"Men who say women don't like porn don't know the right women."

That's from a t-shirt my friend owns. Currently brainstorming for a guest lecture I'm going to do in Sociology called "Bad Girls". I have been specifically instructed by the course coordinator to blow some minds with the delightfully filthy things that women are doing out there on the Interwebs. (He asked the right person!)

I plan to talk in detail about some old research I did on yaoi / boy's love fans, and how these explicitly erotic texts are consumed and used by young women (mostly teenagers and young adults, 14-24). I'll also be talking about slash, of course, and going through some of the different uses and reasons for its popularity.

(Word to the wise, this post has nothing to do with the current LJ storm a-brewing on straight female and gay male fans of slash. I'm hoping not to become involved in that at the moment.)

While there are a myriad of reasons I personally enjoy the stuff, I'll admit that one of the main ones is that I appreciate how these genres objectify male bodies in a way that appeals to me as a heterosexual female. It's just really great to see shiny, ripped men in various stages of undress. And while I do read het erotica as well (nothing will keep me from my Ten/Rose shipping), I sometimes find myself over-analysing the feminist politics of such works, especially in mainstream/commercial products. And nothing kills the fantasy for me more than my own brain's over-analysis of feminist politics.

So, friends and comrades, what is it about slash that appeals to you?

boy's love a positive role model?!?

fumi yoshinaga's moon and sandals has made The Young Adult Library Services Association's list of "great graphic novels for teens"!!! YALSA is a part of the American Library Association, and has published a list of recommended graphic novels for teens, and a large majority of the titles are either manga or manhwa.

see ANN's coverage here.

how did moon and sandals end up on this list? who choses? what is the selection process? and are they aware that this comic contains GAY? this i just cannot believe.

not only have comics suddenly become more respectable in the eyes of "the institution", but the uncontrollable popularity of anime/manga/manhwa as well.

i am literally in shock right now.