Unauthorized Romances: Female Fans and Weiss Kreuz Internet Yaoi Fanfiction

Abstract

Yaoi is a concept/fan practice originating in Japan which has become popular overseas amongst young females. Yaoi fanfiction are derivative homoerotic fan stories in English written online by the virtual community of non-Japanese fans. These fan stories use male characters from Japanese popular culture such as anime (animation) and manga (comics) and put them in romantic/sexual relationships. Using yaoi fanfiction based on Japanese anime/manga series Weiss Kreuz as a case study, this thesis examines the writing and reading of yaoi fanfiction as acts of gender resistance by female fans. The study shows contradictions inherent within yaoi fanfiction such as female ambivalences about sex, regressive longings and lack of positive female characters. Moreover, with fan inability to directly control media production, young female fans? lack of socio-economic clout and the social stigma which prevents many fans from openly indulging their hobby, yaoi is ultimately limited in some ways as gender resistance.