The Submissive Uke Problem: Postmodern Feminist Standpoint.
Sometimes, we get annoyed seeing an uke who acts too girlish, too feminine, or too soft, don’t we? The most often said reason was because (1) an uke is still a boy and not a girl, therefore an uke does not have to look/act too feminine, (2) an uke is still a boy, and boys have their prides, or (3) seriously, an uke is still a boy.
Or at least those are the reasons I’ve said out loud when I read/watch BL.
I know some people likes to see a soft, feminine uke; but some people (me included) doesn’t like an uke who acts too submissive. I’ve never questioned myself all these times before, since it’s just preferences after all, and I did like several BL manga whose ukes are a bit too submissive for my likings but have great plots. But then, today’s Gender and Social Structure Class talked about postmodern feminists-and then I started asking myself: why is it that the notion of girlish, submissive, too feminine uke bothers me (and several others, like nherizu?)
And well, the Feminist Postmodern standpoint kind of gave me the answer.
In the end, the first question I have to answer is why the heck the adjectives “girlish”, “submissive” or “feminine” bothers me so much, especially when it is attached to a boy? Why do those adjectives’ meanings lean closer to the “negative words” rather than “positive words”? Or, if I could liken this subject to the concept of Yin and Yang itself, then the question would be why Yin embodies female, darkness, passive, and submission (which, if we have to admit, are usually used to symbolize negative feelings or doings), while Yang embodies male, light, active, and domination (which are usually used to symbolize more positive feelings or acts)?
That’s because in this world; our values, our system, structure, symbolizations and even language (or what Jacques Lacan called Symbolical Order ) are made by males. Helene Cixous, one of the postmodernist feminist, protested the whole dichotomy that made up the languages in the world. For example:
-Active >< Passive
-Dominative >< Submissive
-Sun >< Moon
-Day >< Night
It’s easy to see which words are categorized as "feminine words", and which are "masculine words", isn’t it?
We live in a patriarchal world, in which the structure and system are made by males: structure, system, symbols and values that only show males’ experience. Females have been living without any medium to express their own experience: in order to express themselves, they have to use symbols made by males (in this case, language) that put them as a lesser beings. And I don’t think I should elaborate more about this since we’re not talking about inequity between males and females anyway.
So what do these have to do with the dislike of too submissive, too girlish and too feminine ukes? The answer is because in the society we live in, the values socialized is that those are “feminine words”, and are therefore, if we simplify it too much, have negative meanings. Not only because boys who are feminine, girlish or submissive go against the value of society (and in reality, they would be labeled as deviants), but also because of the language itself is made by males, and in order to maintain the oppression of females that happened in society, the negative meanings must be attached to “feminine words”.
We don’t like ukes to be too submissive not because they have their prides, but because of our own internalized values, noms and symbols. Because of the Symbolical Order we live in. We just don’t realize it because this Symbolical Order is produced, reproduced and enhanced in society without us conscious of doing them. Borrowing Marx’s term: we’re under a false consciousness.
Then I thought, ha, all these time I’ve resolved myself not to judge anyone-male or female-who does the opposite gender role. But when I scorn at BL manga who has too submissive uke, I am actually still under that false consciousness.
So yeah. Forgive my poor English that I can’t explain it better than this ;A; But I do think that’s the main reason why some people don’t like to see too submissive uke, sociologically.
Anyway, that aside, bluewings_lagoo, I’m sorry I still haven’t finished the TeFu fic I’ve promised you ;A; School’s been quite killing me, and the fic is exploding into one big oneshot I don’t even. W-well, I hope you’ll be a bit more patient? I’m working on it, promise. *hugshugshugs*
Or at least those are the reasons I’ve said out loud when I read/watch BL.
I know some people likes to see a soft, feminine uke; but some people (me included) doesn’t like an uke who acts too submissive. I’ve never questioned myself all these times before, since it’s just preferences after all, and I did like several BL manga whose ukes are a bit too submissive for my likings but have great plots. But then, today’s Gender and Social Structure Class talked about postmodern feminists-and then I started asking myself: why is it that the notion of girlish, submissive, too feminine uke bothers me (and several others, like nherizu?)
And well, the Feminist Postmodern standpoint kind of gave me the answer.
In the end, the first question I have to answer is why the heck the adjectives “girlish”, “submissive” or “feminine” bothers me so much, especially when it is attached to a boy? Why do those adjectives’ meanings lean closer to the “negative words” rather than “positive words”? Or, if I could liken this subject to the concept of Yin and Yang itself, then the question would be why Yin embodies female, darkness, passive, and submission (which, if we have to admit, are usually used to symbolize negative feelings or doings), while Yang embodies male, light, active, and domination (which are usually used to symbolize more positive feelings or acts)?
That’s because in this world; our values, our system, structure, symbolizations and even language (or what Jacques Lacan called Symbolical Order ) are made by males. Helene Cixous, one of the postmodernist feminist, protested the whole dichotomy that made up the languages in the world. For example:
-Active >< Passive
-Dominative >< Submissive
-Sun >< Moon
-Day >< Night
It’s easy to see which words are categorized as "feminine words", and which are "masculine words", isn’t it?
We live in a patriarchal world, in which the structure and system are made by males: structure, system, symbols and values that only show males’ experience. Females have been living without any medium to express their own experience: in order to express themselves, they have to use symbols made by males (in this case, language) that put them as a lesser beings. And I don’t think I should elaborate more about this since we’re not talking about inequity between males and females anyway.
So what do these have to do with the dislike of too submissive, too girlish and too feminine ukes? The answer is because in the society we live in, the values socialized is that those are “feminine words”, and are therefore, if we simplify it too much, have negative meanings. Not only because boys who are feminine, girlish or submissive go against the value of society (and in reality, they would be labeled as deviants), but also because of the language itself is made by males, and in order to maintain the oppression of females that happened in society, the negative meanings must be attached to “feminine words”.
We don’t like ukes to be too submissive not because they have their prides, but because of our own internalized values, noms and symbols. Because of the Symbolical Order we live in. We just don’t realize it because this Symbolical Order is produced, reproduced and enhanced in society without us conscious of doing them. Borrowing Marx’s term: we’re under a false consciousness.
Then I thought, ha, all these time I’ve resolved myself not to judge anyone-male or female-who does the opposite gender role. But when I scorn at BL manga who has too submissive uke, I am actually still under that false consciousness.
So yeah. Forgive my poor English that I can’t explain it better than this ;A; But I do think that’s the main reason why some people don’t like to see too submissive uke, sociologically.
Anyway, that aside, bluewings_lagoo, I’m sorry I still haven’t finished the TeFu fic I’ve promised you ;A; School’s been quite killing me, and the fic is exploding into one big oneshot I don’t even. W-well, I hope you’ll be a bit more patient? I’m working on it, promise. *hugshugshugs*