Risky Sexual Behaviors in Online Fan Fiction: With Positive Consequences

• In Event: Let's Talk About Sex: Communicating About Sexual Health

Abstract

“Fan fiction” refers to literary narratives created by non-commercial sources with the characters and background of other published or broadcasted work such as movies and TV shows. This study aims to examine how online fan fiction portrays risky sexual behaviors and how readers’ responded to this content. Results show that 89.5% in the sample had unprotected or noncondom sex portrayal, and oral sex (50%) and anal sex (28.9%) were the next two in the list. 81.6% of the stories indicated positive consequences of risky sexual behaviors. Descriptions of oral sex, non-consent/rape and pain/torture in the stories were significantly related to greater numbers of readers’ follows. More health education regarding sexual descriptions in fan fiction may be needed.

Author

• Wan Chi Leung, University of South Carolina