Delurking to add my 2 cents in. Your Cesca fic was my introduction to footiefic, and while footie will never be one of my primary fandoms, it has still provided some absolute gems. Shihadchick had a post at http://shihadchick.livejournal.com/1603762.html#cutid1 wherein fandom and misogyny were discussed. I don't know if you've seen it, but it definitely raises some good points. There is definitely misogyny at work in fandom, and as you point out that is inevitable, because it is still entrenched in society. It is an absolute shame.
I'll be honest: I read your post and I had to take a step back and wait before I actually posted a response. After rereading and reconsidering, I was definitely taking my negative reaction to your fandom trajectory speculation and applying it to the rest of the post. I can only speak from my fannish experience, which does not follow anything of the sort you describe. I still feel that you've taken a rather patronizing tone concerning fandom, fic, and women within, but not nearly as much as I first thought. I just can't agree with the premise that if you do not like/read het fic you have not matured to the enlightened stage of fandom and are forever stuck with hiding your head in the sand to avoid thinking about the misogyny built into society. I think it is a lot more accurate to talk about the misogyny of the source material rather than speculate about the internalized misogyny of the fic authors and readers. I don't think its right or fair to generalize that someone who writes and reads slash fic, and only slash fic, is either misogynistic or dealing with internalized misogyny, whether he or she is aware of it or not. For some, it may well be about misogyny; but for others, it's a draw to those two male characters (sometimes its femslash and women, but its usually male). Part of the problem that I see is that more of the interesting, well rounded characters I see on tv and in the media are male while the women are more likely to be static and one-dimensional, and less interesting for me to think about and want to read about. It's great when authors take those one-dimensional women and make them more well rounded and more interesting. There are some awesome fics that do that. But fix it fics like that also take a great deal of extra work, on top of the work that goes into writing fic. I don't see it as misogyny for authors to love male centric shows and write about the men. It's societal misogyny, not individual.
I am a character person in fandom, by which I mean I fall in love with a character, and then seek out all the fic I can find about the character. I first started reading slash fic when I ran out of Harry Potter centric gen and het fic that fit the parameters I wanted to read (aka long and plotty). Now, in some fandoms I read primarily slash. Others I stick to het. In both cases, the fic I read tends to stem from my interactions with the source canon rather than an attachment to male or female genitalia.
no subject
I'll be honest: I read your post and I had to take a step back and wait before I actually posted a response. After rereading and reconsidering, I was definitely taking my negative reaction to your fandom trajectory speculation and applying it to the rest of the post. I can only speak from my fannish experience, which does not follow anything of the sort you describe. I still feel that you've taken a rather patronizing tone concerning fandom, fic, and women within, but not nearly as much as I first thought. I just can't agree with the premise that if you do not like/read het fic you have not matured to the enlightened stage of fandom and are forever stuck with hiding your head in the sand to avoid thinking about the misogyny built into society. I think it is a lot more accurate to talk about the misogyny of the source material rather than speculate about the internalized misogyny of the fic authors and readers. I don't think its right or fair to generalize that someone who writes and reads slash fic, and only slash fic, is either misogynistic or dealing with internalized misogyny, whether he or she is aware of it or not. For some, it may well be about misogyny; but for others, it's a draw to those two male characters (sometimes its femslash and women, but its usually male). Part of the problem that I see is that more of the interesting, well rounded characters I see on tv and in the media are male while the women are more likely to be static and one-dimensional, and less interesting for me to think about and want to read about. It's great when authors take those one-dimensional women and make them more well rounded and more interesting. There are some awesome fics that do that. But fix it fics like that also take a great deal of extra work, on top of the work that goes into writing fic. I don't see it as misogyny for authors to love male centric shows and write about the men. It's societal misogyny, not individual.
I am a character person in fandom, by which I mean I fall in love with a character, and then seek out all the fic I can find about the character. I first started reading slash fic when I ran out of Harry Potter centric gen and het fic that fit the parameters I wanted to read (aka long and plotty). Now, in some fandoms I read primarily slash. Others I stick to het. In both cases, the fic I read tends to stem from my interactions with the source canon rather than an attachment to male or female genitalia.