[ SECRET POST #7037 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #7037 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


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[Bridgerton and Heated Rivalry]



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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #1005.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

06. https://i.postimg.cc/j2685Ctm/13.png
[Bridgerton and Heated Rivalry]

Transcript by OP

[fscom]

These two shows are very similar in type: smutty genre fiction (that's either going to work for you or not).

But it has not escaped my notice that the folks who all but demand that Bridgerton fans 'fully grasp and understand' that their show is soft-core-smutty-trash, have done nothing but hype up and treat Heated Rivalry as if it's better than what it actually is: smutty genre fiction.

It's fine to like smutty fiction, I don't care if people are into one or both of these shows, but it has been deeply funny to see people treat the latter as High Art that only Smart People Are Into... when it's as much of a kinda trashy smutty romp as the former.

[(Anonymous)]

I think this is a matter of the different presentation.

Bridgerton has "long gowns and gloves, rules of behavior and manners, members of Society, can you believe he used that fork?" type of setting that gives people Not In the Know the assumption that it's pretending to be Literature, when really it's just being a specific kink. To people who don't have that kink, it looks like they're trying to dress up their soft core porn. "OMG, why did you deceive me, this isn't a delicate regency romance! Just admit it's not actually LiteratureTM, it's just porn!!1eleventy"

Heated Rivalry on the other hand is a setting where dudes bang around on the ice, and then off the ice. The kink is more in-your-face recognizable, so there's no dissonance to make people think there's a possible disguise or trickery.

[(Anonymous)]

Also, I have had people try to sell me on Bridgerton by presenting it as if it IS literature. Meanwhile, the people who have recommended Heated Rivalry to me have been very upfront about it being smutty gay romance.

[thesleepingbeauty]

Agreed OP. Personally, I think Bridgerton gets treated like “smutty trash” because it’s a romance show that has female leads and actually centers the pleasure of those female characters. Even its upcoming gay season will still center women’s romantic lives and sexual pleasure.

Heated Rivalry does not do this — its audience may be predominantly women, but it is still a show with only male leads and only centers the sexual pleasure of men. The lead characters being gay does not change this fact and does not make it any less “smutty trash” too.

Since society still centers everything around men and still sees men as the default of humanity, I’m not surprised at all that media with male leads gets respected and taken more seriously than media with female leads. Unfortunately, misogyny (including internalized) is so rampant and prevalent that people rarely ever challenge it.

[(Anonymous)]

Who is out there non-sarcastically calling Heated Rivalry high art and elevated literature?

Asking for links because they're bound to be funny.

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know what I've seen anyone say it's high art, but I have seen people think it was a sign that the sport of hockey was becoming less hetero and boorish, and were really upset when they realized that that isn't true.

[(Anonymous)]

Hmm that's not quite the same as treating the show itself like high art that only smart people can apprecaite... I'm just interested in what sorts of people do this.

[(Anonymous)]

I would like to know, too! The most I've seen is "I know Heated Rivalry trashy but it has these interesting ideas..." To be fair, I haven't seen much Bridgerton bashing either (except for people disappointed in the costuming which, fair) so maybe it's just not in my circles.

[(Anonymous)]

A little OT, I don't watch Heated Rivalry but a friend of mine is super into it. They projected a "What are we?" situation onto a coworker (who is married). Thankfully, they didn't outright try to make a move. When my friend confessed this to me I think they were hoping I'd support their delusions and egg them on to take a risk, but instead I was like "you've been in a relationship for over a decade and your coworker is a newlywed, even if there are feelings, maybe don't create a mess if you're going to keep working together."

Like, honestly, just because fictional stories make dramatic love stories seem like an amazing thing, IRL it doesn't work that way. RL is messy and complicated, and my friend's partner and the wife of their coworker matter too. Again, in a fictional show nothing matters as much as the lead couple, but it's not real. IRL if you don't want to be seen as a piece of shit selfish asshole, break up with your boyfriend and question if possibly ruining a marriage and/or friendship before deciding if you want to ask your coworker if they have romantic feelings like you do. Not my life, but I still don't get how people can convince themselves to cheat or go after someone who is clearly unavailable.