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[misstopia]

If a straight woman writes f/f is she appropriating lesbian experiences?

Yes, I have just come from metafandom.

ETA: I am a maid of constant intellectual conflict, so no I'm not fishing for a certain answer here and you can be honest.

Comments

[chacusha]

Hm... That's a tough question. I'm pretty unknowledgeable as far as this topic goes, but I'll attempt an answer

[scriva]

First, I don't believe that people can and should only write about the things they know from their own experience. That's why, I think that everyone has the right to expand their writing horizont as much as they like. However, if you write about those things that go beyond your personal experience, you have to be more careful about tropes and stereotypes, and you should at least to basic researches about your themes

Edit to add

[scriva]

Regarding appropriation per se:

I know that this is a touchy topic, but I find it very difficult to always distinguish between a fantasy or a story-telling kink which would count as appropriation and normal interest in the human condition which includes very different experiences. Most of time, I avoid taking part in those discussions, because on one side, I am a person that takes other peoples opinions and experiences in consideration, but on the other side, I feel that I have the right to read and to write everything what I want that makes an interesting, entertaining or engaging story. I feel the same about other cultures as well: I'm pretty sure I made many mistakes in my writing of non-European cultures and I find the discussions very helpful to learn more about stereotypes and to become aware of them, but I don't want to be disallowed to think about those settings at all, just because of the cadavres in the basement of European literature. ;)

[meganbmoore]

I've been avoiding the M_F posts, as so many of the sounded...dull in the excerpts. And retreads.

But tell me, did this person remember to point out that straight, bisexual and lesbian women writing m/m would also be appropriation )I'm assuming men writing f/f was also appropriation), or do they live in that magical world where logic and common sense do not apply, and anything that's women writing about men is magically subversive and feminist?

ETA: Oh, I think I misunderstood. Was this a question based on a claim actually made in the posts(and I have seen such claims explained at length to explain why m/m slash is so wonderful and amazing and f/f just isn't as good) or spawned by discussion? (Either way, my answer would be "only if it applies all ways.")

[cyshobbitlass]

I basically agree with Tako in that I think sexuality is more fluid than is generally accepted. You don't have to be a lesbian to find some lesbian scenes erotic, but it doesn't make you 100% straight either. I think you can be straight for all intents and purposes but have vague bisexual interests...in fact, I believe that most people are like this and from the little I've read on the subject, research agrees with me.( Putting people into categories that are *this* rigid is the problem here, imo.

[meganbmoore]

There's also the fact that for some people, shipping has nothing whatsoever to do with whether they find the combination of the two characters hot and/or are attracted to one/both and it's based purely on interest in the characters as characters or their interactions. (Like, a lot of the straight women I know who like f/f have a lot of it based on being bored by the eternal focus on men in fandom and canon.)

[frisbeeseppuku]

I think sex is its own thing when it comes to discussions of appropriation. Sexuality is fluid, so as is said above a straight writer of homosexual slash could have homosexual tendencies at some level. On the other hand, someone can also have a legitimate experience of being turned on by porn which isn't related to their own sexual orientation. For example, my girlfriend likes m/m porn, as do many other lesbians. It has nothing to do with her life, but I don't think if she were to write about this thing that turns her on, it would be appropriative. So on the other hand, a straight female writer of f/f could have no homosexual tendencies, and just be turned on by f/f. Either way, whether she's straight as an arrow or not, being interested in lesbian relationships can be a part of her sexuality