To start off 2017, let’s take a look at where femslash is at right now. Here’s the current number of fics for the top ten pairings on AO3:
Note the complete lack of f/f pairings in the top ten. After clicking the f/f box, here are the stats:
So, um, yeah. The top “f/f” ship is Drarry, and only half the ships in the top ten are actually femslash pairings. Of all the fics in the HP fandom, only about 1/10 are femslash. So then we arrive at the question: why?
Common excuses reasons I hear for having so little femslash:
The protagonist is a guy, so it only makes sense that the top pairings include him. Yeah, true, but...they don’t. Seven pairings in the top ten don’t.
The fandom is full of straight girls fetishizing gay men. Fetishization is definitely a problem--in every fandom, not just HP. But it also isn’t a good reason for so little femslash. To start, generalizations like this are negative and damage fandom unity, pinning people against each other. Second, if the entire m/m category was fetishized smut for people to masturbate to, this might be the case. But...it’s not. There are thousands of meaningful, in-character m/m fics that people of every sexuality can enjoy, because fanfic isn’t just about sex (though that can be a major factor, and that’s okay, too!). It’s about reimagining canon and seeing your favorite characters face new situations and go on new adventures and fall in love and more. So if we can have non-fetishizing m/m fics, then we should be able to have f/f fics that meet the same criteria.
That stupid nonsense where people hate female characters that get in the way of m/m ships. Like??? Femslash solves this??? But so often it’s part of the reason there isn’t any. Think about it. Ginny doesn’t have to be the raging, jealous ex in the Harry/Draco equation. She can date Luna. Simple as that.
Femslash is never as well developed because the female characters are two-dimensional. Sure, female characters don’t interact with each other very often in Harry Potter, but in no way are they two-dimensional. Part of the magic of Harry Potter is that JKR develops even her side characters extraordinarily well. If that’s not being conveyed in f/f fanfic, then that’s our challenge--to bring JKR’s beautiful, dynamic characters to life.
Straight up sexism. There seems to be this idea that sex and relationships aren’t as meaningful or important if there isn’t a man involved. I don’t think this really needs an explanation--can we all agree that’s just...wrong? Cool? Cool.
Now that we’ve established the issue and rebutted the inhibitors of f/f pairings, let’s look at the reasons we should all contribute to the femslash revolution:
To get rid of the stereotype of objectification. Lots of the f/f out there is fetishized rubbish, and it gives sapphic women a bad name (remember when commotion with the lesbian tag? yeah me, too). By creating more realistic, meaningful femslash content, we can start changing those stereotypes and normalizing sapphic relationships. Yay!
vAriEty... Let’s make this simple. More pairings, more diversity, more fics, more content, more.
Equality, anyone? There’s so much sexism in the world without us contributing to it. Hermione wouldn’t stand for it. Ginny wouldn’t take this sitting down. (funny how those two expressions mean the same thing) Neither should the rest of us.
It’s awesome. Like seriously. Writing femslash. Reading femslash. Creating femslash art, aesthetics, headcanons. Viewing femslash art, aesthetics, headcanons. Amazing. 10/10. Would recommend.
Reminder: You don’t have to feel guilty for m/m pairings. My blog title is “Riddikulusly Drarry”--not going to judge. The purpose of this isn’t to keep you from shipping your otp. It’s to bring awareness to the lack of femslash and encourage the creation of more. We’re trying to lift f/f pairings up, not bring m/m down.
So...what now? We make it happen. Here are a few ways you can contribute:
Like and reblog this post to spread the word
Follow blogs supportive of or devoted to femslash (ie. @hpfemslashweek @femslasharmy @harrypotterfemslash @nymphadoravtonks and @ginnys to name a few) and reply with your personal favorites if ya like!
Read some femslash. Either you’ll be lucky and find some of the beautiful gems out there, or you’ll see why we need a revolution. Win-win.
Support creators of original femslash content by liking, reblogging, and following
Create your own femslash content! Write a fic. Draw some fanart. Make an aesthetic or a photo manip. Create headcanons or write a chat between characters. Write and record a song. Note: I track the tag #owlswithfins and I’d be happy to reblog any original content you create. Submissions are also open if your blog isn’t HP oriented.
It’s a new year, and we have the opportunity to make a difference. Like, reblog, and start femslashing it up!
