Anthology of Computers and the Humanities - Vol. 3 - When the Hero Becomes a Girl: Presenting Characters’ Gender with Stereotypes in AO3 Gender-Bending Fanfiction

Aug 21, 2026

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Gender-bending fanfiction is a subcategory of fanfiction where characters are transformed into a different gender. This study examines gender presentation in gender-bending fanfiction on AO3 (Archive of Our Own). Results show that gender-bent characters are signaled through biased words that mainly express gender stereotypes and even negative experiences of femininity, including body objectification and vulnerability. The findings suggest gender-bending reshapes personality and behavior via language rather than only changing biological sex.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Anthology of Computers and the Humanities, Vol. 3 When the Hero Becomes a Girl: Presenting Characters’Gender with Stereotypes in AO3 Gender-Bending Fanfiction Yixi Chen1 , and Jianwei Yan1 1 Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Abstract Gender-bending fanfiction is a subcategory of fanfiction where characters are transformed into a different gender. This study examines gender presentation in gender-bending fanfiction on AO3 (Archive of Our Own) . The findings reveal that gender-bent characters are marked by biased words. These biased words predominantly reflect gender stereotypes and even negative experiences of femininity, such as body objectification and vulnerability. It indicates that gender-bending involves not merely a biological sex change, but a modification in characters’ personality and behavior through language. This study may provide valuable insights into how fan communities perceive the gender hierarchy in the real world and how their experiences shape their fanfiction creation. Keywords: gender stereotype, bias modeling, gender-bending, fanfiction, AO3 1 Introduction Fanfiction refers to fan-created stories based on an existing work of literature. As a non-profitable behavior, fanfiction is primarily motivated by authors’ interests and pleasures [4], as well as the recognition from readers. This genre stands out with its freedom in creation and transmission [19] . Although fanfiction is derivative stories from the canon work, authors are allowed to reshape characters and their relationships in an unconventional way [4] . By participating in the re-creation of the canon, authors explore and express their understanding of characters and original works. Unlike mainstream media, fanfiction normalizes the queering presentation of gender and relationship [12; 15] . A prominent example is slash fanfiction, a major subgenre of fanfiction that typically involves homosexual relationships between (or among) characters and gender-bending [1; 25] . Such queering presentation “rethink[s] and rewrite[s] traditional masculinity” [12, p. 71], challenging the assumption “the [cishetero-]male as neutral, and default” [1, p. 26] . In this sense, fanfiction provides a valuable lens for researchers to examine the perception of queer identity and sexuality in fictional narratives. While male protagonists are prevalent in real-world works, their presentation in fanfiction is often reshaped. The canon work may present the male protagonist as a hero who embarks on a journey full of obstacles with his allies to save the world [7] . When it comes to fanfiction, fan authors frequently focus on the hero’s entanglements with other characters rather than the hero’s journey. Some authors even rewrite the hero as a heroine, exploring the imaginative alternative of a male protagonist in a female body [4; 19] . This practice, known as gender-bending, is especially popular in the form of male-to-female transformations. While fewer studies provide discussion on Yixi Chen, and Jianwei Yan. “When the Hero Becomes a Girl: Presenting Characters’ Gender with Stereotypes in AO3 Gender-Bending Fanfiction.” In: Computational Humanities Research 2025, ed. by Taylor Arnold, Margherita Fantoli, and Ruben Ros. Vol. 3. Anthology of Computers and the Humanities. 2025, 755–770 . [https://doi.org/10.63744/d0T9FeacxMZ5](https://doi.org/10.63744/d0T9FeacxMZ5) . © 2025 by the authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) . its bias for male-to-female, we can observe this in the subtags of “genderbend” on AO3 (Archive of Our Own), a renowned nonprofit, open source repository of fanfiction) .1 The prevalence of gender-bending fanfiction naturally follows the question of the motivations behind it. One key motivation is heterosexual validation. Much gender-bending fiction revolves one or more slash relationships (i.e., same sex non-canonical relationships) . Some readers com

FAQs

What is the focus of this study on AO3 gender-bending fanfiction?

The study investigates how gender is presented in gender-bending fanfiction on AO3, with particular attention to whether language choices induce bias in characters’ behavior.

What do the findings reveal about gender-bent characters’ language?

Gender-bent characters are marked by biased words, which predominantly reflect gender stereotypes and negative experiences tied to femininity, such as body objectification and vulnerability.

How does gender-bending go beyond biological sex change according to the study?

Gender-bending is described as modifying characters’ personality and behavior through language, indicating a transformation of portrayal rather than a purely biological change.

Aug 21, 2026

Upload by Connor