Associate Professor Dr Natthanai Prasannam
– Faculty of Humanities, Kasetsart University
This study aims to explore the yaoi (boys’ love stories, shortened to Y) phenomenon in Thailand, particularly since 2014 during the rapid expansion of the entertainment industry involvement with yaoi fandom. The research draws on Paul Booth’s (2015) study of fan/industry interactions to expand existing scholarship on the yaoi phenomenon in Thailand from just an emphasis on the reading of texts linked to its Japanese cultural origins, ethnographic research and the aspect of queer cultural politics.
The research focuses on GMMTV Company Limited, a key player in expanding the yaoi industry in Thailand and growing the fandom of Thai yaoi stars in different countries in Asia and addresses the way GMMTV has expanded the yaoi industry through connections with the local book industry, as well as its own stars and music making divisions. The research pays close attention to fan/industry interactions rooted in the industry-led mimetic practices inspired by yaoi fan culture. These practices include the act of “shipping” (pairing yaoi couples) through what fans referred to as Official Promotional Videos (OPVs) and television shows. The study discusses the way GMMTV employs fan nostalgia to create memory-driven activities. The highly commercialized industry-led fan meetings also offer an interesting site to explore fan/industry interactions where fan-led practices are re-enacted by the industry, yet consumed by the fans.
Keywords: fandom; fan/industry interaction; yaoi; boys’ love (BL); Thai popular culture
(Presented in the Spectrosynthesis II : LGBTQ in Thai Literature (ความหลากหลายทางเพศในวรรณกรรมไทย), 26 January 2020, Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, Bangkok, organized by the Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University and the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre)