By now, everyone knows who fangirls are. While today they may show up in the TikToks that pop up on your FYP, these women carry on a long-standing tradition of ‘fannish’ behaviour that was once deemed obscene enough to be considered civil disobedience.   

When fangirls group together, they form the collective — the fandom. Fandom: the subculture that forms around media when fans go beyond the text to create culture and community related to a specific form of art. While not all fan spaces are dominated by women, such as Star Wars groups or video game collectives, women often engage distinctly with fandom. They typically gravitate towards its transformative aspects, creating new content rather than merely collecting or memorizing existing media. And yes, these new creations often include one of the most mischaracterised aspects of fandom – fanfiction.   

Fanfiction is often viewed by society a manifestation of deviant and unimaginative hypersexuality among young women. And it’s true, fanfiction surpasses romance as the most female genre of literature, and that may be why it’s such an easy target for ridicule. It’s not uncommon to ask celebrities to read fanfiction of themselves on talk shows, laughter ringing through audiences as stars blush their way through badly written erotica, while books that began as fanfiction, such as Fifty Shades of Grey or the After series are often mocked for their transformative roots. However, it’s crucial to recognise that not all fanfiction is sexual or romantic. The criticism itself underscores a broader cultural problem: why is women's expression of sexuality so often met with mockery? 

Indeed, fanfiction has its issues, such as the hyper-focus on M/M (queer male) relationships that can often border fetishisation. Meanwhile, the unrestricted freedom of speech on the popular fanfiction site, Archive of Our Own, often sparks debate. Nevertheless, it is important to consider fanfiction as a safe haven for the sexual desires of often overlooked communities, particularly women and queer individuals. Unlike pornography, fanfiction empowers these groups by allowing them to take control of the narrative. While these stories rarely centre on female characters, they provide a space for both writers and readers to explore gender performance, kink, and sexuality. Through male characters, women can examine relationships that challenge male dominance and blend it with traditional femininity, offering an escape from the heteronormative focus of mainstream romance literature.  

Outside of sexual expression, fanfiction and similar transformative works distinguish themselves in fandom—and society in general—by their anti-commercial nature. Since selling fanfiction is legally elusive, these works are not created for profit, fostering a culture of creativity and community identity independent of financial motivations. In contrast to our consumer-driven society, where transactions and profits often dominate, fanfiction thrives within a gift economy. This community, driven by passion rather than payment, emphasises cycles of gifting and reciprocity. Moreover, platforms like The Archive of Our Own, which hosts over 13.5 million works, exemplify this ethos. Run by a vast volunteer network including coders and legal advocates, it operates solely on donations, further underscoring fanfiction's commitment to supporting non-commercial creative spaces. 

Exploring fanfiction invites us to sidestep the societal prudishness and discover the community that exists behind the “guilty pleasure” label. This space, pioneered by women and pushed forward by a boundary-breaking new generation, may have its quirks, but it stays a unique internet subculture focused on freedom and exploration. So go read some fanfiction. You just might find yourself pleasantly surprised.