I'm trying not to only write blog posts when I'm angry about things that happen on the Internet, but I can't help it. I usually need inspiration, and this new "article" on Teen basically did it for me. If you don't want to read it, basically the lady who wrote it wrote about "Nasty AF Teen Wolf Fans" who wrote slash fic.
Now, for the non fanfiction readers/writers out there - (and seriously, how have you not read fanfic before?) - slash fic is basically a story where the characters are queer and most likely have sex. In the stories this woman spoke about, the dude characters were loving on each other.
I have so many problems with this.
1) Why the hells was this woman snooping through fanfiction? She obviously has the right to look, if she wants, but the fact that she then went and wrote an article "exposing the nastiness" is just so weird to me. It's probably because fanfiction feels like a safe space, at least for teenagers. I feel comfortable saying that because I know so many teens who love writing fic, have made friends through it, etc. I started seriously writing because of the comments I received while writing fanfiction.
I don't know how I would've reacted if someone did this to me. I'm already angry that this lady used other writing for this article.
2) It's not like the stories were about the actors: I've seen people write fanfic stories about real life actors, speculating what's going on in their sex lives. I think it's really weird and invasive. But...the stories included in this Teen article were about fictional characters.
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like once characters are tossed out into the world, there's a part of them that belongs to the fans. It's like a weird custody agreement - the creators get them half of the time, and the fans get them the other half.
3) WHY DID SHE PICK THE GAY FANFICS? For some reason, I can't imagine that the author of this piece would've had the same reaction if she stumbled across heterosexual sex in fanfiction. She picked the slash fic - the gay fic. She's labeling stories about gay characters as wrong. Actually, she's labeling them as "nasty AF," but you know.
That alone is enough to make me want to drop kick someone.
That alone is enough to make me want to drop kick someone.
4) THE SHAMEEEEEE: When it comes down to it, teen girls are shamed for whatever they do. We're shamed for liking boy bands, or regular bands ("omg why are you wearing a Nirvana shirt do you even know what that is???"). We're shamed for the shows we like and the movies we watch and the books we read. No matter what teen girls do, we're screwed.
Fan culture is a really cool thing, sometimes. Tumblr and AO3 can spark friendships or goals, but can just be regular release from life. Fanfiction is an escape, like books or movies. The difference is that girls get to control what they consume with fanfiction, and there's actually diversity.
The fact that teen girls write slash fic isn't a big deal to me. If anything, it helps them express their sexuality in a way that isn't hurting anyone. Writing about two fictional characters making out (or - gasp - having sex) isn't hurting anyone. But shaming girls for doing this can hurt girls.
Just like shaming us for everything else can.
Fan culture is a really cool thing, sometimes. Tumblr and AO3 can spark friendships or goals, but can just be regular release from life. Fanfiction is an escape, like books or movies. The difference is that girls get to control what they consume with fanfiction, and there's actually diversity.
The fact that teen girls write slash fic isn't a big deal to me. If anything, it helps them express their sexuality in a way that isn't hurting anyone. Writing about two fictional characters making out (or - gasp - having sex) isn't hurting anyone. But shaming girls for doing this can hurt girls.
Just like shaming us for everything else can.
xoxo,
Camryn
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