I'm racking my brain to remember your mimicry tag. like the subversivness in mimicking something you dream for yourself??? it was so good
I'm FURIOUS because it was a whole-ass tag, and I simply...cannot find it, no matter what, ARGH. If you look under mimic and subversive, you see some of it, but not enough, wahhhhh
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I have seen a few posts lately which suggest it is problematic that the Modern Romance Industry / Genre label themselves as subversive ... and I 100% agree with the issues being highlighted around the fact that the content produced and promoted by the industry is problematic.
And like most industries - I am confident there is a need for more diversity across all areas of the industry...from authors, to editors, to execs... And like most industries which rely on selling creative works for profit, the Romance Industry / Genre is bound to encounter similar tensions around the fact that "quality work" or "revolutionary work" is not generally an "easy sell".
HOWEVER...
...stepping away from thinking specifically about Romance as an Industry / Genre... as I thought about the question of "what qualifies as subversive"...I kept banging up against something that I think sometimes gets lost in discussions by activists...which is:
I believe strongly that it is super important to acknowledge that subversiveness occurs along a spectrum and that to enact change there needs to be inputs (e.g. books, art, television, courses, conversations, signage, acts of rebellion, political movements, speeches, clothing, food, events, private acts, public acts etc) which span the range of what can be classified as subversive.
Yes, riots and protests and marches are extremely important - but so are the things that slowly over time reach the hearts and minds of people.
To be effective, a movement needs both types of actions and while we need to push for better across all arenas - the subtle stuff can and should happen simultaneously with the bigger conversations and the more idealistic actions.
Not everyone can do the big thing or the perfect thing - but most of us can do small things or imperfect things - and they can be just as important.
In fact, I would argue that if we let "the perfect be the enemy of the good" we on the left will be removing some extremely persuasive and effective weapons from the arsenal of promoting the changes we want to see in the world.
As a (mostly former 🙄) very "all or nothing" person - I can't tell you how many times I have chosen to do or say nothing because what I could do or offer wasn't perfect or enough... and where did that get things? Nowhere.
So now I do what I can as best as I can... and trust that what I do has a place in the landscape of promoting the change I want in the world.
I risk being imperfect and thus am - but as a result am doing much more than if I did nothing... this is true of you too.
Please be gentle with yourself and others.
Little actions matter.
Big actions matter.
....but you as an individual likely can only do one or the other in any given moment - you cannot (no matter how much our brains try to convince us otherwise) fight every battle or get everything perfect... so we each need to pick our battles... and sometimes? You need and deserve to step away and recharge and just be. You need to take care of you and your loved ones. And that is ENOUGH.
So how does this apply to the whole the "Romance Industry / Genre is problematic" question...
I am glad and thankful that some people are doing the hard work of calling out the industry and genre as a whole. It absolutely needs to be done...
...but there also needs to be recognition of those in the trenches who are working to change things from the inside. Who are writing B stories with gay or trans or disabled or aro or ace characters. Who are normalising a range of female sexual responses. Who are showing older, or fatter, or dyslexic, or whatever protagonists. Who are showing "brassy "women and "gentle" women within the same story and saying that both types of women are valid. Who are challenging toxic masculinity. For the publishers and editors that are seeking more diverse authors. These people are in the industry and it would do the left well to raise them up as examples and not just as "rebels within an oppressive genre / industry" but as the core of that industry.. (which is my experience - although I may be a selective reader in that regard).
Below the cut for those who are interested: What turned into a long, what one of my favourite YouTuber would call "a waffle", about why - as both a reader of mainstream (mainly historical) romance and now writer of romantic fanfiction - I ultimately believe the romance genre / industry as is (even though there is huge room for improvement) - is subversive - and why I believe it is important to acknowledge it as such...
Ok here I go...and I don't claim that any of this isn't self-evident.. so bear 🐻 with me...
In my experience it is both rare and unproductive to assume:
- change occurs purely because of a single instigating factor
- that a single work or act can be purely subversive and non-problematic
Rather as said above the cut, it is the culmination of many acts, choices, realisations and smaller changes that lead to the adoption of a new paradigm - and within that context - I think the assertion that the Romance Industry / Genre is subversive because they present a certain type of women penned fantasy is accurate. (Regardless of whether the motivation for making this claim is tainted or problematic - and I think it would not be difficult to make that argument.)
I also truly believe that subtle incremental shifts in perception can be very powerful when applied to large audiences over time AND which I have witnessed occur within the romance genre/industry over the last 25 years.
Sure! Subtle shifts are only one weapon in the subversive arsenal... but I think they do have a very key role to play... especially in the realms of sexuality, self knowledge, challenging cultural norms and stereotypes, and moving the bar on what individuals see as socially accepted norms and practices - because these are battles that must be won not only within public realms but in the hearts and minds of the general populace.
I would argue that the more you can get women (like me) who are part of the dominant heteronormative culture to expand their understanding and appreciation of the worthiness of their bodies, boundaries, and sexual urges (or lack thereof) - the more you can convince them that they are worthy of respect, not shameful, and/or in need of suppression and policing... the more likely you will be able to convince them that it is true for everyone. And I truly believe Romance has a powerful role it can play in that regard while meeting these women where they live.
Personally - and I am what some would call a moderate radical...
Others would say I am an extreme liberal and others could rightly accuse me of celebrating and perpetuating elements of the status quo and thus harming those who are not counted as part of the culturally dominant group.
... and the part of me that is radical and non-conforming and actively working to make the world a better place for everyone in my own small way that currently exists... reading romance was one of the key factors that helped me work towards that state... and if the genre had been regarded as more radical - I don't know if I would have accessed it as early as I did or would have stayed with it. And btw I firmly believe that reading romance as a teen (among a variety of other inputs) helped keep me alive and healthy.
You see, I love rules and templates and understanding expectations... they lower my anxiety, help me be productive, and counter things which I now know are partly the result of issues with executive function... which can be deeply at odds with more more subversive impulses and hopes and dreams for this world. But romance allowed me to both be rebellious and safe and ultimately served as a gateway for more radical beliefs and experiences.
Just a few days ago in fact, I was talking to a friend about how I love the trope of "arranged marriage that turns into a love match". Heteronormative? Yep...although I like the trope when applied to non-het pairings too. But I like it because it allows the author to investigate specific themes and models how good things can come from unexpected places. Are forced marriages (please note I say forced marriages not arranged marriages - by which I mean where one or more of the participants feels that for any reason they do not have the ability to say no to the union without consequence) a shitty awful should not exist situation? Yes. But can good come from showing how individuals navigate the situation fictionally even in an unrealistic positive way? Yes. I truly believe it can.
So, I would argue that yes modern romance is subversive.
...and yes it's subversiveness is partly rooted in showing some women's current and not terribly subversive fantasies... but also because works within the genre are introducing a wider range of romantic protagonists and relationships (admittedly often as a b story or within niche subgenres) but there has definitely been a shift in the last 25 years I have been reading romance...so the person who is there for the A plot is still being given the exposure to these variations on the dominant themes and that will lead to more variety and acceptance wrt women's fantasies and experiences with sexuality.
And as tastes and expectations of the women of the "dominant cultural norm" shift, more and more you will see a wider array of representation and definitions of "womanhood" etc reflected into the genre and popular media (unless there is a giant cultural paradigm shift which results in the abolition of the romance genre or industry etc etc...but that's true of everything)...
...and honnestly... it is important to realise that books differ from other media in that they are consumed privately and many people reading romance are there for comfort, relaxation, and escapism...and I do not see that reason changing... especially in the case of women where erotica and porn are not seen as socially acceptable but romance is (partly because men in their lives do not read them and do not know how far the authors are going with the content and just how subversive and educational and transformative reading even a very plain sex scene can be for a woman who has been denied other access points to learning about sex and how their own damn bodies work.)...
So what I am saying is in that within this context the subversiveness has to be subtle for it to have an impact over time...because if you hit too hard...the people going there because it is a place to find the fantasies they crave (and frankly whether they are aware of the problematics of the genre or not is moot - similar to how it is not very helpful to describe the harmful effects of cigarettes to a lifelong smoker)... if the "hit" of what they are looking for isn't there.. they will stop coming to the table... they will find their fix elsewhere and if you think they will replace mainstream romance with "better" books... as a reader of romance I would be surprised.
IMO is more likely a large group of readers will stop reading books or retreat to content sources that are even more conservative in their outlook.
So I guess what I am saying is...you don't have to read romance or believe that it is not problematic (which I fully acknowledge it is) - or even not be annoyed by what appears to be a truly hypocritical statement by an industry and genre founded on making money on works that are reliant on the status quo... but that it is more useful to look at in what ways it is subversive and is able to enact change across certain demographics and how that is useful in the quest to dismantle the hurtful systemic aspects of modern life that stem from the current patriarchal-heteronormative dominant culture...and how that can be capitalised on and slowly but steadily expanded upon.
Basically that was a very long ramble about why I say when writing my silly joyously smutty (and for the most part reinforcing heteronormative tropes) stories... that I am trying to "change the world... one smutty story at a time..."
But I am also quite happy to give the occasional smile, or help someone reach a lovely thoughtless orgasm, or hide from their troubles with moment of escapism... because goodness knows we all need those things sometimes...
But hell... by my definition... all those "non-subversive" parts of my writing? They are subversive in a way...or at least have a role in promoting the more subversive ideas I try to promote to an audience.
If you got this far...thanks for coming on the trip and let us/me know if you have any thoughts or experience to share that is relevant to all this.
PS - yeah I know - if Romance is a potential weapon of the "left" - it is also a potential battle field for the "right"... but choosing to ignore that it is a potentially influential battle field and ignoring the skirmishes it is winning (and it definitely is winning many) and if EVERYONE on the left is just heaping derision on something that those who disagree with us hold dear is not going to advance our agenda.
Ok that's all. It may have been a lot of "OBVIOUS WOMAN STRIKES AGAIN"... but it was useful to me if no one else.... and if I want others to accept work that is "better not perfect "... I suppose part of that is leading by example and taking a risk and posting something that I am not 100% sure of...
@shinnegamitensei replied to your post “want to see a beaver irl outside of a zoo :( epic creachrr of da north”
Alyssa is just afraid of wild dogs and errant children knocking over her CPU tower and she doesn't like it when they wander into her Acid Repository either. Throws off the pH
Of course I don't do that and Alyssa would never have thought of that.
New Post has been published on Hall Of Fame Magazine
New Post has been published on http://www.hofmag.com/the-simpsons-season-28/163847
'The Simpsons Season 28': Creator Matt Groening "Proud" And Keeping Reputation About Shows 'Subversiveness'
Fox had announced the dates of airing shows to be featured on their network for the 2006-2017 Season; and it includes the unprecedented comedy series loved by everyone: The Simpsons. who is now moving on its Season 28.
The Emmy-Award winning show has been surviving in the television network with its countless episodes that had a lot of guest appearances from celebrities, as well the many made catch phrases starting with the “D’oh” sound always heard from the leading ‘man of the family’ Homer Simpson.
Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, tells the success from a recent interview of the iconic family mentioning the word ‘subversiveness’ as part of the concepts he always put on stories according to Dallas Observer.
‘Subversiveness’ may link with the words ‘agitation’, ‘protest’, and somewhere between owning ‘rights’ and claiming the existence of equality of humanity. In proof for an exact definition: it is the tending or intending of subverting or overthrowing, in means to destroy or undermine an established/ existing systems such as a legally constituted government or a set of beliefs, Dictionary.com
These kinds of words are heard through series of made Revolutions/ People Power Movement in history.
Somehow, Subversiveness is also the kind that defines: the act without doubting uniqueness, justifying an appeal in a selfless way, and having own liberation of doing so.
The Simpsons, with more than 605th episodes, have captured the hearts and laughter of its million followers for over 27 Seasons; and the intention to ‘stop’ never came as an option to end the gangs’ antics and drama, with the iconic family still keeping the image alive from generation to generation.
Groening also tells how the show made viewers feel the ‘superiority’ on characters success. Success in a way of how it executes the ideal persona of real life, featuring dialogues that are mostly been heard on masses perceptive ideas; says this has been his flow on telling stories from each episode he has done.
“He wanted the show to go for real emotions and make people forget they’re watching a cartoon, and that was a great goal to have in the very beginning,” says Brooks.
It is certain that fans would definitely love to see more from Matt Groening’s’ creation of The Simpsons with Fox confirming an all new series for its 28th Season airing this Fall, September 25, Sundays’ at 8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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