I’ve written a special “Beginner’s Guide to Anime” article about yaoi. I am interested to see whether or not people consider yaoi to be feminist, because it is created for women, by women. Could it be the most feminist porn in the world? I’d love to hear people’s opinions on the subject.
Ian Wolf: Odd Job Otaku 
Um, er … Heh heh …You go girls, I guess … It is not for me, but I like that THEY like it. I like Yuri, so I consider the Yaoi followers to be friends. “Brothers in arms” so to speak …
Also, I get excited thinking about how these Feminists will be masturbating to it : )
Hmmm. I don’t think I agree with yaoi being described as “the most Feminist form of pornography”, although I get the idea of how this may have come about.
Do you think there can be any form of pornography that could be feminist, or at least more feminist than other kinds?
Of course. What I have in mind is the total equality of both genders when it comes to the portrayal of the characters and the process of making porn. That’s what I believe to be true Feminism. That’s why I disagreed that yaoi as being “the most Feminist form of pornography” because even if it’s mostly made by women for women, the characters themselves are male. I hope that you understand what I’m trying to say.
Of course I understand, but do you think it is possible for men, women and/or transgender people to be in a pornographic work without it being sexist against any particular gender. If so, how?
Based on what I’m seeing right now, I don’t think that’s 100% possible. It’s because people have different interpretations of what “feminism” and “sexism” means. Of course, there are these textbook definitions, but based on my experiences, these terms are also subjective.
If I say that this pornographic work is feminist, you may say that no, it isn’t, and vice versa.
But using that logic, because everyone has different opinions on everything, you could argue that nothing is feminist and nothing is sexist, because everyone has a different view on what is feminist and what is sexist. But also, you could argue by the same logic that everything is feminist or everything is sexist, because of the differing views on what is feminist and what is sexist. Everything is and everything isn’t feminist and sexist at the same time, which means… something very complicated philosophically which I’m not sure I understand.
Hmmm. . .You’re right, of course, philosophically speaking. Though that “nothing and everything” logic works only if you’re looking at it as a whole. We can also use a “majority rules” logic here, so if there are more people who think that yaoi is a feminist porn, it might be correct. But of course, I feel uncomfortable with that one because what about the minority, right? I think that this is one of those subjects where we can argue about forever without ever coming to a conclusion that will satisfy both of us 100%. But I quite enjoyed it, so thank you.
And I’ve really enjoyed this conversation too. I think you are right in that a 100% consensus will be achieved, but this debate has certainly be interesting.
Honestly, yaoi is the only form of pornography that holds any interest for me. I think because it is only men depicted, these mangas often portray a sort of genderless world which strikes me as being a feminist concept. I mean, Japan especially is so gender divided, I think that yaoi is a way for women to express and create this sort of ideal without it seeming radical and abrasive. I find the whole thing very fascinating and, of course, arousing.