Day 14: Least Favorite BL Trope
I have quite a few but here’s some I can think of right now…
1. Lack of communication: issues that can be solved within minutes if the characters actually sat down and had a conversation but the issue gets dragged on for the whole series.
2. Fangirls who act like paparazzi: when girls take photos of the guys like they are some celebrities like girls stop get some help. Not to mention it’s an invasion of privacy. I would feel so awkward if I saw a group of girls from a distance just blatantly filming me unapologetically
3. “I’m not gay, I just like you”: I don’t see it as much anymore but I get annoyed every time I hear it in a series
4. Uke and seme (top and bottom) trope: I feel like it perpetuates a negative stereotype. In real life, there are a lot of couples that are verse and I don’t like how some BL’s make it seem like only one person can be the top and only one person can be bottom. It’s just not realistic. For example, with Bad Buddy, especially after episode 11, I saw some people going back and forth online and in YT comments about the top and bottom aspect of Pat and Pran’s relationship. Like some people couldn’t believe that they can be verse. Like come on now!!!
5. Ties in with #4 but the use of husband and wife (basically forced heteronormativity): it also perpetuates negative stereotypes. It leans into that “So, who’s the man or woman in the relationship?” type of questions/thinking that I don’t like at all
6. Villain female characters that try and wreak havoc on the main couple: I don’t like seeing women represented this way. I like seeing positive and strong female representation and luckily lately we have been getting more but we can never have enough
The whole lack of consent and forced kisses/intimacy has been mentioned a few times already and I TOTALLY AGREE!!!! I honestly see it way too much so I get happy when consent is made explicitly in series. One good recent example was from Cutie Pie The Series. The main lead confirmed whether the guy was sober and aware of what was happening beforehand and tells him if he’s not okay to let him know immediately. Like YES CONSENT IS SEXY!!!