"I wish my life was like this": Queer identity work in BL fandom.
The genre of homoerotica called BL (also known as yaoi) was created and rose to popularity among Japanese women but has since amassed an increasingly diversified audience. To understand the sociological significance of BL/yaoi in the lives of queer men living in North America and Europe, I conducted...
| Published in: | Transformative Works & Cultures Vol. 46; pp. 1 - 2 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Organization for Transformative Works - Karen Hellekson
2025
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hlh&AN=189878833&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: hlh uiTerm: 189878833 longDbName: Humanities International Complete uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 19412258 6BE4 jtl: Transformative Works & Cultures issn: 19412258 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: 2025 vid: 46 pid: 44624 pub: Organization for Transformative Works - Karen Hellekson artinfo: ui: 189878833 10.3983/twc.2025.2743 ppf: 1 ppct: 1 formats: fmt: @attributes: type: T tig: atl: "I wish my life was like this": Queer identity work in BL fandom. aug: au: Joyce, Caitlin affil: Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States su: LGBTQ+ identity Boys' love (Genre) Erotica Masculinity Participant observation Fan clubs LGBTQ+ culture sug: subj: LGBTQ+ identity Boys' love (Genre) Erotica Masculinity Participant observation Fan clubs LGBTQ+ culture keyword: Boys' love Heteronormativity Homoerotica Qualitative interview Virtual ethnography ab: The genre of homoerotica called BL (also known as yaoi) was created and rose to popularity among Japanese women but has since amassed an increasingly diversified audience. To understand the sociological significance of BL/yaoi in the lives of queer men living in North America and Europe, I conducted a virtual ethnography within a BL/yaoi-centric Discord server I refer to as the Yaoi Association and held interviews with individual server members. Drawing upon feminist theory, I analyze how queer men make meaning of the genre and the digital fan communities they inhabit. Interviewees often connected their experiences in BL/yaoi fandom to their journey of sexual self-discovery, as the media provided a sense of escapism and freedom, especially for those who were not open about their queer identities in their offline lives. BL/yaoi media symbolically represented a challenge to the confinements of hegemonic masculinity, depicting an alternative masculinity that is queer and emotionally vulnerable. The fan server exists not only as a place to share BL/yaoi content but as a platform for members to find an accepting community and explore their identities. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: Y custom: Copyright of Transformative Works & Cultures is the property of Organization for Transformative Works - Karen Hellekson and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. item: Transformative Works & Cultures holder: Organization for Transformative Works - Karen Hellekson dt: @attributes: year: 2025 holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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