Hold on, folks.
Maybe it’s time for me to take back everything I’ve ever said about “the rape culture.”
Like, how it’s slightly deranged to suggest that any modern liberal society has one.
Because, really, what else do you call it when a man can post reams of pornographic fantasies online about a female celebrity, and not only get away with it but get a six-figure book deal to turn those fantasies into a novel?
Oh, wait. My bad.
Correction: When a woman can post reams of pornographic fantasies about a male celebrity and get a six-figure book deal.
Can you imagine the howling in the feminist blogosphere and on Twitter if the genders were reversed?
Anyway. Still no rape culture, sorry. But considering that this is One Direction fanfic we’re talking about, it does make me weep for the future of culture, period.
I quite like fanfic but I’m with you on rape culture. Ever since I wrote (an earlier version of ) this piece challenging the view that we live in a rape culture, I’ve been attacked by feminists: http://www.artsandopinion.com/2012_v11_n1/quietriotgirl.htm
Once I even got called a ‘rapist’ because of my opinions on ‘rape culture’!
Thanks for all your excellent work challenging myths within feminism
Elly/Quiet Riot Girl
I love fanfic! I write fanfic, even. Including fanfic with adult scenes. (Here and here.)
But I do think there’s something vaguely creepy/skeevy about writing sexually explicit fic about real people? Maybe it’s just me.
We live in a world where the excellent Cathy Young writes adult Xena fan fiction. Somehow, I feel the whole world is going to be okay. Never stop what you do or ever apologize for it. I pick good heroes.
Heh. Thanks. Also wrote this in defense of fanfiction some years ago: The Fan Fiction Phenomena
I definitely agree on “rape culture”. As to fanfic, I would suggest that having a minor-league system for fiction writing, which is what fanfic seems to be, enormously strengthens fiction, kind of the way YouTube helps indie moviemakers. It’s Megan McArdle’s “The Up Side Of Down” in active practice– becoming good at something by failing well and repeatedly.