I get where this Tweet is coming from, but as a reader who wants f/f (among other queer romance subgenres) I have some feels about shaming/blaming readers like this. 1/
Conversation
Replying to
First, this argument doesn't engage with the fact that f/f fiction is structurally more expensive than other kinds of queer romance. I can buy 3 m/m stories at $2.99 from authors I trust or one $9.99 book from an unknown author. 2/
1
1
13
Should I be willing to pay more for f/f to support f/f writers? Maybe. But what about readers who only have $2.99? Readers don't have unlimited budgets. We make choices. Cost is a real barrier to access. 3/
1
10
Second, this argument flattens f/f into a single entity you either want or don't. Most readers have more specific tastes. I like historicals and paranormal that grapple meaningfully with gender, class, race & have narratively significant sex. 4/
1
17
So while I want f/f histrom I want a pretty specific type (I have the same criteria for m/m, etc.). If f/f authors aren't writing stories like this, I might feel strongly about the political value of supporting f/f writers but my reader self has low incentive to purchase. 5/
1
15
Do I pay $4.99 for a histrom paranormal my networks are buzzing about or $9.99 for a contemporary f/f the blurb of which makes me feel meh? 6/
1
8
And the networks: I would pay $2.99 to try a new-to-me f/f author with my romance specs if they're red's to me by people whose taste I find reliable vis a vis my own. 7/
1
6
The ALMOST NEVER HAPPENS WITH F/F. I am a queer woman romance reader who follows a lot of queer women readers and this rarely happens. 8/
1
7
So the books aren't making it in front of eyeballs is my point. And "pay authors to write f/f" is not the simple feminist fix it seems. 9/
1
6
I mean, I would be 1000% happy to be proved wrong and to wake up tomorrow morning to my mentions full of histrom, paranormal, non-transphobic, diverse, sexually explicit f/f romances for $5 or less. 10/
2
10
But when I ask for recs I mostly get crickets and sympathy. 11/
1
7
I cropped the OP because I don't want to attack the person who is making an important point about labor and compensation and demand. 12/
1
6
But I think the patronising tone of the message presumes we just want good stuff for free. Romance readers generally respect author labor & care about supporting fellow queer folk who write. 13/
1
8
But that doesn't mean we are all rich and it doesn't mean we want ANY AND ALL f/f content as individual readers. We pick and choose the f/f stories we will take a chance on just like any other romance purchase. 14/
1
1
8
(And, sadly, the more times I have chanced that f/f purchase and been disappointed the more reluctantly I approach the next offer.) 15/15
1
1
10
[Sigh. The typos are what I get for being cranky at 11pm I suppose.]
1
3
One more story. 17/15
1
1
There was a great panel a few years ago about "on our backs" the lesbian feminist porn magazine. Tomorrow I will look for the video. 18/
1
2
They had a centerfold in the great tradition of porn magazines. And one of the editors on the panel told this wonderful story. 19/
1
2
That they used to get letters from readers AGONIZING about their feelings of desire about the centerfold. "What are her politics?" They would write and ask. 20/
1
3
And the editor was like: "Here is the gift of a naked woman! Can you not just accept this gift If it makes you feel good??" 21/
1
3
"But I don't know how I'm supposed to feel if I don't know her stance on nuclear proliferation!!!" 22/
1
3
Women who desire women (cis and trans alike, though we experience cultural pressures differently) experience a lot of shame and anxiety about not getting desire "right". Am I feminist enough? An I gay enough? Should I enjoy penetration? 23/
1
10
So shaming queer women for not buying more f/f is all tangled up in this history of getting our sexual pleasure **correct** politically. 24/
1
4
OF COURSE readers have absorbed all manner of biases (sexist and otherwise) as part of our cultural stew. Asking ourselves why we are compelled by certain narratives and not others is TOTALLY valid. 25/
1
4
But, "buy f/f and stuff you like will eventually be written!" is...not that call to self-reflection. 25/15 /fin
2
8
As promised, I found the video clip of Susie Bright talking about "on our backs"! susiebright.blogs.com/susie_brights_
read image description
ALT
1
5
The typos in this thread were bothering me, so I collated and lightly edited the thread into a blog post:
Quote Tweet
don’t blame readers thefeministlibrarian.com/?p=4860
1
6
Some very kind readers are making suggestions in the comments to this thread about where to find f/f historicals! Who knew blog comments were still a thing. 💕
Quote Tweet
don’t blame readers thefeministlibrarian.com/?p=4860
1