Fandom is a funny thing, it makes even the best of people act like idiots
sometimes. One of the running trends in anime fandom is the abrasive yaoi
fandom. Yaoi is a genre of anime that features gay sex between male characters,
however some fans have used that fandom as an excuse to act immaturely.
Everyone is allowed to like whatever aspect of anime they like, but that
does not give anyone the right to push their fandom upon anyone else.
Yaoi fandom has become very abrasive with the fans harassing cosplayers,
screaming rude things at voice actors, and generally behaving like crazy
people. There is nothing wrong with enjoying something like yaoi, but
that does not give anyone the right to act like a lunatic.
The cosplay community has had to deal with many different issues at conventions
and events. However, one of the complaints that most cosplayers have is
with girls yelling at them or commenting to them about doing yaoi acts
for their entertainment. This is a strange phenomenon because if you switched
the gender the guys who asked the two female cosplayers to do something
yuri would be kicked out of the convention for harassing other attendees.
It does not matter what gender a cosplayer is the yaoi fans should understand
that you do not ask people to act like that in public.
Another complaint that is more cosplay centric is the disruption of cosplay
gatherings at conventions. Often a gathering is disrupted by yaoi fans
who request pictures that are yaoi themed. Not only is this embarrassing
for cosplayers, but it can ruin events for those who wanted to get some
shots with other people who cosplay from their series. There is no problem
with requesting different kinds of shots, but if you are going to request
a picture that could be embarrassing ask the people privately and do not
yell it out in front of everyone,. That makes both the cosplayers and
the photographers all feel uncomfortable. A little courtesy could go a
long way with making cosplay gatherings much more enjoyable for everyone.
Beyond the harassment of cosplayers there is also the harassment of guests.
Many voice actors have had to answer very insulting question or requests.
As they are the guest of the convention they should be treated with more
respect. Many fans would like to know more about their training, experience,
and anecdotes, which is often disrupted by yaoi fans asking rude questions.
Very few people in the audience want to hear those questions and asking
them of a guest who took time out of his busy schedule to visit a convention
makes all fans look bad. The guests of a convention should be treated
with respect and the yaoi fans need to learn that you do not ask insulting
questions of a guest.
Beyond rude comments and question there is also violence. The most dangerous
thing at any convention is the fans. The proof of this is the yaoi paddle;
a paddle that is sold at some conventions that many yaoi fans purchase
and carry around. Many fans feel that if they own one they have the right
to paddle anyone they want. This boarders on assault and thus these paddles
have been banned from many conventions. That does not eliminate the fact
that many gals used those paddles to hit people at conventions. It is
surprising to think that someone would act in such a manner and act violently
because of a simple piece of wood. Behaving like this defies logic. If
you are a fan of something why would you hit the representation of your
fandom? Moreover if you want others to support your fandom carrying something
dangerous often does not win people to your cause.
Another problematic element of the yaoi fans is that they can be very
disruptive at events. There is no other group that runs around screaming
and yelling disrupting events the way that yaoi fans do. Running around
a dealer hall shouting and being disruptive is not funny or entertaining,
it just bothers people. Whether this is an attempt at humor or a way of
showing love for your fandom it does not get the point across. It merely
makes the people causing the disruption look immature. Also it is a danger
to people walking around because there could be a collision.
Such behavior is considered rude, immature, and problematic. However,
this cannot be consistent behavior for yaoi fans. Thus there must be a
reason why the fans would act in such a way at conventions. Not all fans
of yaoi act in such ways, but some find it to be reasonable to act like
a maniac at events. It is likely that this is a form of herd mentality;
a psychological phenomenon wherein normal people get drawn into behavioral
patterns that match the behavior of a mass group. This is mainly due a
desire to be part of the group and to be accepted. In terms of the fandom
it would be set with a small portion acting one way and individuals who
are easily influenced or seek mass approval follow these behavior patterns.
Since the improper behavioral patterns do not encompass all fans this
must be mostly set on people with low self esteem or identity issues,
which makes thing much more complicated.
There are two things that need to be done to solve these problems. The
first is removing the trend setters and the second is helping those with
esteem issues. To deal with the first factor can be handled by the conventions
themselves. Having convention staff punish attendees who act in a disruptive
or dangerous manner could be very effective in halting such behaviors.
This is already done for attendees who wave around weapons and it is often
done to men who sexually harass female attendees. However, rarely is a
yaoi fan punished for acting in an inappropriate manner. Much of what
is done is a form of sexual harassment and thus females who act in such
a way should be punished just as severely as males.
Dealing with emotional and personal identity issues is much more complicated
than enforcing rules. It is something that only a qualified professional
should be allowed to do, however there are things that friends can do
for friends with those types of issues. Most people seek acceptance of
a group. Drawing people into your group and giving them acceptable behavior
patterns to mimic could lead to people feeling good for being themselves.
This would give them group acceptance which could go a long way toward
removing the herd mentality of the yaoi fans. It must be noted that many
of these people probably need professional help, but to quote the Beatles
“I get by with a little help from my friends”. Sometimes friends
can be the best influence a person can receive.
The analysis of this behavioral pattern brings up another important point.
What factor brings in so many easily influenced people to such a fandom?
There is nothing wrong with enjoying the sight of two men kissing or having
sex. Just as there is nothing wrong with most sexual fetishes, as long
as they cause no harm. It does seem odd that yaoi has become popular with
females as males tend to be more visually turned on than females. It is
far more common for females to need an emotional turn on rather than a
purely visual turn on. This is not the uniting factor of this fetish,
merely a curiosity that comes from this fetish.
The main uniting factor for any fetish is personality type or history.
Usually certain personality types or personal histories tend to fall into
similar fetish groups with a consideration to gender in some cases. Thus
there is a contingent of females with low self esteem that are in the
anime community and flock to this fetish in order to find acceptance.
Under this hypothesis it is likely that many yaoi fans do not like yaoi
at all, but join in the fandom for a feeling of belonging. This is merely
conjecture, but it does go along with the observable behavior patterns
of the yaoi fans.
The strangest aspect of the fandom is a group within the group who claim
to be lesbians, but enjoy yaoi. By definition a lesbian does not get turned
on by watching men and any true lesbian would support that claim. Thus
if a female wants to watch gay males and be with a female there are obviously
identity issues involved with that person. These behaviors support the
main theory, but they cannot be easily explained. Identity issues can
come from personal trauma while growing up. Once again this can only be
solved by a professional. The only other solution would be for that person
to find a clear identity and resolve the issues that caused the identity
crisis.
Maturity comes to all people as they grow older. Of course there are always
new immature people to replace those who have grown up. There is no excuse
for the bad behavior of the yaoi fans, especially since it reflects poorly
upon all fans. There is sympathy for the mature yaoi fan, but they do
little to make their fandom respectable. Everyone must work together to
regulate fandom. Only fans can really influence the course of fandom and
the anime community needs that now more than ever. Hoping that things
will change may be too much to ask for, but it is something we can strive
for as a community.
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