TonyaLazdowski
CSCTMRP
Dr.LorraineYork
July28,2014
“WhyDoThesePeopleAssumeWe’reGay?”:WorkingTowardsanInclusiveSlash
FictionTheorythroughSupernatural
Asanundergraduate,IwrotemyseniorthesisonStephenieMeyer’sTwilightseries,
usingJaniceRadwayandTaniaModleski’stheoriesonromancenovelstoexplorewhyand
howreadersidentifywiththeseries’protagonist,whochoosestodevoteherlifetoan
aggressive,controllingman.Inlearningabouttheimportanceofheterosexualrelationships
toreaders’identificationwithheroinesinromancenovels,Ibegantoquestionthenatureof
straightwomen’sidentificationwithslashfiction:storiesaboutTVormoviecharacters
writtenbyfanswheregayratherthanstraightrelationshipsarethefocus.Why,I
wondered,didstraightwomencreateandparticipateinagenrethatfocusedongaymen?
Atthebeginningofthisproject,myknowledgeofslashfictionwaslimited.WhileI
participatedonlineinthefandomsofmanyTVshowsormoviesthatgenerateslashfiction
andwaswellacquaintedwithslash,Ididnotconsidermyselfamemberofslashfandom;I
hadreadsomestories,butIneverwroteanyofmyownorparticipatedinonline
discussionsaboutfavoriteslashstories.Ialsosufferedfromthecommonmisconception
thatslashfictionwasdominatedbystraightfemalefansandwasaboutonlymen,an
assumptionevidentinmyinitialresearchquestion,whichfocusedspecificallyonstraight
women’sidentification.AsIresearchedfurther,Iencounteredbothinformationthatre‐
educatedmeaboutmymisconceptionsandpreviousscholarshipthatIfeltdidnot
adequatelyoraccuratelytheorizeslash.Ratherthantryingtoretheorizestraightwomen’s
identificationwithstraightmen,Ibecamepreoccupiedwithanalyzingprevious
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scholarship.Whydidearlyslashtheoryfocussoheavilyonstraightwomen,andwhatare
theconsequencesofthatfocus?Howcanslashtheorybereconceptualizedtoincludeall
slashfans,andwhatdodemographicstellusaboutthefunctionofslashitself?Theresultof
myinquiryisatheorythatcannotserveasanuniversalexplanationforallslashstoriesor
allslashfans,butonethatmayprovidesomepossibilitiesforexplaininghowslash
functions,atheorythatworkstowardamoreaccurateandinclusivediscussionaboutslash
fictionanditsfans.Whilepreviousscholarship’sfocusonstraightwomenresultsinsexist
andhomophobicconclusionsaboutslash,amoreinclusivetheoryofslashdemonstrates
howthegenreisawayforfanstograpplewithoppressiveheteronormativemasculinity,
eveniftheirstoriesdonotnecessarilypresentprogressivesolutions.
“Like,TogetherTogether?”:ASlashFictionOverview
Thoughitmayseemaveryspecificgenre,slashfictioniscomprisedofquitediverse
stories.SaraGwenllianJoneswrites,“Almosteveryimaginableseductionscenario,
narrativecontext,emotionalimportandsexualpracticeissomewheredescribedinslash
fiction.Storiesmaybeplotlesspornographictableaux,sexuallyexplicitromances,
comedies,tragediesoractionadventures”(79‐80).Inshort,slashcanbeconsistently
definedasstorieswrittenbyfansinwhichtwocanonicallystraight1charactersfroma
culturaltext,usuallyatelevisionshow,areplacedinaromanticand/orsexualrelationship.
Asidefromthisbasiccategorization,slashstoriesvarywidely.
Slashappearstohavebeguninthe1970swithStarTrek,intheformoffan‐made
magazines,orzines,featuringstoriesthatfocusedonCaptainKirkandMr.Spockina
1Thesecharactersmayexplicitlybestraight,butinothercasestheirsexualitymaynotbeidentified.Dueto
heteronormativity,thesecharactersareoftenreadasstraightbyaudiences.
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romanticand/orsexualrelationship(referredtoasKirk/Spock2stories).In“Feminism,
Psychoanalysis,andtheStudyofPopularCulture,”ConstancePenleywritesthatasof1992,
Kirk/Spockzines“stillrepresentthemajorityofslashpublishing”(480,483).Accordingto
earlyscholarship,storiesinthesezineswerewrittenandreadprimarily,ifnotentirely,by
women,manyofthemstraight(seeBacon‐Smith,Russ,Penley,LambandVeith).
Today,however,slashfictionispublishedprimarilythroughtheinternetonsites
suchastumblr,LiveJournal,andanArchiveofOurOwn(AO3).Duetothenatureofthe
internet,accessibilityhasgreatlyincreased.Nolongerdofanshavetosendawayacheck
andawaitamagazine’sarrival.Slashisavailableinstantlyandforfreeforthosewithaccess
toacomputerandinternet.Inadditiontothechangeinpublicationvenue,the
demographicsofreadersandwritershaveshifted.Arecentstudyofaround10,000tumblr
andAO33usersrevealedthatonly25‐36%ofslashfansidentifyasbothheterosexualand
female4(centrumlumina,“AO3CensusMasterpost”).Slashfandom,then,hasdrastically
changedfromaspacethatis(orisperceivedasbeing)onlyforstraightwomentoonein
whichfansofvaryinggendersandsexualitiesparticipate.
OnetextbookexampleofslashfandomrosetomindasIwasconsideringthese
questionsaboutslashfiction:Supernatural,ashowthatfocusesontwobrothersasthey
driveonaroadtripacrossthecountry,fightingmonstersanddemonsintheirbeloved’67
2AsJonesnotes,“Slashfictiontakesitsnamefromthepunctuating'slash'inthe'Kirk/Spock'or'K/S'erotic
fanfictionthatappearedinthewakeoftheoriginalStarTrekseries(1966‐9)”(80).
3Whilesomeshorterficsand“ficlets”arepostedontumblr,whichisprimarilyusedformicroblogging,more
often,onlylinksleadingtomorelengthyficsarepostedontumblr,whiletheficsthemselvesarepostedon
LiveJournalorAO3,twoofthemostpopularsitesforpostingandreadingslash.
4Thepercentagesincentrumlumina’sstudyvarysowidelybecauserespondentswereabletoselectmore
thanoneresponseeachforsexualityorgender(ie,arespondentcouldselectonlyfemaleforgender,orselect
bothfemaleandneutrois).Twenty‐fivepercentrepresentsthenumberofrespondentswhoselectedonly
femaleforgenderandonlyheterosexualforsexuality;thirty‐sixpercentrepresentsthenumberwhoselected
femaleandheterosexualaswellasothergenderandsexualidentities.Moreinformationcanbefoundat
http://centrumlumina.tumblr.com/post/63112902720/heterosexual‐female‐slash‐fans.
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Impala.UsingSupernaturalandtheslashfictioninspiredbyitasaspecificexample,Iwill
explorepreviousscholarshiponslashfictionandslashstoriesthemselves.
“SavingPeople,HuntingThings,TheFamilyBusiness”:Supernatural101
IhavechosentofocusspecificallyonSupernaturalbothbecauseitappearstohave
oneofthelargestonlinefandoms,leadingtooneofthelargestbodiesoffanwork,and
becauseoftherichnessandcomplexityoftheshow’spotentialforqueerness.Inthesame
surveythatshowedhowfewslashfansonAO3identifiedasheterosexualfemales,
Supernaturalwasshowntobethefourthmostpopularfandomoutofallthosewritten
aboutonAO3(centrumlumina,“PopularFandoms”).Furthermore,atthetimeofthestudy,
Supernaturalheldthepositionofhavingthehighestamountoffanfiction(notnecessarily
slash)storieswrittenaboutitonAO3bothwithinthelastyearandintheentirefive‐year
historyofthewebsite,apositiononwhichitappearstohavequiteafirmgrasp
(centrumlumina,“RecentFandomPopularities”).
Supernatural’sprotagonists,SamandDeanWinchester,wereraisedbytheirabusive
ex‐MarinefatherJohn,whospenthistimehuntingdownthedemonthathadkilledtheir
motherinaparanormalfirewhenSamwasaninfant.WhileJohnhuntedmonstersand
drank,SamandDeanwereleftalonetotakecareofeachotherinanever‐endingstringof
seedymotelrooms.Oncetheboysreachedadulthood,Dean,everthesoldierJohnraised,
dutifullystayedathometohelpJohnhuntmonsters,whileSamwenttoStanfordonafull
scholarship,muchtoJohn’sdismay.SupernaturalbeginswhenJohnfailstoreturnfroma
huntingtrip,andDeantracksdownSamatStanfordtohelpfindhim.
Throughoutthefirstfewseasons,SamandDeanloseeverythingbuteachother:Sam
leaveshislifeatStanford,hisgirlfriendJessicadiesinthesamekindoffirethatkilledthe
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boys’mother,andJohngoestohellaftersellinghissoultoademon.Whiletherearesome
recurringcharacterswithwhomSamandDeanhavestrongrelationships,suchasBobby
SingerandEllenandJoHarvelle,theshowmainlyfocusesontherelationshipbetweenthe
brothersastheyhuntdemonsandothermonsters.Inseasonfour,angelsareintroduced
throughthecharacterofCastiel,asociallyawkwardangelwhobecomesacloseallytoSam
andDean.ThoughCasconcernshimselfwithfutureofbothWinchesterbrothers,itis
Dean’srelationshipwithCasthatappearssignificant;fromthetimethatCasrescuesDean
fromHell,throughthemanyepisodesinwhichDeanstrugglestotrustCas,toCas’sbetrayal
oftheWinchestersandhissubsequentdisappearance,Dean’srelationshipwithCas
providesmuchoftheemotionaldramaintheshowafteritsfirstfewseasons.
Sam,Dean,andCas,astheshow’sthreemaincharacters,arethemostpopular
subjectsofSupernaturalslashfiction.Thoughthereareseveraldifferentships5favoredby
fans,Sam/Dean,lovinglyreferredtoasWincest(anamalgamationofWinchesterand
incest)bySupernaturalfans,andDean/Cas,alsocalledDestiel(anamalgamationofDean
andCastiel),areundoubtedlythetwomostpopular.TheAO3surveyshowsthatoutofall
slashshipsinanyfandomtaggedonAO3,Destielisthesecondmostpopular,with15,307
fics6tagged,whileWincestcomesinatnumberfourwith7,959ficstaggedonAO3
(centrumlumina,“ARankedList”).
Itissignificantthatthesetwoships,themostpopularwithintheSupernatural
fandomandtwoofthetopfiveofallshipsonAO3,bothfocusonmen.Myinitialquestions
onthisprojectassumedthatmost,ifnotall,slashstorieswereabouttwomen,writtenby
5“Ship,”shortforrelationship,isthetermusedtodescribeaparticularpairing.“Ship”canalsobeusedasa
verb;toshiptwocharactersistowantthemtobeinarelationshiptogether.
6“Fic,”shortfor“fiction,”isusedtorefertoaspecificstory.
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straightwomen.Whilethepopularconceptionthatslashisdominatedbystraightwomen
hasbeendebunked,thenotionthatslashmainlyfocusesonrelationshipsbetweentwomen
hasnot.AccordingtotheAO3survey,115ofthetop161shipsonAO3aremale/maleships,
anditisnotuntilshipnumber24thatawomanappears,inamale/femaleship
(centrumlumina,“ARankedList”).Outof161ships,onlyfourarefemale/femaleships7.
Withthisinmind,Iturnedtopreviousscholarshiponslashtofindanswersastowhy
male/maleshipsaresoprevalent.
“TheseTacosTasteFunnytoYou?”:ProblemswithPreviousScholarship
Unfortunately,asIdelvedintoprevioustheoryonslashfiction,Iencounteredmore
problemsthananswers.Whilemuchscholarshiponslashisnaturallydatedinsomeways,
muchofwhatIwasfoundedonproblematicassumptions.Thatmanyofthesewritingsaim
topraiseslashasprogressive,evenwhilethetheoriesusedtodosoarehomophobicor
sexist,makesthemallthemoredisturbing.
TroublewithDemographics
Oneoftheprimaryissueswiththisscholarshipisthatitfocusessoheavilyon
theorizingtheidentificationofwomen,especiallystraightwomen,withslashfiction.Inone
ofthefirstacademicwritingsonslashfiction,a1985articletitled“Feminism,
Psychoanalysis,andPopularCulture,”ConstancePenleywritesthat“the[StarTrekslash]
fandomisalmost100%female”(483),thoughlaterinherarticle,sheconcedesthat“the
almostcompletelyfemaleandheterosexualcompositionofthefandommaybebreakingup
slightlyinsomeinterestingways”(483).Thesameyear,JoannaRussopensherpieceon
slashfiction“Pornography,ByWomenForWomen,WithLove,”withtheassertion,“Yes,
7Female/femaleshipsandstoriesarealsooftenreferredtoas“femslash.”
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thereispornographywritten100%bywomenfora100%femalereadership”(79).In
1986,CamilleBacon‐SmithwritesinTheNewYorkTimes,“Forthepast10years,atleast,
womenhaveaccountedforover90percentofthewritingandgraphicartsandforalmost
alltheeditingofthe‘StarTrek’fanpublications.”Therearemanyarticlesthatdonot
explicitlystatethatslashfandomismadeupofstraightfemales,yetthesearticlesoften
assertthisimplicitlybyfocussolelyontheorizingtheidentificationofstraightwomen.
Clearly,theconsensusofpreviousscholarshipisthatslashfictionisastraightwoman’s
genre.
ThedemographicsofslashfansnolongerresemblethosedepictedbyPenley,Russ,
andBacon‐Smith.Alingeringquestion,however,isdidthefansresemblethese
demographics?Whilealloftheseauthorscitednumericalstatisticsintheirwriting,noneof
thesenumbersaresupportedbythecitationofastudyoranysortofexplanationforthe
derivationofthesenumbers.8Thereareacoupleofpossibilitiesastohowtheseauthors
cameupwiththesenumbers.Althoughitmighthavebeenmoredifficultbeforeslash
movedtotheinternet,statisticalstudiesofslashfandomwerecertainlypossible.Zine
editorsmighthaveeasilycompiledlistsofwritersandreadersfromtheirrecordsthatmay
haveledtothehighestimationsofwomen’sinvolvement.Ifthiswerethecase,however,
suchastudywouldnotnecessarilyprovethat100%percentoftheparticipantswere
women,andespeciallynotthattheywerestraight.Itseemslikelythatthemajorityofslash
fansatthistimewereinfactwomen.Itseemsequallylikely,however,thatfansofother
gendersalsoexisted.Ifslashappearedtobeawomen’sgenre,fanswhowerenotwomen
8OneexceptiontothisisinHenryJenkins’“WelcometoBisexuality,CaptainKirk:SlashandtheFanWriting
Community,”inwhichJenkinscitestheunsupportedfigureinBacon‐Smith’sNewYorkTimesarticleas
support(197).
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mightsubmitslashstoriesorsendawayforzinesundertraditionallyfemalenames,or
borrowazinepurchasedbyafemalefriendinordertofeelmorecomfortableparticipating
inslashfandom.Thisinturnwouldreinforcetheperceivedhighrateofwomen’s
participation.
Anothermethodbywhichtheseauthorsmayhaveobtainedthe100%women
statisticisthroughslashfanconferences.BothPenleyandBacon‐Smithnotetheir
experiencesatconferences;inEnterprisingWomen,Bacon‐Smithrecountsoneoccasionon
whichamanaskedagroupoffemaleconferenceparticipantsinahotellobbywhatwas
goingon,andtheyexplained,giggling,thattheywerepartofa“ladies’literarysociety”(3‐
4).Judgingthegenderofslashfansthroughconferences,aswithzinerecords,canbe
misleading.Ifconferences,likezines,areperceivedasaspaceforwomen,itisunlikelythat
fansofothergenderswouldparticipateinconferences,thoughtheymaystillbeactive
readersandwritersofslash.
Homophobia
Theseobservationsarenotmeanttodismisstheimportantroleofwomenin
creatingslashfiction,oreventoprovethatwomendidnotformthemajorityofslashfans
atthetime,buttochallengethenotionthatslashfansinthe1970s‐1990swerearelatively
homogeneousgroupofstraightwomen,particularlygiventhenegativeeffectsthatthis
widespreadassumptionhasonslashtheory.Scholarshipbasedonsuchanassumption
resultsinafailuretoaddressotherdemographics.Becausemuchofearlyscholarship
characterizesslashasbeingaboutlove,emotionalcaring,andrelationships,slashfictionis
regularlyreferredtointermssuchas“feminineerotica”(Jenkins,“NormalFemaleInterest”
83)and“femalesexualfantasy”(Russ85).Thesetermsareusedinoppositiontoerotica
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andsexualfantasy,conceptswhich,inspiteoftheirneutralappearance,aresocially
constructedthroughamaleperspective.Adding“feminine”or“female”todistinguishfrom
amaleperspectivereinforcesarestrictivegenderbinary;undertheseterms,eroticaand
sexualfantasyareeithermale(thoughappearingneutral)orfemale.Suchaconstructionof
theseconceptsnotonlyoverlooksthefactthatgendersbeyondmaleandfemale,and
thereforeeroticaorsexualfantasybeyondmaleandfemale,exist,butalsocodes
participationinslashfiction,orinterestinemotionalrelationships,asanecessarily
feminineactivity.Consideringthatparticipationinslashfictioncantaketheformof,for
example,agaymanreadingorwritingaboutgaymen,declaringslashfictiontobea
feminineactivityisahomophobicassertionthatcansupporthistoricallyprevalentformsof
homophobiainwhichgaymenareemasculatedandfeminized.
Writingsthatemploytermscodingslashfictionasfeminineresultintheorythat
attemptstoexplainslashfictiononlyasitiswrittenorreadbystraightwomen.One
exampleofsuchtheorycanbefoundinJenkins’s“StarTrekRerun,Reread,Rewritten,”in
whichJenkinsarguesthatwomenusefanfictionasawaytoexplore(straight)female
charactersandintereststhataremarginalizedinmosttexts,whicharelargelywrittenby
men.Jenkinsexplains,“Thisneedtoreclaimfeminineinterestsfromthemarginsof
masculinetextsproducesendlessspeculationthatdrawsthereaderwellbeyondtextual
boundariesintothedomainoftheintertexual”(43).Jenkins’sconclusion,then,isthat
(straight)womenwritefanfictionandslashfictionbecausesourcetextsforsuchfiction,
suchasStarTrek,arewrittenbymenanddonotsufficientlyaddress(straight)women’s
interests.WhiletheoriessuchasJenkins’smaynotbeerroneousperse,suchatheoryis
inadequateconsideringthe64%ormoreofslashfansthatdonotidentifyasstraight
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women.In1998,overtenyearsafterPenley,Russ,Bacon‐Smith,andhisown“StarTrek
Rerun”piece,HenryJenkinspennedaninterview‐stylepiece,“‘NormalFemaleInterestin
MenBonking’:SelectionsfromtheTerraNostraUndergroundandStrangeBedfellows,”in
whichhenotedthat“manyslashreadersandwritersidentifiedthemselvesasqueer,”
thoughhedoesnotshareanyofhisownthoughtsabouthowtoincludethatqueernessin
slashtheory(62).Somehow,slashfanswhoarenotstraightwomenareconsistently
excludedfromtheory.
Thehomophobiaofpreviousscholarshipisnotlimitedtotheexclusionoffanswho
donotidentifyasstraightwomen,butextendstotheanalysisofslashstoriesthemselves.A
commonphenomenoninslashstoriesisdenyingthatthecharactersaregay.Penley
explainsthat“someoftheauthorstrytowritetheirstoriessothatsomehowthetwomen
areloverswithoutbeinghomosexual;”ratherthanaddressingqueerness,thesestoriesrely
ontheconceptof“cosmicdestiny:thetwomenaresomehowmeantforeachotherand
homosexualityhasnothingtodowithit.”Thatthereis“nodepictionofagaysubculture”
onlystrengthenstheimpressionthatsomeslashauthorsbelievequeernesshasnothingto
dowithslash,aclaimthatscholarsrarelyrecognizeasproblematic(487).One
Supernaturalslashstory,destieldrabblesdaily’sshortwork“OnlyYou,”servesasastrong
exampleofastorythatdeniesqueerness.ThepiecefocusesonDean’spanicandinsistence
thatheisnotgayeventhoughhefindshimselfattractedtoCas.Ratherthanaddressthis
issuebyhavingDeancometotermswithhissexualidentityinapositiveway,theauthor
endsthestorywithDeantellingCas,“Look,Cas…I’mnotgay,andIreallydon’twantto
overanalyzeanyofthis…Iguessit’sjustyou.Onlyyou.”Whilesomepeoplemayexperience
attractiontoonlyonepersonofacertaingenderinthisway,theprevalenceofsuchstories
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andcharacters’panickedinsistencesthattheyare“notgay”yetsomehowshareamystical
(andsexual)lovearehomophobic;butmostscholarsfailtofullyaddressthisassuch.In
fact,Russ,citingPatriciaLambandDianaVeith,makestheargumentthatthisphenomenon
provesthatslashishowwomenexpresstheirsexualfantasies.Shearguesthatchoosingto
writeaboutSpock’s“aliennessisawayof‘coding’intotheK/Sfantasiesthattheirsubjectis
notahomosexualloveaffairbetweentwomenbutloveandsexaswomenwantthem,
whetherwithamanorwithanotherwoman”(83).ThoughRussmakesaneffortattheend
ofherstatementtoaddressqueernessbynotingthatsomefemaleslashfansmaybe
interestedinwomen,sheultimatelyarguesthatKirk/Spockisnotagayrelationship
becauseonlyoneofitsparticipantsisahumanman,inspiteofthefactthatSpockishalf
human,appearshuman(withtheexceptionofhisears),andidentifiesasmale.Suchaclaim
seemsevenmorefarfetchedconsideringtheplethoraofslashwrittenaboutcoupleswho
arefullyhuman.Russappearstoupholdthehomophobiaofsomeslashfans;likethosewho
claim“cosmicdestiny”inplaceofexplicitlyaddressingqueerness,Russseemstoclaim
“alienness”tosupporthertheorythatslashisnotaboutqueerness,butwomen’sdesires.In
“RomanticMyth,Transcendence,andStarTrekZines,”LambandVeithevengofarasto
claim,“Thesestoriesarenotabouttwogaymalesandshouldnotbecategorizedas
examplesofhomosexualliterature—eithermaleorfemale”(253).Suchanargumentmight
beupheldbyadiscussionofhowslashauthorswhodenythatslashisinanyway
connectedtohomosexualityappropriatequeernessfortheirownends,asametaphorfor
thekindofheterosexualrelationshiptheydesire.NeitherLambandVeithnorRussfollow
thisroute,however,apparentlyunawareofthehomophobiaandqueererasurepresentina
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claimthattwomalecharacterswhohavesextogetherarenotqueer,andthatagenreof
suchstoriesisnothomosexualliterature.
SexisminSlash
Despitethehomophobiaofsomeslashstories,severalscholarslaudslashfictionfor
itssupposedlyprogressivenature.Severalscholarswhofocusonwomen’sidentification
withslashfictionalsopraiseslashasradical,feministliterature.Penleydelightsinher
experiencewithslashfandom,explaining,“Icouldnothelpalsorespondingtotheslash
phenomenonasoneofthemostradicalandintriguingfemaleappropriationsofapopular
cultureproductthatIhadeverseen”(484).Russ,too,seemstodelightintheideathat“all
oftheeditors,writersandreadersarewomen”(81).JenkinsclaimsthatStarTrekslash
fictionisa“rereading/rewritingof‘spaceopera’asanexotictypeofromance(and,often,
thereconceptualizationofromanceitselfasfeministfiction)”(“StarTrekRerun,”50).
Penleyevengoesasfarascallingslashshipsarepresentationof“radicalequality”(490).
Whilethereisfeministpotentialinagenrewhosereadersandwritersarelargelywomen,
thatpotentialdoesnotnecessarilycometofruitioninslashfiction.
Oneaspectofsomeslashstoriesthatpreventsthemfrombeingradically
progressiveorfeminististheexplicitdegradationofwomen.Jenkinswritesin“Welcometo
Bisexuality,CaptainKirk:SlashandtheFanWritingCommunity”thatthereare“manyslash
storieswhichoftenseektocontrastthemen’sprevious[heterosexual]romanticfailures
withtherewardstheyfindwithinanallmalecouple”(226).Intheseinstances,womenare
denigratedinordertovalidatethecharacters’gayrelationship.Often,relationships
betweenthemaleprotagonistsandwomenaretreatedasmeaningless;oneexampleofthis
canbefoundinishaluvsu2’sWincestficYouCan’tChooseinLove<3,inwhichDeanengages
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infrequentsexualencounterswithvariouswomenonlyforthepurposeofkeepinghimself
distractedfromhavingsexualthoughtsaboutSam.Inthemidstofoneoftheseencounters,
SamcallsDeantotellhimhehashadanightmare,andDeanactuallythrowsthewomanout
ofhiscartogocomfortSamimmediately;thenamelesswomanisworthnothingcompared
withSam.Anothercommontrendistovillifywomentousethemasasourceofconflictin
slashrelationships.BothWinJennster’sPaintedAngelsandgabrielandstandbyme’sTwist
andShoutemploymalevolent,jealousfemalecharacterswhothreatentheromantic
relationshipbetweenDeanandCas.Often,women’spresenceisslashfictionislimitedto
portrayalaseitherinferiortomenanddisposableorjealousandevilinsuchstories.
Anotherlessexplicitformofmisogynyinslashfandomistheheavypreferencefor
male/maleshipsoverfemale/female,male/female,orotherkindsofrelationships.Often,
womendonotevenexistinmale/maleslashstories,asonewritercitedinJenkins’s
“NormalFemaleInterestinMenBonking”explains:“Somestoriesleavewomencharacters
completelyout.Forinstance,eventhoughTheProfessionalsroutinelydepictswomenasfull
membersofCI5[CriminalIntelligence5],manyB/D[Bodie/Doyle]slashstoriespositCI5
asanall‐maleforce”(73).9Anotherfanadds,“…Ifindmyselfwishingforthefamiliarityofa
woman’sbody,orevenjustasignificant,three‐dimensional,femalecharacter”(72).10Ifthe
homophobiaofsomeslashworksisnotenoughforscholarstorecognizethepotential
problemsofslashfiction,ratherthanpraiseitsprogressivenessblindly,thensurelythe
misogynythataffectsthegenreshouldbe.
SexisminScholarship
9NinaBoal,originallyin“LavenderLilies,addendum”TerraNostraUnderground6,May1991.
10SarahKatherine,originallyin“WritingfromtheMargins,”TerraNostraUnderground13,February1993.
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Scholarsnotonlyprincipallyfailtorecognizethemisogynyoftenpresentinslash,
butalsoperpetuatemisogynyintheirowntheory.Thisismostapparentinexplanationsof
whywomenareinterestedinwritingaboutgaymen.Russvoicesapopulartheorywhen
sheexplains,inagreement,“LambandVeithsimplystatethatnoone(including
themselves)canimagineamanandwomanhavingthesamemultiplex,worthy,
androgynousrelationship,orthesamecompletelyintimatecommitment”(84).Penley
hintsatasimilarideawhenshewrites,
Itwas,then,inlargepart,thewomenfans’abidinglovefortheStarTrekuniverse,
whichatanimportantmomentinthelatesixtiesmadeatleastagesturetoward
sexualequality—thereare,afterallwomenbothonthebridgeandoffwhoperform
importantduties—andtheirdisappointment—everythingtheyfeltwasmissing
fromStarTrek—thatpushedthemtobeginelaboratingontheStarTrekuniverse,to
moveitimaginativelytowardwhattheywanted:abetterromanceformula,and
compellingpornographyforwomen.(489)
Penleyimpliesthatsexualequality,whichisonlyattemptedinStarTrekthroughits
inclusionoffemaleofficers,isactuallyfulfilledbyKirk/Spockstoriesthatdemonstrate
equalitythroughromance.PenleyislessexplicitthanRuss’ssummaryofLambandVeith,
butthethesisofbothstatementsisthesame:womenwriteslashfictionaboutgaymenin
ordertoimagineatrulyequalromance,onethatcannotbeimaginedasoccurringbetween
amanandawoman(or,seemingly,twowomen–thispossibilitygoesunmentionedby
RussandPenley).Presumably,Russ,LambandVeith,andPenleycometothisconclusion
duetotheinfluenceofpatriarchyinformingunequalgenderroles;Russdescribes“the
androgynyoftherelationship,theimpossibility…ofassigninggenderrolestoeither
partner”asthereasonwhytherelationshipisequal(88).If,inaKirk/Spockfic,the
“responsibility,initiative,activity,passivity,strengthandweaknessshiftconstantlyfrom
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onetotheother”(83),whycouldsuchascenarionotbepossibleinafemale/femaleor
female/malefic?
LambandVeithattempttoanswerthisquestionbyconsideringsocialization.They
explain,
Ifthewriterpairstwowomentoavoidtheheterosexualproblemofmale
dominance,shemuststillovercometheculturaldictumoffemalepassivity.Thereis
asingularabsenceinmainstreamliteratureoffree,loving,excitingsexuality
betweenwomenwhoareinchargeoftheirlives,whoareheroic…Themythof
femalepassivitymakesitdifficultforthereadertoimagineoraccepttwostrong
womenwhoareequallyinloveandwhocanbeeroticallyactiveandmutually
interactive,justasitmakesitdifficulttoenvisionatrulyequalheterosexual
relationship.(241)
Culturallydictatedfemalepassivity,then,wouldpreventslashfansfrombeingableto
imaginetwowomeninloveandbeingactiveconcerningthatlove.Thismaybetrueto
someextent–womenmaybemorelikelytobepassiveinromanceduetosocialization–
butslashfansmustovercometheculturaldictumofhomophobiaandfearofemasculation
andfeminizationtowriteaboutgaymen.Justasthereisa“singularabsenceinmainstream
literature”offemalecharacterswhoareinloveandareactiveenoughtoactuponthatlove,
sotooisthereanabsenceofloving,in‐lovemalecharacters.Ifslashfanscanbreakthe
taboossurroundingmaleheteronormativity,surelytheyhavetheimaginationandcourage
toenvisiontwofemalecharacterswhodemonstrateagencyinaromanticand/orsexual
relationship.
Infact,whileRuss,reiteratingLambandVeith,claimsthat“noone…canimagineaman
andwomanhavingthesamemultiple,worthy,androgynousrelationshiporthesame
completelyintimatecommitment”asKirkandSpock,thefactisthatfanscanandhave
imaginedamanandawoman(andtwowomen)insucharelationship.Slashfictionmaybe
sodominatedbymale/malerelationshipsthataslashstoryisautomaticallyassumedtobe
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aboutmen,butthatdoesnotpreventtheexistenceoffemslash,inwhichthetwofemale
protagonists,likeKirkandSpock,mayalsodefygenderroles.Genericfanfiction,too,is
filledwithstoriesaboutmale/femalerelationshipsthatemploythesametacticsasthe
Kirk/SpockstoriesRusscites–makingcharacters“androgynous”byvaryingtraditionally
masculineandfemininetraitsbetweenbothpartners–inanefforttocomposeanequal
relationship.
Furthermore,amale/malerelationshipisnotnecessarilyandrogynousorequal.
Russechoesherbeliefthatonlyamale/malerelationshipcanbeandrogynousinaclosing
commentinwhichshedescribesamale/maleslashshipas“asituationinwhichquestions
aboutwhoisthemanandwhoisthewoman,who’sactiveandwho’spassive,evenwho’s
who,cannotevenbeasked”(96).Whilesuchasituationmaybepossible,manyficsdefy
Russ’sassertion.OneofthemostpopularSupernaturalfics,TwistandShout,issetinan
alternateuniverseinthe1950sinwhichDeanisamotorcycle‐riding,drag‐racing
bartenderandCasisasweet,shybookwormstudyingtobeadoctor.Theirrelationship
adherestotypicalbutch/femmeroles;badboyDeanismasculine,theromanticandsexual
aggressor,whileCasisdepictedasshyandpassive.ContrarytoRuss’sassertion,questions
about“who’sactiveandwho’spassive”orwho’smasculineandwho’sfemininecannot
onlybeasked,butbepositivelyansweredafterreadingonlyafewpagesofaficlikeTwist
andShout.Equalrelationshipsinfanfictionarepossible,buttheyareneitherlimitedtonor
guaranteedinmale/maleslash.Scholarshipthatarguesotherwiseperpetuatesmisogyny
bypropagatingandacceptingtheideathatfanscannotthinkbeyondculturaldictumssuch
asfemalepassivityandbyfailingtorecognizethechallengestogenderrolesthatare
presentinslash.
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LambandVeith’srelianceonoutdatedandsexistgenderrolesisnotlimitedtotheir
explanationofwhywomenarenotpresentinfans’ships,butisalsopresentintheir
explanationforagenerallackofwomeningenericfanfiction.Theyarguethat“giventhe
historicalandcurrentlimitationsimposedonwomen,itstretcheseventhelevelof
credibilityrequiredinsciencefictiontoimaginebelievablefemalecharacterswho,like
SpockandKirk,‘cansavetheuniverseonceaweek,’asonezineeditorputsit”(252).Again,
genderrolesmaypartiallyaccountforwhymale/maleshipsaresooverwhelmingly
popular.Yetanargumentthatfanscannotimaginewomenwho“savetheuniverse”asthe
protagonistsofsci‐fistoriespositsactivefemaleprotagonistsasimpossibleandoutlandish
inagenreinwhichapopulartopicisanalienwhose“penisishiddenbehindafurrymound
thatbecomestumescentandunfoldslikepetalsfromwhichhisemeraldgreenpenis
unfurlslikeastamen”(Penley486).Itseemsunlikelythatiffanwriterscanpen
imaginativeanddiversedepictionsofMr.Spock’sgenitalia–atopicsopopularthatithas
earneditsownworkshopatconventions(Penley486)–thattheycannotimagineactive
femaleprotagonists,asLambandVeithargue.Inadditiontobeingimprobable,this
argumentundervaluesfans’agencytodesire,constructandwriteactivefemale
protagonists.Finally,thisargumentfailstorecognizefanauthorswhohavealreadywritten
suchcharacters.AsJenkinspointsout,“…LambandVeithignorethedegreetowhichsome
popularnarratives(TheAvengersorAliensforinstance)doprovidestrongfemale
characterizationsandrepresentmenandwomenworkingsidebysideforacommon
cause”(“WelcometoBisexuality”200).Activefemalecharactersarepresentinsourcetexts
forfanstowriteabout.Thesecharactersmaynotbeasmajororactiveasfansdesire,but,
Jenkinscontinues,“Iffemalefansareoftennotentirelysatisfiedwiththedevelopmentof
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characterslikeCatherine,Uhura,Jenna,orYar,suchcharactersdoexistandprovide
resourcesfortheconstructionoffemale‐centerednarratives”(200).Jenkinsgoesonto
detailspecificficsbasedonsuchcharacters,describingtheportrayalof“twowomen’s
strengthandindependence”inaStarTrekfemslashstory(202).
Supernaturalnotonlyinspiresfan‐writtenstoriesaboutwomenwho“savethe
universe”(ifinconsiderablylessnumbersthanthoseaboutSam,Dean,orCas,),italso
featureswomensavingtheuniverseontheshowitself.Inseasonseven,SamandDean
meetCharlieBradbury,alesbianandahackerwhohelpsthemonacaseandbecomesa
recurringcharacter.Inperhapshermostnotableappearance,CharliemeetsDorothyfrom
TheWizardofOzandtogethertheydefeattheWickedWitchoftheWest(9.02“Slumber
Party”).Aftermuchflirtingthroughouttheepisode,CharliedecidestojoinDorothy,alsoa
lesbian,onatriptoOz.AlthoughSamandDeanarestilldecidedlytheprotagonistsofthe
show,muchofthisepisodefocusesonCharlieandDorothy,asmuchas,orperhapsmore
so,thanSamandDean.IndirectcontradictionofLambandVeith’sclaimthatfanscannot
imaginestoriesaboutheroines,Supernaturalnotonlyprovidesfemalecharactersabout
whomtowrite,butcaststhosecharactersasactiveandheroicintheshowitself.
ThoughCharlieistheonlyrecurringcharacterwhoisalesbian,thereareseveral
otherrecurring,activefemalecharactersintheshowwhoprovidematerialforfemslash
andfemale/malefic:JoHarvelle,BelaTalbot,Ruby,andMegMastersareallinteresting,
excitingrecurringcharactersrangingfromheroestovillains.Significantly,however,all
fourofthesecharactershavebeenkilledoff;attheriskofunderstatement,Supernatural
doesnottreatwomen.Theshow’smistreatmentofwomenappearstobearesultoffan
preferences.JoHarvelle,forexample,wasintroducedinseasontwoasapossiblelove
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interestforDean,butwaskilledoffinseasonfive,allegedlybecausetheshow’sfemalefans
objectedtoacharacterwhomightinterferewiththeWinchesters’relationship(Borsellino
107–17).CharacterssuchasBelaandRubyweresimilarlykilledoffafterbriefstintsas
potentialloveinterestsforthebrothers.Thetheorythatthemisogynyevidenthereisthe
fans’maynotbeentirelytrue.AsMonicaFlegelandJennyRothpointout,“Onecouldargue
thatthismisogynyis,inpart,aby‐productoftheshow'sownoverarchingmisogyny,
particularlyinseasons3and4,whichfeaturemanyfemalevillainsandfartoomany
examplesofgenderedandsexualizedinsultsandviolence.”Thatnorecurringfemale
charactersappearinseasononeaddstothisoverarchingmisogyny;theopeningofthe
showcharacterizestheWinchestersasemotionallyisolatedandneverseriouslyinterested
inwomen,whichmaymakeitdifficultforsomefanstoacceptafemaleloveinterestafter
anentireseasonfocusedprimarilyontheWinchesters’relationshipwitheachother.Fans’
apparentdislikeoffemalecharactersontheshowprovesonething:that,forwhatever
reason,theyprefershippingSamandDeanorDeanandCastoshippinganywomen.Lamb
andVeith’sargumentthatthisisbecausefanscannotimagineactivefemalecharacters,
however,isuntrue;Supernaturalnotonlyallowsfanstoimaginethem,butcandidlydepicts
them.
Thedateofpublicationofmostoftheworksmentionedaboveisundoubtedlyone
reasonwhythesetheoriesaresoproblematic.Forinstance,theideathatfanscannot
imaginetwowomeninlove,inanequalrelationship,savingtheuniverseeveryweekis
substantiallymoreviableinatimeperiodwhenheroineslikeBuffySummersorKatniss
Everdeenandlesbiancharacterswereconsiderablylesscommon.Still,Ihopetheanalysis
abovehasprovidedsignificantreasontoquestionprevioustheoriesevenaftertheirtime
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periodhasbeentakenintoaccount,especiallyconsideringthatmanyoftheseproblematic
theoriesarestillemployedandperpetuatedtoday.Ultimately,thesetheoriesarenotonly
inaccurateintheirfocusonstraightwomenbutalsoharmfulintheirhomophobicand
sexistreasoning.
“What’saSlashFan?”:CreatingaMoreInclusiveTheory
Whilemyinitialquestionsaboutslashfictioncenteredonstraightwomen’s
identificationwithgaymen,myexperiencewithresearchintopreviousscholarshipquickly
urgedmeinanotherdirection.Ratherthanconcernmyselfwiththeoriesofidentification
becausetheideaofstraightwomenidentifyingwithgaymenhadinitiallyintriguedme,I
decidedtostartwiththeslashfansthemselves.Thefirststepincreatingamoreaccurate
andinclusivetheoryofslashisidentifyingwhoactuallyparticipatesinslash;asmentioned
above,only25‐36%ofslashfansidentifyasstraightwomen(centrumlumina,“AO3Census
Masterpost”).
SlashFictionasQueerRepresentation
Only38%ofAO3surveyrespondentschoseheterosexual,andrespondentswere
abletochoosemorethanoneresponse.Twopercentofthosewhoselectedheterosexual
alsoselectedanotherbox(e.g.,heterosexualanddemisexual)(centrumlumina,“Sexuality”).
Over60%ofslashfansdonotidentifyasheterosexualatall.Thoughsomeeffortsaremade
byRussandJenkinstonotethatslashfansmaybelesbians,theAO3surveyshowsthatthe
majorityofslashfansarenotheterosexual.Consideringsuchastatistic,anoccasional
mentionofthepossibilityoflesbianfansdoesnotadequatelytakeintoaccountthe
queernessofthefanswhosewritingisbeingtheorized.
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Suchknowledgeshouldraiseadditionalquestionsabouttheassertionthatslash
fictionislargelynotaboutgaycharacters,asmentionedbyPenleyandJenkins,and
supportedbyRussandLambandVeith.Jenkinscites“thelargenumberofstorieswhich
explicitlydeny[characters]previoushomosexualexperiencesorgayorientations:the
constantlitanyof‘I’mnotgay;Ijustlove(fillintheblank),’or,asonefanaptlyrephrased
thisconvention,‘I’mnotgay;IjustliketosuckSpock’scock’”(“WelcometoBisexuality”
225‐6).ThoughsuchhomophobiastillfindsitswayintoSupernaturalslashstorieslikeOnly
You,manymorehugelypopularstoriessuchasTwistandShout,riseofthefallenone’sOutof
theDeep,andelizajane’sWeBothKindaLikedItconstructcharacterswhoidentifyasgay11
orbisexualandhavepreviousexperienceswithothermen;norarestoriesthatincludegay
subcultureasrareasPenleysuggests.Thisislikelyachangeinthegenrethatisaproduct
ofthechangeinsocialattitudestowardhomosexualityovertime;12regardless,queerness
seemstobebetterrepresentedinslashfictionthanisevidentinpreviousscholarship.As
11WhilemostofthetopSupernaturalficsonAO3writeDeanasbisexual,itisimportanttonotethatstories
thatcastDeanandSamasgayperpetuatesbisexualerasurebyignoringorinvalidatingthemany
relationships,howeverbrief,DeanandSamhavewithwomenthroughouttheshow.ThisisalsotrueofCas,
althoughtoalesserextent;forthemajorityofhistimeintheshow,Cashasnoromanticorsexual
relationshipsandhasnosexualhistory(5.03“FreetoBeYouandMe”).Intwoepisodes,however,Casdoes
haverelationshipswithwomen;inseasonseven,Casloseshismemory,andDeanfindsCaslivingasaman
namedEmmanuel,marriedtoawomannamedDaphne(7.17“TheBorn‐AgainIdentity”).Inseasonnine,Cas
loseshisvirginitytoawaitressnamedApril(9.03“I’mNoAngel”).Dependingonwhentheyarewritten,
storiesthatcastCasasgaymayalsocontributetobisexualerasure.Thoughbisexualerasureappearsless
commoninSupernaturalslashthaninStarTrekslash,rewritingthesecharactersasgaystillcontributesto
themis‐andunder‐representationofbisexualpeople.
12Itisdifficult,ifnotimpossible,todeterminewhethertheexclusionofqueernessinpreviousscholarship
andhomophobiainslashitselfisdependentontiming,butitseemslikelythathistoricalconditionswereat
leastaninfluence.Regardingpreviousscholarship,itispossiblethattherewerefarfewerpeoplewho
identifiedwithasexualityotherthanstraightinthe1980s,whenmuchofthisscholarshipwaswritten;itis
alsopossiblethatmoreofthesepeoplewereclosetedthantoday,atimeinwhichpeopleidentifyingasqueer
maynotbefreefromoppressionbutmayfeelsafercomingoutcomparedtothe1970swhenslashbegan.
Anotherpossibilityisthatmorepeoplefeltcomfortableselectinganoptionbesidesheterosexualonthe
anonymousAO3internetsurveythanpublicallywithinslashfandomduringthe’70sand’80s,whichwas
largelyperceivedasaspaceforstraightwomen.Inregardstothe“I’mnotgay;IjustliketosuckSpock’scock”
syndromeexhibitedbyslashfans,onereasonfortheapparentdecreaseinpopularityofthistropemaybe
thatgaysubculturehasbecomemoreacceptedandmorevisibleinbothinsocietyandpopularculture.
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boththesexualityoffansandtheexplicitinclusionofqueernessinstorieschange
perceptionsaboutslash,theideathatslashisnotaboutqueernesslosesitscredibilityand
thepossibilityofslashfictionasaformofqueerrepresentationbecomesfarmoreviable.
FollowingRussandLambandVeith’stheoriesthatslashfunctionsasawayfor
straightwomentoimaginethekindofloving,egalitarianrelationshipstheywantfor
themselves,theexcitingaspectofslashwouldbe,asPenleyandRussargue,thatmostly
straightwomenareappropriatingmalecharactersfromamale‐constructedtextfortheir
owninterests;yettopraisesuchaphenomenonistorejoiceintheappropriationof
queernessusedtoexpressfeminine,heterosexualdesires.Giventhatevidenceforsucha
theoryisshakyatbest,whatIfindtobetheexcitingaspectofslashistheappropriationof
canonicallystraightmalecharactersbyalargelyfemaleandqueerfandom.
Currently,queercharactersarehardtofindontelevision.Inits“WhereWeAreon
TVReport2013,”GLAAD(formerlytheGay&LesbianAllianceAgainstDefamation)stated,
“Outof796primetimebroadcastscriptedseriesregulars,26willbeLGBTthisyear,or
3.3%.”Queercouplesarejustasdifficult.In“GenderandRace:TheRelationshipBetween
Same‐SexCouplesandInterracialDepictionsinTelevision,”AngelaJorgensenreports,
“Samesexcouplesrepresentjustunder3%ofallrelationshipsontelevision”from2010to
2012.EventhoseLGBTQcharacterswhoarerepresentedareoftennotgivencomplexityor
significantstorylines.AccordingtoGLAAD’s“2013NetworkResponsibilityIndex,”nota
singlenetworkearnedaratingof“excellent,”whichisgiventonetworksthatfeature
“stronglyinclusiveprogrammingfeaturinggreatstorylinesanddiversity”(5).
GiventhepoorrepresentationofLGBTQcharactersonmainstreamtelevision,itis
easytoconceiveofslashfictionasspaceforqueerfanstorewritetheirfavoritecharacters
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inawaythatrepresentstheirownidentities.Onefan,bookshop,writesonLiveJournal,
“Themostempoweringaspectofslashformeisthatittakesbeloved,knowncharacters,and
stripsawaytheirheteronormativity.”In“Subtext,Queerbaiting,andYou,”slashfanKaci
Ferrellaskswhetheropponentsofslashrealizethat
whenwewriteaboutthecanonicallynon‐existentromanticrelationshipbetween
DeanWinchester[JensenAckles]andCastiel[MishaCollins],we’redoingittowork
outourownfeelingsaboutwantingarelationshipliketheoneweperceivethemto
have?Orevenjustbecauseit’ssomethingwewanttoseeandthemainstreammedia
failstoprovideuswithsuchportrayals?…Slashfanfictiongivesusthechanceto
createourstorywhenthewiderculturetellsustobesilent.
Ferrellisquicktopointoutthat“fanfictionisnotnowandshouldnoteverbe
consideredrepresentation”intermsofpopularmediarepresentation,sincegay
charactersinfan‐created,subculturaltextslackthevisibilityandpowerofgay
charactersinpopularmedialiketelevisionshows.Still,theimportanceofslashfiction
asexpressedbyFerrellisundeniable.Ferrellpositsslashfictionnotonlyasadirect
responseandformofresistancetothemedia’sexclusionofqueernessbutalsoasa
personaloutletforqueerfans’emotionsabouttheirownlives.
Whilesuchatheoryexplainswhythemorethan60%ofslashfanswhodonot
identifyasheterosexualreadandwriteslashfiction,italsoraisesthequestionofwhat
relationshipthe38%offanswhoidentifyasstraighthavewithslash.Unfortunately,
somestraightfansmaystillholdhomophobicattitudesandappropriatequeernessto
expresstheirownheterosexualdesires.Inspiteofthis,slashwrittenbystraightfans
canalsooccurforthesamereasonsFerrellattributestoqueerfans:visibilityand
identification.Thoughtheimpetusmaynotbeself‐representation,straightfans,
particularlythosewhoconsiderthemselvesallies,maystillfeelthatqueernessis
Page23of47
underrepresentedinmainstreammedia.13Furthermore,straightfansmayidentifywith
theconflictsfacedincertainslashships,regardlessof,ratherthanbecauseof,thefact
thatthecharactersarequeer.Ferrellassertsthatwhenqueerfanswriteslash,“we’re
doingittoworkoutourownfeelingsaboutwantingarelationshipliketheonewe
perceivethemtohave.”Thesamemaybetrueofstraightfans.Whenfans,straightor
queer,imagine,forinstance,DeanandCasinarelationship,theymayexplorethat
relationshipthroughslashfictionbecauseDean’sstruggletotrustCasmirrorsa
relationshipconflictthatthefansthemselvesface.14
Atheoryofslashfictionthatprioritizesstraightfansresultsintheorythatisnot
onlyproblematicandinaccurate,butalsocreatesabinarybetweenstraightandqueer
fans.ArgumentslikeLambandVeith’sthatarebasedonthedominationofstraightfans
precludetheideathatstraightandqueerfans,thoughtheymayidentifywithslash
charactersdifferently,mayhavesimilarreasonsforparticipatinginslash.
SlashFictionandReimaginingMasculinity
NinetypercentofrespondentstotheAO3surveyselectedfemaleforgender,and
twopercentoftheserespondentsalsoselectedatleastonemoreanswer(e.g.,femaleand
genderqueer)(centrumlumina,“Gender”).ThesestatisticsconfirmBacon‐Smith’searlier
13ThisfeelingmaybehighlightedthroughshowssuchasSupernatural,inwhichqueerbaitingresultsin
homoeroticsubtextthatfansmakeovertthroughslashfiction.Becausehomoeroticsubtextisalready
providedwithintheshow,fansarenotexactlyqueeringcharacters,butrathermakingtheshow’slatent
queernessexplicit.Slashfictionstoriesmaythenresultfromfans’frustrationanddesiretoseeaqueer
relationshipthatisalreadytherecometofruition.SeeCatherineTosenberger’s“‘TheEpicLoveStoryofSam
andDean’:Supernatural,QueerReadings,andtheRomanceofIncestuousFanFiction”andSaraGwenllian
Jones’“SexLivesofCultTelevisionCharacters.”
14Thismightbeseenasanappropriationofqueernesstoworkoutissuesinaheterosexualrelationship.
LambandVeitharguethatstraightwomenwriteaboutgaymenonlybecausetheycannotimaginethe
relationshiptheydesirebetweenamanandawoman.YetastraightfanidentifyingwithaconflictinDean
andCas’srelationship,thoughmakingcomparisonsbetweenstraightandgayrelationships,isnotusing
queernesssolelytowriteaboutastraightrelationship.Furthermore,straightfanswouldnotbeexplicitly
creatingaqueerrelationshipfortheirownuse,butwritingaboutaqueerrelationshipthattheymayperceive
asalreadyexistingontheshow(seefootnote10).
Page24of47
estimationthataround90%ofslashparticipantsidentifyaswomen(“SpockAmongthe
Women”1).Thoughthemajorityofslashfandomisoverwhelminglyfemale,itisvitalto
considertheother10%offans.Thehugeparticipationofwomenpointstoslashbeinga
genderedphenomenon.Yetperhapsparticipationinslashislessaboutbeingawomanthan
aboutnotbeingacisgendermale.Only4.2%ofrespondentschosemale,andoverhalfof
thoserespondentsalsochoseanotheridentity(e.g.,maleandtransgender).Ultimately,only
2%ofrespondentschoseonlymale.15Ratherthanlookingatslashfandomassimplya
woman’sinterest,wemightbegintolookatitasonethatdoesnotattractstraight
cisgendermen,consideringthatonly2%choseanidentitythatmightbereadascisgender
male.Giventhat62%oftotalrespondentsdidnotidentifyasstraight,itislikelythatthe
majorityofthesecisgendermendonotidentifyasstraight,resultinginanestimated
remainderofonepercentoftotalfansidentifyingasstraightcisgendermen.
Idonotwishtosuggestthatthe99%ofslashfanswhodonotidentifyasstraight
cisgendermenarethesamedemographicallysimplybyvirtueofthefactthattheyarenot
straightcisgendermen;certainly,afanwhoidentifiesashomosexualandfemalemay
experienceandinteractwithslashfictioninwaysthatdiffergreatlyfromafanwhois
pansexualandnonbinary.Ratherthanfocusonthedifferencesbetweenthemajorityof
fans,however,Iwouldliketofocusontheabsenceofstraightcisgendermeninorderto
discoversomeofthesimilaritiesinthereasonsthatfansmayhaveforwritingslash.
Ninety‐ninepercentofslashfansaresimilarnotonlybecausetheyarenotstraight
15Cisgenderwasnotanoptionforgenderidentityinthesurvey.Optionsincludedmale,female,transgender,
androgynous,agender,genderqueer,neutrois,trans*.Thesurveyalsoincludedanotheroptionwhere
respondentscouldentertheirgenderidentityinatextbox,forwhichpopularresponsesweregenderfluid,
non‐binary,andbi‐gender.Thoughthis2%ofmendidnotexplicitlyidentifyascisgender,itislikelythatthey
identifyascisgendergiventhattheyselectednootheroptionforgenderanddidnotaddanythinginthe
textbox.Forthepurposeofthisessay,Iwillestimatethattheamountofcisgendermensurveyed
approximatesthenumberofrespondentswhoselectedonlymen.
Page25of47
cisgendermen,butalsobecausetheyliveinaworldthatprivilegesstraightcisgender
men16throughtheoppressionofpeoplewho,likeslashfans,identifyasothergendersand
sexualities.
Previousscholarshiphastheorizedslashfiction,eitherexplicitlyorimplicitly,asa
wayofrewritingmasculinity.AuthorssuchasJenkins,Russ,andLambandVeith,however,
constructthisactasprimarilystraightwomenrewritingmasculinity.Giventhat55%of
respondentsidentify“asbelongingtoagender,sexualorromanticminority...i.e.LGBTQ+”
(centrumlumina,“AO3CensusMasterpost”),slashfictionmayservenotasaspacefor
straightwomentoradicallyappropriatemale‐dominatedtexts,aspositedbyPenley,butas
aspaceforpeopleofoppressedgendersandsexualitiestorewritethehomophobic,gender
binarybasedpatriarchy.
Earlytheoriesmaybebroadenedbeyondananalysisbasedonbinarygenderto
includeissuesofheteronormativityintheirformulationsofmasculinity.WhenJenkins
claimsthatslashoriginatesina“needtoreclaimfeminineinterestsfromthemarginsof
masculinetexts”(“StarTrekRerun”43),then,wemayexpandthistheorytounderstand
thatslashmaycomefromaneedtoreclaimtheinterestsoffanswhoarewomenand/or
LGBTQfromthemarginsofmale‐dominated,heteronormative,genderbinarybasedtexts.
Jenkinscentershisargumentonthegenderbinary,arguingthatslashfiction“doescallinto
questionanyrigidboundarybetweenmasculinityandfemininity”(“Welcometo
Bisexuality”223).Yetthisgenderbinaryitselfisshapedbyheteronormativity,afactthat
becomesparticularlyevidentwhenitisaddressedthroughslashfiction.Whatoftengoes
unmentionedinthesediscussions,orisoutrightdeniedbyRussandLambandVeith,isthat
16Ofcourse,raceandclassaretwomorefactorsinthematrixofoppression,butfewstatisticsareavailable
ontheseissueswithinslashfandom.
Page26of47
slashmustnecessarilybeaboutdeviantsexuality,notjustbecauseitscharactersarequeer,
butbecausetraditionalmasculinityiscontingentuponboththeculturallyappropriate
gendertraitsandheterosexuality.17Forslashfictiontoaddresstheculturallyimposed
“rigidboundarybetweenmasculinityandfemininity”withoutaddressingsexualityis
impossiblebecausethetraditionalnotionsofmanhoodbeingchallengedareintertwined
withheteronormativity.
Thereasonswhymaleand/orqueerfansareinterestedinrewritingmasculine
heteronormativitymaybeclear;theymaybeinterestedinexploringformsofmasculinity
thatarenotoppressivetobothqueerpeopleandmenwhodonotwishtofulfillrestrictive
genderroles.Straightwomen’sinterestinslashfiction,however,mightbeseenasan
appropriationofqueerness.If,asRussandLambandVeithclaim,straightwomenuseslash
fictionasawaytoexpresswhattheywantfromaheterosexualrelationship,thenitwould
seemstraightwomenareappropriatingqueernessbywritingstoriesthatareabout
characterswhoengageingaybehaviors,yetthatareultimatelyaboutheterosexuality.
Whileargumentsclaimingslashisaboutheterosexualityandnotatallrelatedtoqueerness
shouldappearatleastquestionableatthispoint,thefactthatheteronormativityis
inherentlytiedtomasculinityshouldraiseadditionalquestionsaboutsucharguments.
Whilestraightwomenmaywishtoreconceptualizemasculinity,suchaprocesscannot
solelybeaboutheterosexualrelationships,becausereconceptualizingmasculinityrequires
rethinkingtheheteronormativityuponwhichtraditionalmasculinitydepends.Evenif
17UnlikeRussandLambandVeith,Jenkinsdoesincludesomementionofqueerness:“Slashthrows
conventionalnotionsofmasculinityintocrisisbyremovingthebarriersblockingtherealizationof
homosocialdesire;Slashunmaskstheeroticsofmalefriendship,confrontingthefearskeepingmenfrom
achievingintimacy”(WelcometoBisexuality,210).Oddlyenough,thereislittleexplanationastowhythis
attentiontomalesexualityisgiven,whenitisevenmentioned,perhapsbecauseslashfansarebeing
theorizedhereprimarilyintermsofthegenderbinary.
Page27of47
straightwomenareusingslashtoreimaginetheirownheterosexualrelationships,sucha
processinherentlychallengesthestrictheteronormativebehavioralexpectationsthatmust
bemettoperformtraditionalmasculinity.
Furthermore,straightwomenmaychallengetheheteronormativityofmasculinity
throughslashfictionbecausethatheteronormativityitselfoppressesnotjustqueerpeople
butalsostraightwomen.Inmanycases,homophobiadirectedtowardsgaymenmaybe
rootedinmisogyny.Intheirarticle“SeeingPrivilegeWhereItIsn’t: Marginalized
MasculinitiesandtheIntersectionalityofPrivilege,”BethanyM.CostonandMichael
Kimmelwrite,“Malehomosexualityhaslongbeenassociatedwitheffeminacy(i.e.not
beingarealman)throughoutthehistoryofWesternsocieties”(104).Thus,fearsabout
malesexualityarealsoinherentlyaboutgender–particularlythemisogynisticfearthata
gaymanmaynotbeamanatall,butmustsomehowbeawomanduetohissexuality.
CostonandKimmelcontinue,“Thepopularbeliefthatgaymenarenotrealmenis
establishedbythelinksamongsexism(thesystematicdevaluationofwomenand“the
feminine”),homophobia(thedeep‐seatedculturaldiscomfortandhatredfelttowards
same‐sexsexuality);andcompulsoryheterosexuality”(105).Homophobiaand
heteronormativityareinextricablefromsexismandoperateintandem.Consequently,
straightwomenaswellasqueerpeopleareoppressedbytheheteronormativityof
traditionalmasculinity.Straightwomen,then,donotappropriatequeernessinorderto
rewritethemasculinitythatoppressesthem,butinsteaduseslashfictiontoaddressboth
themasculinityandheteronormativitythatoppressthem.
Overemphasizingthesubversivepotentialofslashforreconceptualizingmasculinity
maybedangerous,however.Jenkinsargues,“Oneofthemostexcitingthingsaboutslashis
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thatitteachesustorecognizethesignsofemotionalcaringbeneathallthemasksbywhich
traditionalmaleculturesseekstorepressorhidethosefeelings”becauseslashcharacters
oftenpusheachotherawayemotionallyduetotheirinternalstruggleovertheirfeelings
(“NormalFemaleInterest”72).Whileimaginingamasculinitythatemphasizes“emotional
caring”aswellasqueernessispotentiallysubversive,Jenkins’sassertionthatwemust
recognizethelovebeneathcoldbehavioristroublinginthatitsoundsremarkablylikethe
patternJaniceRadway’sReadingtheRomanceidentifiesinromancenovels.Thesepatterns
teachreadersthattraditionallymasculine,coldandnegativebehaviorfrommenisactually
anexpressionofloveandisthereforeacceptableandpositivebehavior.Ifitfollowsthis
pattern,slashdoesnotfullyreimaginemasculinity,butteachesreaderstochangetheir
perceptionoftraditionalmasculinitysothatcoldorevencruelbehaviorappearsloving.
Moreover,notallslashradicallyreimaginesheteronormativityinprogressiveways,
ifatall.That99%ofslashfansarenotheterosexual,notcisgender,andnotmensuggests
thatslash,agenrethatchallengesnotionsofstraightmasculinity,isaformofintentional
resistance.Toarguethatnofanstrytointentionallysubvertmasculinityand
heteronormativitythroughslashnotonlyignoresfans’ownwritingsonslashbutalso
deniesthemtheagencytoactivelyresistoppressionthroughpopularmedia.Yetitisalso
importanttorecognizethatmanyfansmaynotbeconsciouslysubverting
heteronormativityandmasculinity;theymaynotbefullysubvertingthesestructuresatall.
Inanarticleexploringthemalepregnancy(mpreg)18storiespopularin
Supernaturalslashfiction,BeritÅströmargues,“Pregnancyasathemeinpopularculture
18Inmpregstories,cisgendermalecharactersbecomepregnantbyhavingsexwithanothermalecharacter.
InSupernaturalfics,thisiseasilyexplainedbysupernaturalforcessuchascursesorthemagicalpowerof
Page29of47
narrativesiscommonlyaccompaniedbyanumberofstructuresandconventionsthatare
transferred,withverylittlechange,intompregstories.Insomenarratives,thequeertheme
ofmalepregnancythereforeresultsinquiteheteronormativestories.”Whileitmayseem
radicalorprogressiveforastorytofocusonacisgendermale’spregnancyandgay
relationship,thesestoriessimplymapheteronormativenarrativepatternsontoqueer
charactersratherthanimaginingrelationshipsoutsideofthesepatterns.AsÅströmnotes,
“Whatmayatfirstseemlikeresistancemayintheendreinforceheteronormative
structures,”resultinginaperpetuationofhomonormativity.Mpregstoriesareonlyone
exampleofthis.TwistandShout’srelianceonbutch‐femmedynamicsisanother;stories
likethismayseemtochallengegendernormsbydepictingmenwhomaybehavein
traditionallyfeminineways,butultimatelyreinforcethegenderbinaryand
heteronormativitybydepictingqueerrelationshipsasnecessarilybeingbetweenone
masculineandonefemininepartner.Itisnotbutch‐femmesexualityinitselfbutratherthe
prevalenceofthesestories,andthelackofportrayalofanotherformofqueernessoutside
ofbutch‐femme,thatpositrelationshipsbetweenonemasculineandonefemininepartner
asnormalandnatural.Thisisparticularlytruewhenauthorsdonotidentifycharactersas
butch‐femmeorevenrefusetoidentifythemasgay.Byneglectingtoaddressbutch‐femme
identitiesorportrayalternateformsofqueerness,thesestoriescastbutch‐femme
relationshipsasthenorm,consequentlydepictingalternativesthatmaydefy
heteronormativityandthegenderbinaryasabnormal.Thus,somestoriesmayperpetuate
harmfulsocialstructuressuchashomonormativityandheteronormativity.
demonsorangels.Instoriesaboutshowsthatarenotsetinafantasticuniverse,suchasQueerasFolk,mpreg
oftengoesunexplained.SeeKyraHunting’s“QueerasFolkandtheTroublewithSlash.”
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Thoughitmaybetemptingtotrytoanalyzeallslashwithinonetheory,slashvaries
sowidelythatthismaybeimpossible.AsJonesexplains,“Ifslashfictionmaybedescribed
asa'genre',thenitsonlyconventionisthatitdescribeseroticencountersbetween
televisioncharacters(or,morerarely,filmcharacters)ofthesamesex”(80).Thusitis
difficulttocharacterizeslashaseitherproblematicorprogressive;inreality,somestories
areproblematic,someareprogressive,andmanyareacombinationofboth.Regardless,
duetothedemographicsofslashfans,slashfictionmaybeaseenasawaytograpplewith
themasculinityandheteronormativitythatoppressfans,althoughtheresultingstories
maynotnecessarilypresentprogressivenarrativesassolutionstotheseissues.
SlashandDomesticity
Anotherreasonwhyslashfansmaybeinterestedinreadingandwritingabout
queerratherthanstraightrelationshipsisthatstraightrelationshipsfollownarrative
patternsthattendtocloseoffthepossibilityofadventure,accordingtoSaraGwenllian
Jones.AquicklookattheAO3survey’sshiprankingsrevealsthatmostslashfictionstories
arewrittenaboutsci‐fiorfantasytexts,fromwerewolvestosuperheroes.Inherarticle
“SexLivesofCultTelevisionCharacters,”Jonesexplainsthatitisculttelevisionshowsthat
garnerthekindoffandomthatproducesslash,andthattheseTVshowsareoften
adventure‐based:
Whileaminorityofseriesachievecultstatuswithoutexplicitlyengagingwiththe
fantastic(TheProfessionals,StarskyandHutch),theirworldsareneverthelessfar
removedfromtheeveryday:packedwithadventures,colourfulcharacters,
unfeasibleescapades,andmiraculouslyinvulnerableheroes.Andtheyare
exceptions:theoverwhelmingmajorityofthoseseriesthatevolvesubstantial
creativefanculturesbelongtothefantasticgenresofsciencefiction,fantasyand
horror.Theirfictionalgeographiesarealien,hauntedormythologizedlandscapes
visuallyinscribedasstrangeandmysterious,theyarefullofnightandstrange
beings(TheX‐Files,BuffytheVampireSlayer,Angel,BeautyandtheBeast);theyhave
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awildandverdantbeauty(XWP,Hercules);theyarehometoaliencivilizations
(StarTrek,Farscape,Babylon5).(84‐5)
LikeSupernatural,theseshowsdependuponthefantasticinordertocreateadventurous
plots.
Thenarrativepatternofadventurewouldbedisrupted,Jonesargues,iftheseshows
weretoprovidestable,monogamousheterosexualrelationshipsfortheirprotagonists.
Jonesexplains,“Associalpractice,[heterosexuality]assumesanarrativeformofitsown,
withplotpointsofcourtship,marriage,domesticity,reproduction,child‐rearing,provision
forthefamily”(87).WeretheprotagonistsofacultTVshowtoformaheterosexual
relationship,nomorewouldthefocusbeonthefantasticadventures.Instead,these
characters’conflictswouldturntoissuessuchas“economicresponsibility,domestic
stability,theavoidanceofrisk,andtheshrinkingofhorizonstotheproductivespaceof
workandthereproductivespaceofhome.Associalpractice,heterosexualityisantithetical
totheexoticismandadventurethatcharacterizethefictionalworldsofculttelevision
series”(87).
Atseveralpointsthroughoutitsnineseasons,SupernaturalprovesJones’s
argument.Dean,Sam,andCaseachfindthemselvesinasteadyheterosexualrelationship
thatresultsinastoryofdomesticityratherthanadventure.Attheendofseasonfive,Dean
andSamfailtofindawaytokeepSamfrombeinglockedinLucifer’scageinhellfor
eternity.SamtellsDeantoquithuntingandliveanormallifewithLisaBraeden,awoman
withwhomDeanhadabriefsexualrelationshipseveralyearsagoandwhomhemetagain
duringseasonthree(5.22“SwanSong”).Atthebeginningofseasonsix,theshowchronicles
Dean’slifewithLisagoingtoneighborhoodbarbecuesandmowingthelawn(6.01“Exileon
MainStreet”);Dean’sadventuresareover,untilSamcomesbackfromhellandDeanbegins
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huntingwithhimagain.Dean’shuntingadventuressoonconflictwithhisfamilylifewhen
hegetsbittenbyavampireonahuntandbecomesviolenttowardLisaandhersonBen
(6.05“LiveFreeorTwihard”).Dean’sbriefforayintofamilylifedemonstratesthatin
Supernatural,itisimpossibletobebothahunterandafamilyman.Thedomesticstability
andavoidanceofrisknecessaryforthenarrativepatternscreatedbyheterosexualityas
describedbyJonesareindirectconflictwiththeadventure,danger,andfantasyintegralto
Supernatural’splot.
AsifDeanandLisa’srelationshipwerenotenoughevidencethatstable
heterosexualrelationshipsandadventureareincompatible,thismessageisdemonstrated
yetagainthroughSam’srelationshipwithAmelia.Inseasoneight,aseriesofflashbacks
showsthatSamhaddecidedtogiveuphuntingwhileDeanwastrappedinpurgatory,but
beginshuntingwithDeanagainwhenhereturns.AmeliathentellsSamthattheymust
eitherdecidetospendtheirlivestogetherorneverseeeachotheragain(8.10“Tornand
Frayed”).Whileitisnotexplicitlystated,itisimpliedthatsharinghislifewithAmelia
wouldmeanleavingDeanandhislifeasahunter.Unabletochoosealifeofdomesticity
awayfromhisbrother,Samremainsahunter,keepingtheshow’sadventure‐basedplot
intact.
WhiletheWinchestershavemanyone‐night‐standsthroughouttheshow,Lisaand
Ameliaaretheonlytwowomenwithwhomtheyattempttohavelong‐termrelationships.19
Inbothcases,lifeinaheterosexualrelationshipisshowntobelackluster;forDean,this
meansdoingmundaneactivitieslikemowingthelawn(6.01“ExileonMainStreet”),while
19ApossibleexceptiontothisisJessica,Sam’slong‐termgirlfriendinseasonone.Thatshediesattheendof
thefirstepisode,however,onlyreinforcesJones’argument;Samonlymakesthedecisiontobeahunterwith
DeanbecauseJessisdeadandSamhasnodomesticspacetowhichhecanreturn.
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Sam’srelationshipwithAmeliainvolveswalkingthedogandmeetingAmelia’sfatherover
aspaghettidinner(8.08“HunteriHeroici”).Bothoftheserelationshipsmustbeended,
ratherthanriskalteringthenarrativepatternoftheshow.IfSamweretochoosealifewith
Amelia,forinstance,audienceswouldcometoexpectthe“happyending”socommonto
heterosexualnarrativethatisderivedfromtheplotpointsmentionedbyJones,suchas
marriageandreproductionwithinadomesticspace.WereDeantostaywithLisa,the
show’sangst‐riddenconversationsbetweenSamandDeanabouttheirstrugglestodeal
withtheirsadnessthattheirfather’ssoulwastakenbyademonmighteasilybereplaced
withamarriedcouple’squarreloverwhohastopickupBenfromsoccerpractice.
Becausecharactersaredeniedstableheterosexualrelationships,otherformsof
relationshipsactasreplacements.Jonesexplainsthatthesecantaketwoforms.Thefirstis
anunattainableheterosexuallove“betweenamaleandafemalecharacter,whichsignala
mutualsexualattractionthatisneverfullyrealized(MulderandScully,PicardandCrusher,
AerynSunandCrichton)orwhichcannotprogressbeyondromance(BuffyandAngel,
CatherineandVincent)”(89).Supernaturaldoesnotinitiallyappeartofeatureanyofthis
kindofrelationshipbecausethistypeofrelationshipissoshortlived;thereasonwhythey
“cannotprogressbeyondromance”isusuallythatthewomaninvolvedgetskilled.20The
othertypeofrelationshipdescribedbyJonesis“relationshipsbetweencharactersofthe
samesex(KirkandSpock,HerculesandIolus,XenaandGabrielle)”(89).Thoughthese
relationshipsarerarely,ifever,explicitlyqueer,Jonesarguesthatthissecondtypeof
20ThisisparticularlytrueinrelationshipsinvolvingSam;throughouttheshow,almosteverywomanwith
whomhehasaromanticorsexualrelationshipwithdiesforsomereason(includingcharactersJess,Madison,
Ruby,AmyPond,AnnieHawkins,SarahBlake,andanumberofwomenSamsleptwithinaRhodeIsland
town),tothepointwherefanshavedubbedSam’spenis“ThePeenofDeath”andfrequentlyjoke“Sleepwith
SamWinchesteranddie!”(SupernaturalWiki,“PeenofDeath”).
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relationship“allowsanimpliedhomoeroticismtofunctionasanalternative,andless
damaging,possibility”toheterosexualrelationshipsincultTVshows(89).Becauseofthis
impliedhomoeroticism,Jonesargues,slashfictionstoriesdonotnecessarilyqueer
characterswhoarestraightbutarerather“extensionsofculttelevision'sowncontra‐
straightlogics”thatpickuponlatenthomoeroticismalreadypresentwithinthesource
texts(89).
TheprimaryrelationshipsfeaturedonSupernaturalfitthislastdescriptionofsame‐
sexrelationships.SamandDean’sstrongrelationshipandDean’storturedrelationship
withCaseachprovideasourceofemotionalandrelationship‐basedconflicttohelpfuelthe
showinawaythatdoesnotpreventbutcomplementsitsadventure‐basedplot.Fromthe
beginningoftheshow,whenSamandDeanbeginhuntingtogethertofindtheirfather,
theirrelationshipseemstoenabletheadventurenarrative.Huntingissostronglydefined
assomethingthattheWinchestersmustdotogetherthatonthevariousoccasionsthatSam
orDeanisdead,lockedinhell,ortrappedinpurgatory,theotherbrotherstopshunting
almostwithoutquestion.Whileheterosexualrelationshipsareshowntobeincompatible
withadventure,itseemsthathuntingisimpossiblewithoutSamandDean’shomosocial,
homoeroticrelationship.
TherelationshipbetweenDeanandCasalsofitsJones’categoryofhomoerotic
relationshipsthatreplaceapotentiallyplot‐damagingheterosexualrelationship.LikeSam
andDean’srelationship,DeanandCas’srelationshipprovidesemotionalconflictthat
enablestheplotoftheshowratherthanthreatensitwiththepossibilityofdomesticity.Cas
isfirstintroducedatthebeginningofseasonfour,whenhepullsDeanfromHell“because
Godcommandedit,”scarringhisshoulderwitharedhandprint(4.01“LazarusRising”).
Page35of47
Fromthatpoint,DeanandCas’srelationshipprogressesintandemwiththeadventure‐
basedconflictsoftheshow.Theissuesoffaithandtrustthatformthebasisoftheir
relationshipdramastemfromtheadventuresthemselves;inseasonfour,Dean’sinability
toinitiallytrustCasattheirfirstmeetingstemsfromhisinabilitytoacceptthatangelsand
GodexistandthesubsequentmeaningthatwouldplaceontheWinchesters’fightagainst
demons.Inseasoneight,DeanstrugglestotrustCasagainasCasdecidestoplayGodby
consumingsoulsinordertokeepleviathanfromturningtheworldtochaos.Their
relationshipissuesareinherentlyboundupintheplotofeachseason;likeSamandDean’s
relationship,therelationshipbetweenDeanandCasenablestheadventuresthatfuelthe
show,whereasheterosexualrelationshipshavebeenshowntoimpedethem.
SlashandtheFocusonMenandMangst
Thereasonforthepopularityofslashfictionandthefocusonhomoeroticrather
thanheterosexualrelationshipsmaybeexplainedbyJones’stheory,yetthequestionof
whyslashissooftenaboutmenremains.WhiletheoristssuchasRussandLambandVeith
arguethatslashisfocusedonmenbecausefanscannotimagineanyonebuttwomen
“havingthesamemultiplex,worthy,androgynousrelationship,orthesamecompletely
intimatecommitment”(Russ84),thereseveralotherreasonswhyslashissofrequently
aboutmen.Oneofthesereasonshasbeenmentionedpreviously:bywritingstoriesabout
malecharactersingayrelationships,fansmaybeabletoaddressissueswithhegemonic
masculinity.Storiesaboutcharactersofothergendersmaynotprovidethesame
opportunitiestoreimaginemalebehavior.21
21Thatmale/malestoriescanbeusedtorewriteoppressivemasculinitymayhelpilluminateonereasonwhy
slashfansmayparticipateinfemslash.Ifstoriesaboutmale/maleshipsprovideaspaceinwhichtorewrite
oppressiveheteronormativemacsulinity,thenfemslashmayfunctionasawaytoexplorerelationships
Page36of47
Anotherreasonthatslashmayfocusonmalerelationshipsisthatmanytelevision
showsthemselvesfocusonmen’sfeelings.22WhereLambandVeitharguethatslashfans
focusonmenbecausewecannotimaginewomensavingtheuniverse,Iarguethatfans
focusonmenbecausemanytelevisionshowslikeSupernaturalfeaturemenasemotional
protagonists.Asnotedearlier,Supernaturaldoesprovideinterestingfemalesecondary
characters,buttheyarejustthat–secondarycharacters.23Whetherthesefemalecharacters
arewell‐developedorwhethertheygetkilledoffisinsomesenseirrelevant,becausein
eithercase,thesewomenareneverthefocusoftheemotionaldrama.BelaTalbot,for
example,isarecurringcharacterinseasonthree.Beautifulandsarcastic,Belamakesa
livingstealingandsellingsupernaturalobjects.Sheisgivenasignificantbackstory;shewas
abusedbyherfatherasachildandmadeadealwithademontokillbothofherparents
(3.15“TimeIsonMySide”).Sheplaysamajorroleintheplotarcofseasonthreeby
stealingtheColt,agunthattheWinchestersneedtokillapowerfuldemon.Inspiteofthe
factthatBelaseemstobeathree‐dimensionalcharacterwithagencywhoseexistenceis
integraltotheseason’splot,Belaisnotthefocusofanyemotionaldrama.Herabuseatthe
handsofherfatherisusedasaplotdeviceratherthanasourceofemotionalexploration.
outsideofthepressuresofmasculinity(althoughpressuresofheteronormativitystillexistwithinnotionsof
femininity).
22Thereare,ofcourse,someexceptionstothis,suchasBuffytheVampireSlayer,whichhasaheavyfocuson
thefeelingsofitsfemalecharacterssuchasBuffy,Willow,Dawn,andFaith.IfBuffyisanyindication,showsin
whichwomenarethefocusoftheemotionaldramawouldseemtoinspiremoreshippinginvolvingwomen;
ofthethreeBuffyshipsthatmakeitintoAO3’stop161mostpopular,oneismale/male(Xander/Spike)and
twoaremale/female(Spike/BuffyandAngel/Buffy)(centrumlumina,“ARankedList”).Inspiteofthefact
thatWillowandTaraareinacanoniclesbianrelationship,Willow/Taradoesnotmakethelist.
23Jenkinssumsupthecontradictorybetweentheshow’sinteresting,yetsecondaryfemalecharactersina
male‐dominatedshowinablogpostaboutthefirstseasonofSupernatural:“Arealstrengthoftheseriesisthe
constructionoffemalesecondarycharacters,allthemoreunusualinaserieswhichissocentrallyaboutits
coremaleleads”(“Supernatural:FirstImpressions).ThoughJenkinsmayoverstatethestrengthofthe
constructionofthesecharactersinhispost,thissentencepointstothestrangenessofashowthatfeatures
three‐dimensionalrealisticfemalecharacters,thenabandonsthemtofocusalmostexclusivelyonitsmale
protagonists.
Page37of47
SheisnotshowntohaverelationshipswithanypeopleexceptfortheWinchesters,to
whomshefunctionsmostlyasabeautifulannoyance.
Incontrast,Sam,Dean,andCas’srelationshipsandemotionsarethefuelforthe
entireshow.Onefanwrites,“Recently,Ilearnedanewword:mangst[anamalgamationof
manandangst].Ifthiswordwasinthedictionary,itwouldbeaccompaniedbyapictureof
theWinchesterboys”(Doyle).Itiscommonforeachepisode,especiallyintheshow’s
earlierseasons,toendwithSamandDeanhavingananguisheddiscussionabouttheir
feelingsinoraroundtheImpala.ThesediscussionsbeginwithSamandDeaneachaccusing
theotherofnotdealingwiththeirfatherJohn’sdeathandcovercountlessotherpossible
emotionalconflicts,suchasDean’sunwillingnesstotalkaboutthehorrorsheexperienced
duringthetimehespentinHell.Additionally,manyofSam,Dean,andCas’sconflictsare
specificallyrelationship‐based,suchasDean’sinabilitytotrustCasorSam’sconcernthat
Deanissuppressinghistrauma.AfemalecharactersuchasBelahasnorelationships,
especiallynotwithotherwomenontheshow,andherinteractionswiththeWinchesters
arenotintenseenoughtobecomeamajoremotionalconflict.MostconflictsinvolvingBela
arebasedonherneedordesiretoobtainsupernaturalobjectssuchastheColt.
Theintensefocusonmen’semotionsmaybeoneofthereasonswhySupernatural
seemstolenditselfsowelltoslashfiction;whatiscertainisthatthecontrastingneglectof
women’sfeelingsisonereasonwhyficsaboutSupernaturalwomenaresomuchmorerare
thanDestielorWincestfics,andwhywomeninDestielandWincestficsareoftenso
negativelyportrayed.Femalecharacterswithoutarichemotionalhistorymayprovideless
materialtowriteaboutthanthecomplexandtumultuouslivesoftheWinchesters.Thisis
nottosaythatitcannotbedone.Theexistenceofhundredsoffemslashstoriesthatfocus
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oncharacterswhohaveneverevenmetontheshowitself,likeCharlie/Bela,proves
otherwise.Still,whileDestielandWincestrateinthetopfivepopularshipswrittenabout
onAO3,itisnotuntilnumber80thataSupernaturalshipinvolvingawomanappears,and
nofemslashshipsfromSupernaturalevenmakethelistof161ships(centrumlumina,“A
RankedList”).
“You’reTooPreciousforThisWorld”:ConclusionandHopesfortheFuture
Ultimately,theunderrepresentationofwomenwithinslashfictionispartiallya
resultoftheunderrepresentationofwomenintelevisionshows,notjuststatistically,butin
termsofemotionalcontent.Ifslashistomovebeyonditssexisthistorytobemore
inclusiveofwomen,thenthesourcetextsthemselvesmustmovetoincludedeeper,more
emotionallyrichportrayalsofwomenwhoarenotjustloveinterestsorplotdevicesbut
whohaveangstoftheirownforfanstoexplore.WhilesomeshowssuchasBuffythe
VampireSlayerorVeronicaMarsdofitthesequalifications,theAO3surveyindicatesthat
thepopularityofsuchshowsappearstobeanaberrationinamedialandscapeinwhich
showsdominatedbymalecharactersarethenorm(centrumlumina,“PopularFandoms”).
Anotherintegralpartofworkingtowardslashthatisnotsexistorhomophobicisfor
mediatomovebeyondportrayingcharacterrelationshipsinthetwopatternsoutlinedby
Jones:homoeroticfriendshipbetweenfriendsofthesamegenderorimpossibleromance
betweenpartnersofdifferentgenders.Portrayalsofrelationshipsmustbebroadenedto
includesame‐genderfriendswhobecomeromanticallyinvolved,ordifferent‐gender
partnerswhocanstillbeadventurousandnotdomestic.This,ofcourse,meansaddressing
somehugeissuesaboutgenderrolesandsexuality;itwouldrequirereimaginingthe
narrativeofheterosexualromanceoutsideofthetypicalpatternsofdomesticityand
Page39of47
reproduction,reconstructingmasculinityasgentleandloving,andpushingpastthe
culturaldictumsofhomophobiaandsexismtoairashowwheretwowomeninlove“save
theuniverseonceaweek.”
Suchahugechangeinpopularcultureandmedia,however,mayreducetheneedfor
slashfiction.Contrarytotheargumentsofpreviousscholarship,slashfictionservesasa
spacetograpplewithoppressivestraightcisgendermasculinity,thoughslashisnotalways
aprogressivealternative.Moreprogressiveandinclusiveportrayalsofcharactersand
relationshipsontelevisionmaymakeslashitselfmoreprogressiveandinclusive.Perhapsit
mayalsoeliminatetheneedforslashfictionaltogether;ifpopularmediabeginstoinclude
healthy,positivequeerrepresentation,reimaginemasculinityaskindandloving,and
challengethegenderbinary,thentheneedtograpplewithoppressivestraightcisgender
masculinityinpopularmediamaydisappear,andslashalongwithit.Thisis,ofcourse,a
tallorder;untilsuchwidespreadsocialchangecanbringaprogressivetransformationin
theportrayalofrelationshipsinpopularmedia,patriarchywilllikelypermeateeventhose
spacesinwhichstraightcisgendermasculinityisreimagined.
Whilethefuturedisappearanceofslashisonlyspeculation,thedemographicsof
slashfansandtheoppressivethemesonwhichtheirworkstoucharenot.Thatfans
identifyingsolelyasstraightwomenmakeuponly25%offanscannotbeignored;ifweare
tounderstandthemeaningandtheforcebehindsuchapopularcountercultural
phenomenon,wemustpushourselvestorecognizethemarginalizedidentitiesofits
participantsaswellasthepossibleproblematicassertionspresentintheorization.Like
slash,theoriesonslash,too,aresubjecttothesexistandhomophobicinfluenceofthe
patriarchy,evenastheymayattempttoresistit.Whiletheargumentspresentedabove
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cannotserveasacompleteinterrogationoftheproblemswithpreviousscholarshipora
universaltheorythatcanbeappliedtoallslashfictionorparticipants,myhopeisthatthey
areastarttoamoreaccurateandinclusivetheoryofslash‐onethatrecognizesthevaried
andmarginalizedidentitiesofitsparticipantsinordertobetterunderstandhowslash
functionsasaresultofoppression.
Page41of47
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