Why do straight women like M/M erotic romances so much? When I ask that questions, the answer I'm usually given is "because they're HOT!"
I have my own theory - it's because straight women like to see hot and sexy men together. BUT - and this is a big "but" - they put themselves in the midst of the action. They want to see these two (or three or four) tending to their every need, even if they tend to each other.
I've written M/M fiction before, most notably my two erotic werewolf novellas that are currently off the market. I find that I like imagining two hot and sexy men together but from a straight woman's point of view. This is much the same way straight guys like to see two very hot women getting it on together - but they also insert themselves into the sexy action. You won't find many straight men who feel the same way about M/M scenarios, much the same way you won't find many straight women turned on by F/F scenarios.
So what do you think? Do you like M/M erotic fiction, and if you do, why?
------
Elizabeth Black writes erotica, erotic romance, and dark fiction. Her Night Owl Top Pick novel "Don't Call Me Baby" is published by Naughty Nights Press.
Elizabeth Black - Blog and Web Site
Elizabeth Black - Twitter
I totally agree. After I read my first M/M I was hooked and now it is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI've written M/M and those stories (my bisexual male werewolves series in particular) were the most popular things I've ever written until my fairy tales came along. That series is currently out of print, but I may rewrite and re-release them. Women eat up those M/M stories!
ReplyDeleteI adore m/m. My best friend and I (both of us now are published m/m writers!) used to write them for each other all the time before we realized there was a market.
ReplyDeleteI think - to me - that part of the appeal is that there's so much sexual unbalance in the typical m/f stories... so stereotypical alpha male, girl who should use "but I deserve to be treated like this!" instead of "But I love him..." protective macho bullshit. In a m/m relationship, that dynamic is completely changed.
You have two characters who are on completely equal social footing. No one - or BOTH - has to be alpha, has to be protective, has to be the provider. (I'm exploring in my current m/m piece the difference between a rich boy and a middle class boy...)
Now, in a typical f/m story, it's hard to have a rich female character and a poor male character. Readers wouldn't like the male as much. She'd be considered to be "marrying down."
By taking the gender differences out of the equation, we can have a much less power-imbalanced relationship, and I, for one, appreciate it.
It certainly is a fascinating topic. I'm NOT straight, but I think part of the appeal for M/M (which is more appealing to me than "traditional" M/F) is the fact that we get to see what makes those M's tick - what makes them hot and bothered without the sweet side of the romance. Not that M/M's can't be sweet, too - they surely can! - but as one of my own characters says, there's something hot, almost mean, savage, about two men courting each other. It lacks the gentleness often applied to a woman's courtship (and keep in mind that my male here was from 16th century Spain ...) Maybe it's that. Maybe it's a lot of things. Either way, it's INTERESTING, and thank you so much for the great read!
ReplyDeleteI think in some ways you are right but I do enjoy looking at gay porn also. There is just something about all those penises!
ReplyDeleteMy hubby and I were talking about this just the other day and I told him I love m/m because both MCs are allowed to be strong where as the female in a m/f tends to be less so.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that a lot of m/m I've read also concentrate a lot on the external story and have the romance as an integral part of it is also appealing. I find in most m/f romances the romance is so dominant that the external story is lost.