Maeve of Winter (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
maeve_of_winter) wrote2017-01-04 11:07 am
maeve_of_winter) wrote2017-01-04 11:07 am
Entry tags:
"Could you please keep your gender essentialism away from my writing? Thanks."
Warning: rant ahead. I might come across as entitled or catty, but this is something that's been really frustrating me.
I'll be honest. I like writing fanfic, and I like getting feedback on my writing. I want to hear about the parts that worked for people and the parts they didn't. Parts that made them like the characters and the parts that made them dislike the characters. The good and the bad. The negative and the positive.
But if there's one kind of fic feedback I can't stand, it's the kind that criticizes any instance of male or female characters pushing beyond stereotypical gender roles and directs me to reinforce those roles, or the kind that imposes gender roles on fic where those roles weren't meant to be present.
Some examples and rebuttals of the former:
"Your story has [teenage male characters] hanging out at a shopping mall. Would teen boys really do this? It seems like more of an activity for teenage girls."
First of all, even going with the idea that no teenage boy ever wanted to go to a shopping, it's established that they live in a boring small town with little else to do, and neither of them have driver's licenses. It's not like they have a whole lot of other options.
Secondly, since when is the mall not a place where teenage boys would go to hang out? Am I just hallucinating when I go to the mall and see it crawling with teenagers of all genders?
"Would [female character] really like to play [specific video game]? It seems like such a masculine hobby for her."
Even setting aside the utter stupidity of "such a masculine hobby that no women would ever want to participate, this female character was continually presented by canon as a tomboy. There's really no reason why she couldn't enjoy that video game. Knowing her canon personality, she'd probably be even more encouraged to play it once someone tried to tell her that video games "r 4 da boyz" and she shouldn't play because she's ~just a girl~.
"Why is [teenage male character] paying such close attention to what [adult female character] is wearing? Surely he's not romantically interested in her, and no man ever pays such close attention to womens' clothing."
Because this male character 1) canonically has a criminal past, 2) is often written in fanfiction to be participating in criminal activity in the past to follow canon. Is it really that hard to make the connection that the male character is used to evaluating people as potential targets for pickpocketing or purse/wallet-snatching? And 3) I make a point of consistently saying that the character is always observing everyone around him as a potential threat. Could you maybe infer that he's still trying to figure out if someone is undercover law enforcement or not?
"Why does [teenage male character] have so many shoes? A teenage girl might have that many, but not a guy."
I got this comment a couple of times in regard to one passage in one of my stories, and it never fails to make me roll my eyes. The character in question was a high school student who works as an assistant gamekeeper in an area with a bunch of different terrain (mountains, marshland, forest), in an Eastern state with all four season, and lives in the woods. He's also implied to be athletic
So, I had him with a few pairs of sneakers, several different pairs of workboots (for different weather and conditions), and two pairs of dress shoes (one black, one brown). This amount apparently shattered the willing suspension of disbelief for some of my readers, because everyone acted as though he had an entire Designer Shoe Warehouse stuffed into his closet. Because we all know teenage boys live like Buddhist monks and never collect material possessions, right?
Admittedly, my perspective on this issue is likely biased. My family has always been super athletic and outdoorsy, and all of us had numerous pairs of sneakers, hiking boots, snow boots, etc. My dad and brothers are seriously into running, and they're always trying out new sneakers.
Still, though. If the guy is working on a game preserve, I don't think it's unlikely he'll have at least ten pairs of shoes.
To anyone who leaves these types of comments: you might notice that if you take a moment to think about these "problems" in relation to the characters, the "problems" suddenly make sense and a re no longer an issue with a moment's consideration. That's because there are a lot of characters in many canons (though not all), and also because traditional gender roles fall apart just by critically examining them.
Sure, modern society socializes people to believe in gender roles and to act accordingly to them, to strive to fill them. But that does not mean no one can ever break away from them, nor does it mean no one will ever find gender roles stupid or ridiculous and want to go against them.
To touch on the former--the kind of feedback that imposes gender roles on fic where those roles weren't meant to be present--I sometimes get comments that perpetuate the idea that men and women can never act in a way that doesn't present them stereotypically. For instance, when I wrote a fic about a teenage girl reflecting on her screwed up family and deciding she doesn't want children, I received the following remark: "What kind of woman doesn't want kids? I'm sure [female character] will change her mind." Because God forbid a woman not want a family. Or when I wrote about a teenage male character struggling with his trauma and the chaos in his life but feeling too self-conscious to tell anyone: "I can just tell [male character] is struggling to maintain his tough guy image! He's too macho to show weakness!"
The latter comment really made me angry. First of all, it's not about masculinity. Newsflash, I know! But it's about the character being stuck in a bad situation for such a long time that learned helplessness has prevented him from going to anyone for help. Way to totally miss the point of what I was trying to write.
Secondly, I know a lot of people who have problems with self-worth or anxiety or more severe issues, but don't want to tell anyone because they feel like their problems aren't important enough to warrant attention or concern, or because they're scared of others' reactions. Barging in and saying, "It's an issue about masculinity!" is such an ignorant remark to make when people have to keep silent about their mental health issues to avoid having them invalidated. It's not about masculinity; it's about a culture that treats mental illness or trauma like a deep source of shame.
I know some of this rant might seem bratty, like people aren't commenting on my fanfic in the right way. But sometimes I really wish people could check their gender essentialism at the door and let me tell a story that exists beyond the 1950's.
*deep breath* Okay, rant over.
I'll be honest. I like writing fanfic, and I like getting feedback on my writing. I want to hear about the parts that worked for people and the parts they didn't. Parts that made them like the characters and the parts that made them dislike the characters. The good and the bad. The negative and the positive.
But if there's one kind of fic feedback I can't stand, it's the kind that criticizes any instance of male or female characters pushing beyond stereotypical gender roles and directs me to reinforce those roles, or the kind that imposes gender roles on fic where those roles weren't meant to be present.
Some examples and rebuttals of the former:
"Your story has [teenage male characters] hanging out at a shopping mall. Would teen boys really do this? It seems like more of an activity for teenage girls."
First of all, even going with the idea that no teenage boy ever wanted to go to a shopping, it's established that they live in a boring small town with little else to do, and neither of them have driver's licenses. It's not like they have a whole lot of other options.
Secondly, since when is the mall not a place where teenage boys would go to hang out? Am I just hallucinating when I go to the mall and see it crawling with teenagers of all genders?
"Would [female character] really like to play [specific video game]? It seems like such a masculine hobby for her."
Even setting aside the utter stupidity of "such a masculine hobby that no women would ever want to participate, this female character was continually presented by canon as a tomboy. There's really no reason why she couldn't enjoy that video game. Knowing her canon personality, she'd probably be even more encouraged to play it once someone tried to tell her that video games "r 4 da boyz" and she shouldn't play because she's ~just a girl~.
"Why is [teenage male character] paying such close attention to what [adult female character] is wearing? Surely he's not romantically interested in her, and no man ever pays such close attention to womens' clothing."
Because this male character 1) canonically has a criminal past, 2) is often written in fanfiction to be participating in criminal activity in the past to follow canon. Is it really that hard to make the connection that the male character is used to evaluating people as potential targets for pickpocketing or purse/wallet-snatching? And 3) I make a point of consistently saying that the character is always observing everyone around him as a potential threat. Could you maybe infer that he's still trying to figure out if someone is undercover law enforcement or not?
"Why does [teenage male character] have so many shoes? A teenage girl might have that many, but not a guy."
I got this comment a couple of times in regard to one passage in one of my stories, and it never fails to make me roll my eyes. The character in question was a high school student who works as an assistant gamekeeper in an area with a bunch of different terrain (mountains, marshland, forest), in an Eastern state with all four season, and lives in the woods. He's also implied to be athletic
So, I had him with a few pairs of sneakers, several different pairs of workboots (for different weather and conditions), and two pairs of dress shoes (one black, one brown). This amount apparently shattered the willing suspension of disbelief for some of my readers, because everyone acted as though he had an entire Designer Shoe Warehouse stuffed into his closet. Because we all know teenage boys live like Buddhist monks and never collect material possessions, right?
Admittedly, my perspective on this issue is likely biased. My family has always been super athletic and outdoorsy, and all of us had numerous pairs of sneakers, hiking boots, snow boots, etc. My dad and brothers are seriously into running, and they're always trying out new sneakers.
Still, though. If the guy is working on a game preserve, I don't think it's unlikely he'll have at least ten pairs of shoes.
To anyone who leaves these types of comments: you might notice that if you take a moment to think about these "problems" in relation to the characters, the "problems" suddenly make sense and a re no longer an issue with a moment's consideration. That's because there are a lot of characters in many canons (though not all), and also because traditional gender roles fall apart just by critically examining them.
Sure, modern society socializes people to believe in gender roles and to act accordingly to them, to strive to fill them. But that does not mean no one can ever break away from them, nor does it mean no one will ever find gender roles stupid or ridiculous and want to go against them.
To touch on the former--the kind of feedback that imposes gender roles on fic where those roles weren't meant to be present--I sometimes get comments that perpetuate the idea that men and women can never act in a way that doesn't present them stereotypically. For instance, when I wrote a fic about a teenage girl reflecting on her screwed up family and deciding she doesn't want children, I received the following remark: "What kind of woman doesn't want kids? I'm sure [female character] will change her mind." Because God forbid a woman not want a family. Or when I wrote about a teenage male character struggling with his trauma and the chaos in his life but feeling too self-conscious to tell anyone: "I can just tell [male character] is struggling to maintain his tough guy image! He's too macho to show weakness!"
The latter comment really made me angry. First of all, it's not about masculinity. Newsflash, I know! But it's about the character being stuck in a bad situation for such a long time that learned helplessness has prevented him from going to anyone for help. Way to totally miss the point of what I was trying to write.
Secondly, I know a lot of people who have problems with self-worth or anxiety or more severe issues, but don't want to tell anyone because they feel like their problems aren't important enough to warrant attention or concern, or because they're scared of others' reactions. Barging in and saying, "It's an issue about masculinity!" is such an ignorant remark to make when people have to keep silent about their mental health issues to avoid having them invalidated. It's not about masculinity; it's about a culture that treats mental illness or trauma like a deep source of shame.
I know some of this rant might seem bratty, like people aren't commenting on my fanfic in the right way. But sometimes I really wish people could check their gender essentialism at the door and let me tell a story that exists beyond the 1950's.
*deep breath* Okay, rant over.