I hate to speak for anyone else, so I'm not. This is just my understanding of why the idea of slash as a genre is problematic and may not reflect anyone else's. Also, I'm just now working on articulating this as I write the comment so bear with me.
I think it's the idea that a person's sexual identity, hir sexual being, can be reduced to the same level as "action-adventure" or "romance." It feels dismissive. Maybe somebody else should chime in. *looks around*
Why don't I write more femslash? As a bisexual woman, my fic archive should be full of femslash and while there's some there, there's way more gen and m/m slash. Without counting numbers, het probably gets the least representation. I think, for me, this is because writing femslash and het feels like I'm exposing a part of myself for examination by the reader and that can be uncomfortable.
Re: consequences I think that when Buffy becomes an evil bitch who never even really liked Xander and who wants to smite his newfound gayness all so Spike can see his way clear to claiming Xander as his life mate or when J2 get it on to the backdrop of the killing fields--for me, those things are wrong. I don't want to read them and I don't want to write them (although I am certain that I have written fic that fails my own tests, particularly in my early days of fandom). I have huge problems with the cultural appropriation and sexism these kinds of stories represent. However, I know not all fen agree with me or these kinds of stories wouldn't keep appearing. Does that make sense?
no subject
I think it's the idea that a person's sexual identity, hir sexual being, can be reduced to the same level as "action-adventure" or "romance." It feels dismissive. Maybe somebody else should chime in. *looks around*
Why don't I write more femslash? As a bisexual woman, my fic archive should be full of femslash and while there's some there, there's way more gen and m/m slash. Without counting numbers, het probably gets the least representation. I think, for me, this is because writing femslash and het feels like I'm exposing a part of myself for examination by the reader and that can be uncomfortable.
Re: consequences
I think that when Buffy becomes an evil bitch who never even really liked Xander and who wants to smite his newfound gayness all so Spike can see his way clear to claiming Xander as his life mate or when J2 get it on to the backdrop of the killing fields--for me, those things are wrong. I don't want to read them and I don't want to write them (although I am certain that I have written fic that fails my own tests, particularly in my early days of fandom). I have huge problems with the cultural appropriation and sexism these kinds of stories represent. However, I know not all fen agree with me or these kinds of stories wouldn't keep appearing. Does that make sense?