly provides both mainstream and specialized content catering to straight men who like to see torture and/or women in peril, there is absolutely no reason why women who like torture and/or men in peril should have to hide in the alleys like lepers.
Hell, we’re practically entitled to this shit. I’m about five minutes away from starting a freaking social movement here, guys.
WHAT DO WE WANT? WHUMP!
WHEN DO WE WANT IT? NOW!
WHO DO WE WANT? HOT MEN!
HOW DO WE WANT ‘EM? BLOODY!
