I have a hot button question to ask.

[kureno-rooster.livejournal.com]

I've been wanting to ask this question for so long but I've always been unsure of how I should go about phrasing it. I'm a little nervous but here it goes. My hope is that just as many men as women answer because this is really a question about gender perception, I suppose. I also want people to know that this isn't a question of if you support homosexuality or not, but be warned that this question does have to do with homosexuality. I am also using as the popular pairing of NaruSasu/SasuNaru as prime example, however the question is not limited to just that pairing. Be kind I am really just taking a plunge and even now I am unsure if I phrased this correctly. I really hope this stays on topic. Also I am aware that real couples don't break down like that (seme/uke) but this is more of a question about people themselves, and gender identity.

My question is that when presented with the question of who in a relationship (such as Naruto's and Sasuke's) do you is the dominate partner in a relationship-even if you don't support the pairing or homosexuality. I think that the most popular answer would for the most part divide along gender lines? I theorize (but again I have no real proof) that a man would be more apt to put Naruto in the dominate role rather than Sasuke. However I believe that for the most part women would place Sasuke in the dominate role. This is not to say that they're isn't any one who does just the opposite. I have no real raltonalization as to why I think this might be true since I am not a expert in such a subject but I would be up to hear theories.

*edit* I think that a man would for the most part relate more to Naruto and so there for put Naruto in a dominate role, however I think women would empathize or relate better to Sasuke so they might be more inclined to put him in the dominate role.

*edit again* I know real homosexual realtionships are more equal than the uke/seme dynamic. Thats not quite the question. The real question is why does the fandom have a tendency to portray things in dominate/submissive terms and why is it done mostly by women? How would this be treated differently if it were say a man writing a fanfic or doujinshi? Does gender play a part in such a thing? I would really rather people stop the "they'll be equals" comments I know that real realitonships transcend that.

I know some one might get pissed but http://www.aestheticism.com/visitors/editor/index.htm kind of covers this topic. Most of my questions kind of spawned from here.

http://www.discarnate.com/boysnextdoor/reviews/misc/mechanicallemon.html Also a rant from someone else discussing the mechanics of sex and how most people don't write it well.

Both articles are not mine.

Comments

[cephiedvariable.livejournal.com]

Well, there was the opinion poll a while back and although many people answered that they liked NaruSasu better, the fanart and fiction in the fandom tends to be predominently SasuNaru. I was susprised when the majority of people at sasuxnaru claimed to like NaruSasu, because I often feel like a minority. ^___^;;

And acutally, I do want you to start ranting about that, but if you don't have the time or energy, I can respect that. ♥

[fatesong.livejournal.com]

The last time I started ranting about it, someone advised me to see a psychologist. So I don't think that I will. ^^;

[gloomy-gloo.livejournal.com]

Actually, many people claimed that they like NaruSasu better in the opinion thread. The opinion poll showed that more people prefer SasuNaru than NaruSasu. I agree with cutemew's theory below as to why there were more NaruSasu-supporting posts in the thread.

I personally like them equal/switching roles, but I must admit that sometimes I still lean more toward SasuNaru, mainly because I've seen Naruto feminized so much in fanworks and because Sasuke is such a control freak XD

Re: But...

[gloomy-gloo.livejournal.com]

I agree that the characterizations in fanworks shouldn't affect the canon ones, but the visual of a feminized Naruto is there anyway and I can't help it that his feminized version pops up in my head sometimes when I'm reading fanfics (not that it happens often, mind you) ^^;;

The definition of masculinity is a broad one, but in terms of outright agressiveness/directness/crudness, Naruto owns it all. However, just because he has those characteristics doesn't immediately make him a top; if you look at it from an emotional aspect (the typical stereotype characterize females as more emotional than males), Naruto is much more emotionally opened and much easier to be emotionally moved than Sasuke.

I like your argument about how Sasuke's passivenes is typical of the female role, but keep in mind that he's only passive when it concerns things he's not interested in; when he's determined to do something, he isn't so passive at all.

Err...I would like to discuss the control issue more, but I'm not sure I understand what you were trying in that paragraph.

Overall, (as I'd stated before) I'd prefer them equal/switching roles. I don't think at all that canon Naruto is feminine, which is why I really value fanfics that write him as he is (NOT a whiny, girly uke). It's just that fanworks portray him as feminine so much that I can accept things that portray him as a uke, that's all ^^