I think... that's the crux of it, for me (although not necessarily the way you meant it). Femslash frequently involves taking women who had little to no agency in canon (did little to influence the plot, did little to direct the course of their lives) and gives them hold of the reins -- from "Why didn't she get to help fight the Big Bad? That's stupid! I'll write a fic where she does something awesome!" to "Why did she end up with him? He just kind of expected her to fall into his lap and she did! I'll write a fic where she not only says No Way, but also hooks up with this other woman who I like better than Main Guy anyway!"
It's not true of everyone's femslash experience; there are large fandoms for f/f between characters who had agency to begin with (see Xena). But for me, personally, seeing a female character given the nuanced and active portrayal she was never allowed in canon is intensely satisfying.
And I guess that's why I'm a little baffled by the "Why I Don't Write Women" arguments. Instead of saying "I can't stand this character because she embodies stereotype X," I tend to say "Wow, she was written pretty poorly. Let's see what backstory/behind-the-scenes stuff/inner thoughts I can come up with that make the stereotypical aspects of her make sense." But I suppose that takes a lot of focus that people are directing onto other characters.
I have to say, though, the best way to get more femslash and more fic about female characters is to write it. And I don't mean that in a "write it yourself!" way; I mean it in a... "if you build it, they will come" way. I could definitely stand to improve in that department. The easiest way to get people to see the potential I see in a character is to show them myself. And then maybe they'll be interested enough to write some, too.
ramble ramble ramble oh god this shoots off in a random direction
I think... that's the crux of it, for me (although not necessarily the way you meant it). Femslash frequently involves taking women who had little to no agency in canon (did little to influence the plot, did little to direct the course of their lives) and gives them hold of the reins -- from "Why didn't she get to help fight the Big Bad? That's stupid! I'll write a fic where she does something awesome!" to "Why did she end up with him? He just kind of expected her to fall into his lap and she did! I'll write a fic where she not only says No Way, but also hooks up with this other woman who I like better than Main Guy anyway!"
It's not true of everyone's femslash experience; there are large fandoms for f/f between characters who had agency to begin with (see Xena). But for me, personally, seeing a female character given the nuanced and active portrayal she was never allowed in canon is intensely satisfying.
And I guess that's why I'm a little baffled by the "Why I Don't Write Women" arguments. Instead of saying "I can't stand this character because she embodies stereotype X," I tend to say "Wow, she was written pretty poorly. Let's see what backstory/behind-the-scenes stuff/inner thoughts I can come up with that make the stereotypical aspects of her make sense." But I suppose that takes a lot of focus that people are directing onto other characters.
I have to say, though, the best way to get more femslash and more fic about female characters is to write it. And I don't mean that in a "write it yourself!" way; I mean it in a... "if you build it, they will come" way. I could definitely stand to improve in that department. The easiest way to get people to see the potential I see in a character is to show them myself. And then maybe they'll be interested enough to write some, too.