”Life becomes more magical when there’s yaoi to come home to at the end of the day” : Boys’ Love fan culture as a source of enchantment

Abstract

This master’s thesis explores the fan culture around boys’ love (BL) or yaoi content, as a source of enchantment, and consequently re-enchantment, observed in the fans’ direct portrayals of the fandom experience on the social media application TikTok. The study has been conducted as an online ethnographic observation mainly on TikTok, known for short-form video content. 60 videos were combined into a collection of primary source material, to analyze individual fan-experiences more closely using qualitative content analysis.

Enchantment is the theoretical core of the study, and conceptualized as a way to seriously consider and value fans’ empirical accounts on the personal enjoyment and imaginative and playful elements that are specific for the fan culture. Guided by theory, this study observes how enchantment is experienced and described by BL fans participating in the fan culture in three main ways: 1. As spontaneous, “automatic” or generally without fans’ own creative contribution by simply consuming BL content. 2. As a result of intentional and creative production namely via ritual framing. And 3. Enchantment of the BL fan culture portrayed or articulated as religious or similar to that.

The analysis of BL fans’ intentionally produced enchantment builds in particular on Terhi Utriainen’s (2016; 2020) theories on ritual framing. To consider what kind of meaningful role BL fan culture can have in the fans’ lives and how enchantment is articulated and conceptualized within fandom, I utilize Matt Hills’ (2002) theory on fan cultures as a form of neo-religiosity. Finally, to conclude findings and tentatively situate BL (re)enchantment on a wider cultural scale, I apply Christopher Partridge’s (2004) theory on re-enchantment as a major factor in contemporary Western cultural and religious environment.

Enchantment through, and within BL fan culture is found a subversive, whimsical and pleasant force that is enriching fans’ lives, and altering and elevating and the ordinary, “disenchanted” reality and life. Notable opportunities for future research were found in BL fan works like art and written fiction as tangible products of, and mediators of re-enchantment, and how BL fandom cultivates solidarity and sense of community among those who share the mutual enchantments.