Are Female Paraphilias Hiding in Plain Sight? Risqué Male–Male Erotica for Women in Sinophone and Anglophone Regions

Abstract

Female-oriented male–male erotica is a genre of popular culture often know as Boys’ Love (BL), yaoi, and danmei. It is one of the largest by-and-for women sexual subcultures and a global phenomenon. With the largest data sets in the field, we ask: Which risqué sexual content do Sinophone (Chinese-speaking) and Anglophone (English-speaking) participants particularly enjoy in BL and does this differ between cultures?, and Are there sub-demographics in Sinophone and in Anglophone culture who enjoy particular forms of risqué sexual content in BL and do these forms relate also to enjoyment of particular storylines and concern with legal issues? The material studied meets the DSM-5 definition of the paraphilic, and little is known about paraphilias in women or in the general population. Using Categorical Principal Component Analysis we explored one 15-response question from our Sinophone (N = 1922) and Anglophone (N = 1715) BL fandom surveys: Which risqué sexual content do you particularly enjoy in BL? We also tested for associations with seven demographic and other BL content-related questions. Notably, the component structure was nearly replicated between the two independent samples, in order of strength: BDSM Specialist, Mechanoid/Animal Sex Specialist, Underage Sex Specialist, and Minority Paraphilia Specialist. In both samples, it was the avid BL fans and/or those who liked explicitly sexual stories, a largely overlapping demographic, who most engage the risqué content, while, for the Sinophone, this included also more non-heterosexual and/or other-gendered people. We conclude that women’s paraphilias have been largely overlooked because they might be expressed more commonly through fantasy than action, that their mass expression has awaited both the means and the market force, and that current conceptualization of, and assumptions about, paraphilias is overly modeled on that of men.

Neurological Imprints of Boys’ Love Culture: Shaping Sexual Orientation Identity in the Digital Age’s Young females

“…Analysis revealed a pronounced reaction time difference across image types ( F (2,58) = 135.412, p < 0.001, η_p ^ 2 = 0.824). However, distinctions between groups (fans vs. non-fans) were not statistically significant ( F (1,29) = 1.247, p > 0.05, η_p ^ 2 = 0.041), and neither was the interaction effect ( F (2,58) = 2.319, p > 0.05, η_p ^ 2 = 0.074), participants exhibited prolonged reaction times (Fig.…”

“…Analysis revealed a pronounced reaction time difference across image types ( F (2,58) = 135.412, p < 0.001, η_p ^ 2 = 0.824). However, distinctions between groups (fans vs. non-fans) were not statistically significant ( F (1,29) = 1.247, p > 0.05, η_p ^ 2 = 0.041), and neither was the interaction effect ( F (2,58) = 2.319, p > 0.05, η_p ^ 2 = 0.074), participants exhibited prolonged reaction times (Fig. 2B) for boy’s love images (M = 1066.987 ms, SD = 213.255, t =6.121, p <0.001) and heterosexual images (M = 1059.496 ms, SD = 213.196, t =5.969, p <0.001) compared to mask counterparts (M = 767.596 ms, SD = 139.372).…”

“…Amidst this transformation, Boys’ Love (BL) culture, originating from Japan, stands out, illustrating the profound impact media can wield 1 . This niche genre, which presents romantic liaisons between male protagonists, has remarkably enamored a global female audience, particularly young females 2 . But this is more than a cultural quirk: the proliferation and nuances of BL culture compel us to reevaluate and deepen our understanding of media’s pervasive influence on societal perceptions.…”

Psychological Applications and Trends 2022

“…Confusing messages are also provided by medical professionals (Sheppard, 2019) and noted by Herbitter et al (2021) "The aim of this narrative review is to integrate the published literature on mental health provider bias against the less recognized groups who may be marginalized due to their sexual identities or sexual and relationship practices" (abstract). The potential for bias (Madill & Zhao, 2021;Ortmann, & Sprott, 2012;Oddie, 2020;Sheela, 2008) against less recognized and marginalized groups in the wake of recent reforms for Ontario teachers to be certified for sexual abuse prevention and tasked with surveillance of students lends itself to the considerations for bias amongst various stakeholders within the education field. With this consideration for bias comes a responsibility for safeguards against marginalized and vulnerable populations for inaccurate portrayals and subjective observations or interpretations.…”

Social Surveillance, Vigilantism, and Revenge Porn Hiring Decisions in Canada

“…Confusing messages are also provided by medical professionals (Sheppard, 2019) and noted by Herbitter et al (2021) "The aim of this narrative review is to integrate the published literature on mental health provider bias against the less recognized groups who may be marginalized due to their sexual identities or sexual and relationship practices" (abstract). The potential for bias (Madill & Zhao, 2021;Oddie, 2020;Ortmann, & Sprott, 2012;Sheela, 2008) against less recognized and marginalized groups in the wake of recent reforms for Ontario teachers to be certified for sexual abuse prevention and tasked with surveillance of students lends itself to the considerations for bias amongst various stakeholders within the education field. With this consideration for bias comes a responsibility for safeguards against marginalized and vulnerable populations for inaccurate portrayals and subjective observations or interpretations.…”