One day, weโll discuss how fandoms looooove to attach hyper masculine and oftentimes aggressive traits to black characters.
More especially if itโs in a same-sex relationship with a white/non black character or if thereโs another white character they want to attach to the non black partner instead of who theyโre actually attracted to, no matter how soft canonically the black character is. ๏ฟผ
There is this an errant need to always attach โprotectorโ or โthe strong oneโ or โtop/domโ titles to black characters, and itโs even worse when they are portrayed by darker skinned black people regardless of if it fits the character.
It happens with Finn and Poe in the Star Wars sequel trilogy fandom. Finn is always the one who must defend or console or step up for Poe, even though heโs a 24 year old who was stolen from his family, and turned into a soldier against his will as a child, and then thrust into a war, which, he did not have to fight in and couldโve run from. However, he is the one who must always protect the โsofterโ Poe.
It happened in the First Kill fandom with Juliette and Calliope. Calliope was attached hyper masculine traits even though weโve seen her dress in โfeminineโ ways and carries herself in a โmore feminineโ manner. However, she is the one who has the job of protecting Juliette in fandom eyes.
Or how by the Arcane fandom and especially jayviks, a sub fandom that views Mel as competition for Jayceโs affections even though the show AND game has Mel and Jayce as a couple but yet Mel Medarda is treated as this domineering figure over Jayce with language like โsheโs topping him/pegging himโ meanwhile the show has their love scene shown as JAYCE taking the lead in the bedroom and him making choices that Mel is forced to soften the blow of in their work and yet sheโs masculinized and treated like sheโs the one forcing him to make these rash decisions.
THIS is misogynoir because Calliope and Mel are dark skinned unambiguously black women in relationships with non black partners. Misogyny AND racism.
We have it with Devon and Jake in Chucky, even though they equally fight to protect one another. Devon is always portrayed by fandom, as having to be the one who โprotectsโ or โconsolesโ and is always there for Jake meanwhile fans rarely ever give scenarios where it could be the other way around. Canonically Devon and Jake protect each other as equal as possible. However, you could never tell from fandom speaks of them. Devon always has to be the protector. Devon is always be the aggressor. Devon must always be the one who looks after Jake.
The Interview With The Vampire fandom attached Louis is โthe man of the householdโ connotations when placed against Lestat even though the show itself tells you HEโS the housewife, and we see who really has the power between the two of them, but it is so rarely reflected in how fans write and speak of them. LOUIS is the soft-spoken, LOUIS is the one who needs the constant protection, LOUIS is the one who is insecure overtly however, it is almost never reflected in how fans engage the characters and even when itโs revealed Armand has been fucking with Louis mind, lied to him and killed Claudia then kept it from him for 70+ years, LOUIS is read as the one who deserved it. Who pushed Armand to it. Louis who had 77 years of trust ripped from him because yet another partner abused him and Claudia who had another partner of her parent see her as competition for Louisโs affections and instead of letting her go off to live her life, he terrorized her and later executed her but Louis and Claudia are not the victims.๏ฟผ
And if I were to get into how theyโre almost always treated by fans as cruel whenever they do not agree with their non black partners actions, or they do something for themselves or how they are never given empathy that black fans donโt have to fight for them to be given, or they are held to a much higher standard than their partner, I could be here all day.
And if you think Iโm reaching or exaggerating, is it possible YOUโVE been doing this and now a hit dog wants to holler?
