'Juggling the object-of-desire's ambiguous sexuality is part of the straight fan's own gender performance,' she writes. She concedes that 'hot male bodies in action are a big part of the draw,' but maintains there's more to this 'female gaze' than meets the eye. What intrigues Shiller is the gender-bending identification that leads straight women to bond with the love lives of overtly gay male characters (some of whom are played by straight men, which adds yet another layer to the conundrum).
It isn't news - at least in the circles I travel in - that men aren't the only ones who enjoy the visual aspects of the mating game.
