Fansplaining

This month’s Fansplaining piece is a bit of a departure from our usual fandom reporting and critical analysis: for the first time, we’re very excited to share a virtual art exhibit of sorts, from Toronto-based curators and BTS fans Rea McNamara and Bo Shin.  I came to ruin you: The Collecting Practices of K-pop Fandoms was on display at York University this past spring, and what follows is an expanded version of the exhibition’s brochure, plus images, videos, and interviews with some of the fan collectors and participating artists Jiwon Choi and Lux Pyre.  You can listen to the main text of the piece on this feed, but! We'd highly recommend going to the article itself to see all the images and videos (with descriptive captions and alt-text):  https://www.fansplaining.com/articles/i-came-to-ruin-you-the-collecting-practices-of-k-pop-fandoms

In our newest piece, Sacha Judd goes deep on RPF, tracing it back decades and tackling its thorny intersections with other kinds of fan practices.  "The RPF Question" by Sacha Judd. Amid blurry boundaries between fic, celebrity fandom, and conspiracy theories, how real person fiction evolved from forbidden to mainstream and back again. Read the full piece:  https://fansplaining.com/articles/the-rpf-question [https://fansplaining.com/articles/the-rpf-question]

Our latest piece is by Amanda-Rae Prescott, who was one of the expert guests in our "Race and Fandom" series back in 2020! (https://www.fansplaining.com/episodes/135b-race-and-fandom-revisited-part-2) [https://www.fansplaining.com/episodes/135b-race-and-fandom-revisited-part-2)] "Bridgerton and Period Drama Fandom’s Enduring Racism Problem" by Amanda-Rae Prescott. Complaints about historical accuracy and acting quality are often dog-whistles: some fans only want to see white actors—and white history—on screen.  Read the full piece here: https://fansplaining.com/articles/bridgerton-period-drama-fandoms-racism [https://fansplaining.com/articles/bridgerton-period-drama-fandoms-racism]

Gav is back in Fansplaining in 2025! This time, she writes about Sam Wilson's recent Captain America debut—and how the MCU failed both the character and the fandom. "Sam Wilson Deserved Better Than Brave New World" by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw: Marvel wants fans to care about lore without thinking too deeply about themes and emotions—the things that brought them to this fandom in the first place. Read the full piece here: fansplaining.com/articles/sam-wilson-deserved-better-brave-new-world

Our first article of 2025 is here—and it's a big one!   "The War That Almost Broke a Classic Fandom" by Lena Barkin: Blake’s 7 fans and actors mixed regularly at cons and on the pages of zines—until an anonymous letter changed everything. Read the full piece here: fansplaining.com/articles/the-war-that-almost-broke-a-classic-fandom