Delving into the female mind
"Why do so many girls who like yaoi find bishonen [ukes] so attractive anyway? They look like girls! Do these girls really just like other girls?"
Answer is, they don't.
Welcome to the female mind. Or at least, what little I understand of it. I'm no expert on all things women, but I have been involved in the BL genre for years (and I say "years" very proudly - I've been in it for a good whole seven), so I, Lucas Wilheim, can rightfully say that I do understand the demographic to an extent, after years of trying to crack into the mindset and adopt it seamlessly myself. Alright, perhaps not the whole demographic, but hopefully most of whom who are in the bishonen-appreciating demographic.
Let's assume you're a guy who wanted to make it comfortably big (i.e.: more popular than a good many) in the BL scene, and you want to, say, make a comic that would be acceptably attractive to this demographic. You're a guy. You see two guys. They get along well. Couple immediately?
No, it's not as simple as that.
See, women are odd things. They have this "coupling dynamics" that can be often very difficult to wrap your head around especially when you're a new kid to the scene. Some girls like hairy manly men with hairy manly men with man hair. Some girls like hairy manly men with not-so-hairy manly men with the ability to pay bills. Some girls like hairless manly men with hairless manly men who may or may not be able to pay their bills. Some girls like little boys but not with little boys but perhaps also with little boys. The list is endless. I know what you're thinking: why do girls have to be as diverse as they're hard to understand? Obviously because they're girls, not aliens. The hard to understand part might've been inherited from Thor's mom, though.
Now, what I'm going to talk about are the girls who like manly sexy sizzly men (facial hair is optional) who happen to be in love most perversely with:
a) a man who isn't too manly, but is definitely male, very likely lacking ability to grow any facial hair
b) a man who looks (and occasionally dresses) like a woman, for very obvious reasons also quite unable to grow any facial hair
c) a little boy who wears suits and thinks Christmas is a good idea for organizing a capitalist event to further fund his business, and
d) you get the idea.
* Kindly note that these couplings might be something they've created themselves and that I will not be disclosing why I am even remotely interested in this dynamic myself
These girls love to fantasize. Now, their fantasies are slightly different compared to other girls of similar demographics - instead of fantasizing about being a perfect girl named Mary, they'd rather make believe that they're a boy. Not you, of course, because your hideous goatee is preposterous to have in this day and age. Shave it off already and put some cream on it. That's it. Good boy.
So now you know that it's a fantasy. How does this all fit in? I'll break it down for you in man-terms:
What them chicks would really like to tap:
Translation: What the girls would really go for as a love interest:
What them chicks would kill to be for five seconds:
Translation: What the girls would rather be in their imaginary state:
Results:
Translation: Results:
Usually, the younger the girl is, the prettier/younger the boy/man she'd like to tap is. This is normal, as tastes gradually shift with age. She'd still, however, like to imagine herself as a pretty boy. This doesn't really change much as they grow older, except perhaps the age of the character, or at times a more mature build. There are twenty-something ladies who like the idea of being a little boy. Nobody's the same.
So, to recap, no, girls of this particular demographic aren't usually attracted to bishonen in a BL environment. Some are, but more often than not they don't really associate themselves with wolves or cougars. You'd find that some girls who like the idea of being Sebastian rather fancy a date with William, a grim reaper with a tongue as sharp as his teeth. There you have it, a completely worthless narration on a subset of women and their whims.
Answer is, they don't.
Welcome to the female mind. Or at least, what little I understand of it. I'm no expert on all things women, but I have been involved in the BL genre for years (and I say "years" very proudly - I've been in it for a good whole seven), so I, Lucas Wilheim, can rightfully say that I do understand the demographic to an extent, after years of trying to crack into the mindset and adopt it seamlessly myself. Alright, perhaps not the whole demographic, but hopefully most of whom who are in the bishonen-appreciating demographic.
Let's assume you're a guy who wanted to make it comfortably big (i.e.: more popular than a good many) in the BL scene, and you want to, say, make a comic that would be acceptably attractive to this demographic. You're a guy. You see two guys. They get along well. Couple immediately?
No, it's not as simple as that.
See, women are odd things. They have this "coupling dynamics" that can be often very difficult to wrap your head around especially when you're a new kid to the scene. Some girls like hairy manly men with hairy manly men with man hair. Some girls like hairy manly men with not-so-hairy manly men with the ability to pay bills. Some girls like hairless manly men with hairless manly men who may or may not be able to pay their bills. Some girls like little boys but not with little boys but perhaps also with little boys. The list is endless. I know what you're thinking: why do girls have to be as diverse as they're hard to understand? Obviously because they're girls, not aliens. The hard to understand part might've been inherited from Thor's mom, though.
Now, what I'm going to talk about are the girls who like manly sexy sizzly men (facial hair is optional) who happen to be in love most perversely with:
a) a man who isn't too manly, but is definitely male, very likely lacking ability to grow any facial hair
b) a man who looks (and occasionally dresses) like a woman, for very obvious reasons also quite unable to grow any facial hair
c) a little boy who wears suits and thinks Christmas is a good idea for organizing a capitalist event to further fund his business, and
d) you get the idea.
* Kindly note that these couplings might be something they've created themselves and that I will not be disclosing why I am even remotely interested in this dynamic myself
These girls love to fantasize. Now, their fantasies are slightly different compared to other girls of similar demographics - instead of fantasizing about being a perfect girl named Mary, they'd rather make believe that they're a boy. Not you, of course, because your hideous goatee is preposterous to have in this day and age. Shave it off already and put some cream on it. That's it. Good boy.
So now you know that it's a fantasy. How does this all fit in? I'll break it down for you in man-terms:
What them chicks would really like to tap:
Translation: What the girls would really go for as a love interest:
What them chicks would kill to be for five seconds:
Translation: What the girls would rather be in their imaginary state:
Results:
Translation: Results:
Usually, the younger the girl is, the prettier/younger the boy/man she'd like to tap is. This is normal, as tastes gradually shift with age. She'd still, however, like to imagine herself as a pretty boy. This doesn't really change much as they grow older, except perhaps the age of the character, or at times a more mature build. There are twenty-something ladies who like the idea of being a little boy. Nobody's the same.
So, to recap, no, girls of this particular demographic aren't usually attracted to bishonen in a BL environment. Some are, but more often than not they don't really associate themselves with wolves or cougars. You'd find that some girls who like the idea of being Sebastian rather fancy a date with William, a grim reaper with a tongue as sharp as his teeth. There you have it, a completely worthless narration on a subset of women and their whims.