Written by Claire 2022 Cohort
Last week I read my classmate Han’s JE, Why is the BL popular? I highly agree with her points of the massive portion of the appeal for many women like BL novels, also I would like to give my own opinions about why BL novel is not as famous as before.
The impact of feminism
In East Asian countries, there is rising awareness and focus on feminist values. In my opinion, it is because of the internet. Social media lets people post their personal life and more knowledge about women in general. Meanwhile, the cost of fertility and women’s reflections on marriage has spread quickly on social platforms. Many women have started thinking and reflecting on sexual relationships; before that, the #MeToo Movement in the Western country significantly impacted East Asian women.
The characters’ personality is somewhat of women
Women start reflecting on whether the BL represents misogynistic/patriarchal values, which have historically meant prejudice against women. Previously, BL was progress compared to traditional romance. Women authors focused on the sexual traits of their male characters, giving them beautiful appearances, vulnerable personalities, and sympathy for the weak. However, these personality traits were somewhat feminine and used the same dating pattern as women, which was hard to make sense of.
Female characters are always invisible
Secondly, there is no representation of female characters in BL; they usually don’t impress the readers. The women authors give the male characters diverse personalities and draw much attention but ignore their feminine counterparts. Therefore, BL is the product of the male gaze.
Adapted from the BL novels into television will benefit the male actors, which women authors bring. To gain more income, the company will push more men into the public eye, further squeezing the space of female actresses.
The BL is no longer as popular as before, mainly because of the development in thinking and adopted feminist ideas. I wish women authors could write their own stories about women.