B.
BL Movies and Media Representations
Portrayal of relationships and masculinity in BL movies
The portrayal of relationships and masculinity in BL movies is a complex and evolving
topic. In BL content, the characters often do not identify as 'gay' but rather express love
for one specific individual, typically the other protagonist. Effeminate men and trans
individuals are sometimes used for comic relief and have minimal roles in these
narratives. Interestingly, there is a limited representation of actual homosexual actors
playing lead roles in BL dramas. However, recent productions like 'Dark Blue Kiss' and
'My Engineer' have started to challenge these stereotypes by featuring more nuanced
discussions about sexuality and coming out processes among the main characters.
Female characters in BL dramas are often portrayed in stereotypical roles, such as ex-
girlfriends or obstacles to the main male-male relationship. The genre tends to focus on
a specific type of lead couple that caters to the preferences of its predominantly female
audience. Thailand's BL dramas, like '2gether,' have gained international attention and
popularity, contributing to the genre's global influence. Some productions have made
efforts to diversify representations by including openly gay and effeminate characters,
breaking away from traditional masculine stereotypes. While BL content is primarily
aimed at exciting female audiences, there are debates about the potential exoticization
of male homosexuality to attract viewers. Overall, the genre plays a significant role in
representing diverse relationships and identities but also faces criticisms for
perpetuating certain stereotypes and tropes
Global and national trends in BL media consumption
Global
The Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand (MCOT) aired the Thai drama
series "Lovesick the Series," which portrayed a romantic relationship between two men,
on satellite TV in 2014 and attracted a sizable viewership. The popularity of "Lovesick
the Series" among Thai audiences upended the custom of a traditional Thai TV drama
(also known as lakorn) featuring a male-female romance. Following the popularity of the
aforementioned series, BL culture established itself as a mainstay in Thai media
(Baudinette, 2019; Vespada, 2017). Viewers are becoming more interested in Thai TV
dramas, or lakorn, and Thailand is now regarded as a new participant in Asia's media
landscape (Jirattikorn, 2018). In Thailand, the growth of lakorn is accompanied by the
yaoi phenomena (Prasannam, 2019), which is characterized by media genres that
depict romantic love between two males. Yaoi TV drama series are generally referred to
as "Y (wai) series," which is Thai for "yaoi series." Boys' love (BL) series is another term
for this genre that is frequently used in other countries (Baudinette, 2019; Prasanman,
2019). Yaoi is a Japanese term that refers to the media. Thai BL comics have adopted
the Japanese BL comics' tradition of including graphic sexual scenes. Thai BL TV series
often have explicit scenes depicting sexual acts or suggestive moments involving the
main characters. While not every Thai BL series features khu-wai in a romantic
relationship, many feature scenes in which the main male characters toned, nude
bodies are seen in a variety of settings, such as showering or cautiously approaching a
room while sporting a towel draped over their lower body to show off their perky nipples.
Beyond the purview of this study is the psychological appeal of soft masculine
characteristics. Beyond the purview of this study is the psychological appeal of soft
masculine characteristics. As shown in Thai BL, it is important to remember that visual
representations of sex and sexually suggestive activities, notably the "female gaze," are
crucial in supplying vicarious pleasures through the "gaze" (Dillman Carpentier &
Mazandarani, 2021; Liang, 2022).
National
Lacap J.P. (2023) claims that one of the main causes of this is that homosexuality is
viewed as a sin by the majority of Filipinos, who identify as Catholics. The younger
Filipino viewers of today are drawn to pop culture items like the Thai BL series because
there is a dearth of media content about male-to-male relationships. The current study
thus provides a lens through which to view male-to-male relationship media contents,
which in turn generate travel incentives and ultimately promote tourism. Possibly the
first study of its kind, the current one looks at media consumption and travel motivation
within the Thai pop culture romantic comedy series. Furthermore, using Filipino viewers
as respondents, it is the first study to examine the connection between Thai yaoi media
consumption and travel motivation. It's interesting to note that despite the Philippines'
reputation as a gay-friendly nation (Manalastas et al., 2017). Lacap J.P. (2023) added
that the most common modes of watching Thai BL series include video-sharing
platforms like YouTube and Dailymotion, paid streaming services like Netflix and Viu,
local streaming services like iWantTFC, and social media sites like Facebook pages
and groups. The majority of ardent Thai BL series fans in the Philippines are young
ladies. The Thai BL series' premise does not just centre around homoerotic male-to-
male relationships, but it also includes romance, love, and, to a lesser degree,
homophobia (Babal, 2019). More and more Filipino audiences are becoming familiar
with Thai Black culture through yaoi TV series with the emergence of the Thai yaoi
genre, which is the complete opposite of the traditional male-female relationships in
Filipino TV dramas (Carreon, 2020). The entertainment value, emotional elements and
the aesthetic appeal add more to the propensity of viewers to consume more Thai BL
series (Zsila et al., 2018). With all identified reasons and motives, this is how Thai yaoi
media consumption is operationally defined in the present study.
References:
Albarracin, L., Bacaron, U., Decolas, T., Malijan, B., Morales, S., & Reyes, R. (2022,
July). The Effect of LGBT Movies On The Homosexual Attitudes of College Students.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/193h07UdRY7vR5ByI9vjLS0ZzcknR-0h7/edit.
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Baudinette, T. (2019). Lovesick, The Series: adapting Japanese ‘Boys Love’ to Thailand
and the creation of a new genre of queer media. South East Asia Research, 27(2), 115-
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Vespada, D. (2017). Chup plueai lae khwam rak nai lakhon naew num noi rak kan
[Kiss, nakedness, and love in Thai boys’ love series]. In N. Prasannam (Ed.), Tell-Tales:
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Dillman Carpentier, F. R., & Mazandarani, F. (2021). Portrayals of human sexuality as
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Kumaresan, V., & Veeramuthu, V. (2017). Homonegativity in southeast Asia: Attitudes
toward lesbians and gay men in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, and Vietnam. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 17(1), 25-33.
Carreon, A. (2020, April 27). What are Thai “BL” series and why are they suddenly
exploding in popularity in the Philippines? Esquire.
https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/movies-and-tv/why-thai-bl-series-popularin-the-
philippines-a2298-20200427-lfrm
Zsila, Á., Pagliassotti, D., Urbán, R., Orosz, G., Király, O., & Demetrovics, Z. (2018).
Loving the love of boys: Motives for consuming yaoi media. PloS one, 13(6), 1-17
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Studies, 16(1), 121-143. https://doi.org/10.14764/10.ASEAS-0087
McLelland, Mark, and James Welker. “An Introduction to ‘Boys Love’ in Japan.” Boys
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Nimma, V. (2021, August 20). Boy Love Dramas: Unpacking Stereotypes In The
Portrayal Of Homosexual Romance. https://feminisminindia.com/2021/08/20/boy-love-
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Nozawa, E. (2023). Boys’ Love, Transmedia Storytelling, and LGBT Awareness in
Contemporary Japan. In: Salenius, S. (eds) Gender in Japanese Popular Culture.
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BL MOVIES.
