Mamdani promotes ereading (and audiobooks)

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by meeera

I imagine it's easy to think that if you've never actually listened to people in the fandom.

The overwhelmingly popular response is that it's the romance storyline that's the primary interest, not the sex (though obviously the sex scenes include emotional and relationship development; that's why they're there). Women enjoy reading about men being emotionally vulnerable, loving, and nurturing.

The ratings of the TV series bear this out also: by far the most rewatched episode is number 5, the one without sex scenes.

I'm aware of that. Women are generally more interested in romance than in sex - men watch porn, women read romances. The principle is still the same - just as men find sex between two females exciting, women find romance between two males exciting.

(BTW, I'm a woman and I've read quite a lot of male/male romances, although romance is not my primary genre. So I know perfectly well why women read M/M stuff.)

[meeera]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

(BTW, I'm a woman and I've read quite a lot of male/male romances, although romance is not my primary genre. So I know perfectly well why women read M/M stuff.)

So you should know that men watching FF porn is completely different from women reading MM romance. Why make the comparison as though they're the same thing for the same reasons?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by meeera

So you should know that men watching FF porn is completely different from women reading MM romance. Why make the comparison as though they're the same thing for the same reasons?

Because it is the same thing, psychologically.

[nana77]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Because it is the same thing, psychologically.

It's not really the same, women and men perceives "things" differently; now I don't know exactly as I guess on m/m f/f relations there is often a partner that takes the f<m or m<f figure..
Will not watch nor read m/m things anyway.
One thing I'd liked as explanatory about differencies was that, if you look a woman riding a bycicle, she will keep the same gait/pace all the way, till the 30cm from the stop line; a male instead, usually would change the stride, solemnly on the dips, etc...
Or, as in time perceptions, a photo from the past would mean (usually) much more for women, while men might be bound scretching bits on future's lines (that's also why when going to shopping togheter, your wife will say she did forgot the wallet at home LOL - pardon; really, was only a joking about, not serious).
But yes, the two genders perceives things on a very different way though (imho on a different, complementary way).
Men are also - generally - more visual-based, and maybe that can be a reason why men might watch porn more often than women, while them are more kinesthetic-based?

[Sirtel]

Of course men and women perceive things differently. Men are more about physical and visual, women are more about emotions and relationships. Men watch porn, including f/f porn, because it excites and stimulates them physically; women read romances, including m/m romances, because it excites and stimulates them emotionally. The basic premise is still the same - both genders like to watch/read about same-sex relationships between the members of the opposite gender because it excites them. For men, it means direct physical and sexual excitement, for women it means emotional excitement.

Yes, men and women are different, their psychology and sexuality are different. The reason is still basically the same, it's the expression that's different.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by DNSB

What no harem/reverse harem with whatever as the harem?

LOL! Nope, I'm pretty much strictly a two person kinda gal. A few stories have dropped a third on me unknowingly and if the story can justify it well enough I will continue reading.

[danicca]

I'd agree with F/F porn comparison. I mean, most of M/M romances have very explicit scenes and I don't believe readers just skip that part. I don't hand my ereader to anyone without checking recent books because of that.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by danicca

I'd agree with F/F porn comparison. I mean, most of M/M romances have very explicit scenes and I don't believe readers just skip that part. I don't hand my ereader to anyone without checking recent books because of that.

Yes. While I agree with meeera that romance is the main draw for women, not sex, there are very few m/m romances without any sex scenes.

Personally, I've also read m/m erotica written by real gay men, and if there was no romance involved at all in any shape or form, just pure sex, it usually left me pretty cold. So I'd argue that romance really is the more important part for women. Sex is just icing on the cake. Very tasty icing, if well done. But yeah, these days, if there are no explicit scenes at all, it will feel like something is missing, unless the writing is truly exceptional.

The same applies to m/f romances, of course.

As with everything, there are exceptions and some overlap with men's tastes.

[nana77]

The romance themes have became so popular (against the prejudices from previous years, for what I can understand) that since last year the book's saloon (sorry for the translation: "Salone del Libro", in Turin: the biggest festival about literature in Italy) started a dedicated pavillon, separated from the main one, that also requires another ticket. That's because it gives the chance to talk within the authors, so the entrances are limited (last year there were "slots" of half hours for each author available, so the reservation).
I didn't went, in there, but I guess it has been done also to counter tendencies like "romances" behaviours even into videogames (meaning not only for erotic ones, but the stoytelling that involves romances on various genres in videogames).
*this was from the 2025 edition.
Ps: I'm not affiliated, and I'm not writing for promoting, I guess it's just a smart thought.