Loving Boys Twice as Much: Chinese Women’s Paradoxical Fandom of “Boys’ Love” Fiction

Abstract

This study examines how young female Chinese fans negotiate gender, sexuality, and identity through their readings of Chinese boys’ love (BL) fiction. BL fiction, or danmei in Chinese, is a romantic fiction genre featuring same-sex relationships between two men. I argue that BL fandom facilitates a gendered politics of looking that empowers female readers to turn a voyeuristic gaze upon men. This subversive gaze allows fans to play with patriarchal gender constructions, provides escapism, and creates aesthetics that offer an alternative to clichéd heterosexual romantic storytelling. Because of their shared interests and practices, a distinctive BL online subculture has formed. Within this subculture, fans also demonstrate a diverse, fluid, and individualistic identification with BL. BL fandom also shapes these young women’s perceptions of same-sex love while disavowing their heterosexual privileges. Indeed, fans seem to appropriate the marginalized BL stories to express their own desires for idealized heterosexual relationships.