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derivative from a conversation i had with a friend.
something that will always manage to irk me is the inevitable fact that mlm media will always be more popular than that of wlw. not that i particularly dislike mlm media, but i donโt go out of my way to consume it.
in my honest opinion, there is only one answer as to why mlm media is more popular in the long run: because of female consumers. not to mention that most mlm media nowadays is created by people who identify as female, to which iโve yet to see a mlm show, book or film created by a gay man (i feel like i should distinguish these two: created by a gay man does not equal to having a gay man star in it, i will not be watching heartstopper) that manages to get to a decent popularity level.
in my view, this is the most frustrating thing. not because iโm a sapphic person, but because there will always be a lack of female-centered media. it feels like a constant loop: gay show gets famous > has both mlm and wlw pairings > mlm pairing gets more popular for god knows what reason
well, the reason is quite obvious: a lot of female consumers have a tendency to over-romanticise gay relationships, even when identifying as part of the lgbtq (think of the quote-unquote bisexual girls who play gacha life and only read yaoi smut). not that this issue doesnโt exist with wlw media, when itโs exactly itโs biggest problem, since men only like to view lesbians as a porn plot to jack off
but it gets to a point. hereโs an example:
i havenโt been an alien stage fan for THAT long. in fact, i joined the fandom a bit after round 6 had just released, thanks to a friend recommending me to watch it (thanks for the trauma chels), and to me, the concept was very interesting: a media, created by two sapphic women, with both wlw and mlm pairings. by that point, alien stage was already quite a big fandom. not big enough to be the next sensation, but big enough to have a solid fandom.
it felt as if there was a big boom just after blink gone released. and it, quite honestly, went downhill from there.
checking the view counts as of today, the moment iโm furiously typing this rant on my ipad, round 6 is the second most popular round after ruler of my heart, with a whopping 19 million views. guess how many views round 1 has! thatโs right: 13 million. a difference of 6 MILLION VIEWS.
thatโs not a lot, comparing to wiege or even black sorrow or all-in, but itโs still a difference. a difference that makes me seethe with anger. mizi is arguably the main character of alien stage, so why is it that her focused pairing gets noticeably less attention than their male counterpart?????
i couldnโt give two shits about what people like. everyone has different tastes and weโre all different in the end. but why is it that mlm continues to get this repeated attention while wlw suffers in the shadows? hell, i wish this wasnโt even just a problem in media, since wlw people suffer as well within their own community (think of how people act when a bisexual woman gets a boyfriend, for example, vs to when a bisexual guy does it)
i have a friend who just LOVES to consume mlm media. and i honestly donโt care, he consumes whatever he likes and i consume whatever i like. but this friend has an issue: whenever i try to recommend anything remotely wlw related, he says that citrus traumatised him and that he cannot interact with anything wlw related. said friend continues to read the most shittiest mlm mangas in existence, rants about them, and continues to read them.
iโd honestly LOVE IT! if it was just my friend who was like this. but iโve seen so many other consumers act this way too: not interacting with wlw media anymore because they read one bad appleย (to which everyone in touch with wlw media KNOWS citrus is terrible representation and something every yuri reader goes through at least once) and despite it all, continue to read shitty mlm omega verse smut that could literally catch fire and nobody would notice.
thinking of wlw media, i see how much love the creators put into their piecesย (ex: vivimeng with alien stage or arai sumiko with the guy she was interested in wasnโt a guy at all) and to me, that love they put into representing a personal aspect of their lives makes the media so much more interesting. so much more colourful and so much moreโฆ beautiful.
it doesnโt take long to find good wlw once youโre inserted into the fandom, but of course itโll take a while when all you consume is mlm media. itโs hard at first, but when you strike gold, you strike GOLD.
iโll be ending my yap fest here. thank you for reading, if u did. recommend me GOOD mlm media if u want to i guess.
february, 2025
Comments
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Siaโฆ
I can understand why many girls prefer mlm stuff over wlw. In media usually women in relationships have more emphasis on their looks rather than personality. Though in mlm stuff the personality is usually more emphasized (idk if I'm making any sense so bear with me). So a lot of girls detach themselves with consuming more mlm media. You won't spot two "ugly" girls falling in love but there are mlm ships that have two "ugly" guys really often. Anyway. Other reason is that people just fucking hate women or crave male validation and imagine themselves in the mlm position.
I don't have a conclusion to make, I just wanted to yap about this.
FUCK FUJOSHIS
yeah i agree with you but LOWKEY some times mlm is all abt the gay fem boy falls in love with the big masc one whos the alpha who'll protect him. jus saying
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
also yeah screw the fujos
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
Real! They fetishize gay men but then rage when men fetishize lesbians. Hypocrites
by Siaโฆ; ; Report
โชcats !? โห·อเผ·อหโโ แถป ๐ ๐ฐ
Read given
Also I agree with this btw even as a fujo wlw media deserves sm more attention I love girls in love
ive watched given and i enjoy it very much ............ tho i gyatta say my love mix up is even peaker
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
RenWal
I feel like a big example is Arcane and the one truly canon ship being wlw is great but wdym jayvik (who I also ship) is so super popular and those fans HATE caitvi (the ship, the characters, both), one of my own friend HATES caitvi shippers because their fanart is sometimes weird, as if jayvik or any ship for any fandom is like that
ive never watched arcane but isnt vi one of the mcs???? its so stupid to hate on a wlw ship just bc of *FAN*ART!!!!!! that lowkey just proves my point abt ppl always eating up mlm pairings instead even if they arenโt canon, istg men always have to win
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
โฆ~ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐ ~โฆ
EXACTLY
like, weird :P
Plus, ignoring than mlm r specific 4 woman, because its the femenine idea of how a relathionship between 2 mans is, can we talk bout the fetish of gay couples and the amount of them but sexualized ๐ Internet
THIS!!! like i canโt act like wlw pairings donโt get the same treatment (as iโve said, cishet men only view lesbianism as a porn plot) but mlm relationships get SO FETISHISED to an overwhelming point. like?? itโs not all sunshine and rainbows??? much for the contrary???
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
sophie
as a bi girl i can see that n in all honesty i hear alot more mlm shows in the media than wlw, and i NEED recommendations pls yall.
so true and when thereโs wlw and mlm the mlm always gets more popular
iโve put some recs in the replies of some comments if uโd like !!! i can always rec more <3
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
filmpy.
AGREEED. MY DAYS... but yk since im here.. WLW recs?
CRACKS KNUCKLES bloom into you, a witchโs love at the end of the world, the moon on a rainy night, the summer you were there (my fav) and i want to love you till your dying day :โ) all r mangas!!!
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
Don't forget about South of Nowhere, and while not really focused on one couple/type of relationship, Degrassi: The Next Generation, as well.
by xxRebellious_Emmaxx; ; Report
tearingsoundoflovenotes
omd this is so true especially when peak wlw shows get cancelled after like one season and then the shittiest mlm show will get like 8 seasons, a spinoff and 7 books about it
YESSSSSSSAAAA THIS OHKYMGODDDDDD WE DONโT NEED MORE MLM IN THIS WORLD
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
Kooโก
don't even get me started on the fetishisation of gay men in media
i've heard so many girls at my school saying the most vile homophobic slurs out loud but then next moment they're sharing edits of their fav bl kdrama and consuming loads of mlm content on the internet. it's so weird !!
this exactly!!! like to me its the only way why mlm is so popular cuz of girls who think boys kissing is the coolest thing in the world like Girl โฆ.. wake up plz ??
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
EXACTLY. ugh i'm so glad you talked about this because i've literally never heard this topic being mentioned anywhere. from my personal experience, the wlw media that i've consumed, were some of the most beautiful, nuanced and well made pieces of media ever LIKE WHY ARE PPL SLEEPING ON WLW SO MUCH
by Kooโก; ; Report
UGGHH I AGREE SMโฆ. iโve loved all the wlw content iโve consumed (rare exceptions) and absolutely 0 fans to compensate for it โฆ there needs to be more recognition for wlw media !!!!!
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report
siea โก
and you know what's crazier... the fact that popular wlw media is mostly SO GOOD and have so much depth while popular mlm media (cough manhwas) is just straight ip garbage with good art & questionable proportions not to mention non con...... AND PEOPLE EAT IT UP??????
NAHHH THIS EXACTLY like iโll be able to name u three tearjerking beautiful and whimsical gls and then like. one mlm centered media i liked
by bea ๐ใ คื ๐๐; ; Report