BookTok’s Hockey Smut Sexualization Problem

Issue #156 | August 1, 2023

Ah, BookTok. A place heralded as a safe haven for young female readers—both feminist and not-so-feminist. It’s a place for some to connect over the revolutionary musings of Bell Hooks and Audre Lorde. A place to be a self-aware Sally Rooney sad girl, an unhinged satirical “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” fleabag, a Joan Didion/Eve Babitz baddie.

And of course, a place to read smut. Smutty, smutted-up, hetero smut-smut. Cue female-fellatio-laden sex scenes, the “manhood” of a dashing gentleman entering the virginal “cradle of femininity” under candlelight. Enter unhealthily hot, rich, baller bad boys, beefcakes who miraculously turn from hating your guts to becoming “completely and perfectly and incandescently happy” with you, sexed-up sugar daddies, meat-shield white knights, etc, etc.

In this particular corner of BookTok, there lies an erotic dreamscape for a straight woman’s most debaucherous patriarchal desires. After centuries of beheadings, burnings at the stake, pariah-ing, and female objectification under the guise of purity culture, it’s only natural women would want to swing the sexualization pendulum back at men.

And now, this corner of BookTok has collided with… hockey, of all things. You heard me right, Hockey. Apparently, hockey teams are cashing in on a niche group of women who love to read and write about being “pucked” by hockey players. Teams have been posting odd thirst traps of their players (and employees, mind you) alongside BookTok promotions in recent months. These teams include the Seattle Kraken, whose TikTok feed was littered with sexy posts—at least, up until this weekend, when one player, Alex Wennberg, spoke out against hockey-BookTok fans for making “vile” sexual comments about him.

Wennberg’s wife specifically called out a post by one BookToker, who jokingly made a video asking Wennberg teammates to do “all 3 of her holes” and to “krack her back.” This creator got thrown under the bus by the Kraken, who deleted all their thirst traps without posting a statement acknowledging their role in encouraging her, flying her out to playoff matches, and giving her a custom-made “BookTok” jersey… Companies love to use creators to ride the hype machine but tend to hang them out to dry when shit hits the fan.

But let’s be clear. The solution to women’s oppression is not emulating men’s locker room talk. Sexual objectification is harmful, even when it’s done to men, and even if it’s “just a joke.” It leads to negative body image, eating disorders, depression, and an ever-increasing drive for perfection. These ridiculous literary standards of sex and masculinity, the blatant disregard for one’s complexity and personhood on social media, it’s… not cool, y’all, no matter the gender.

THE COMMENTS SECTION

“For the people who think harassing hockey players is just a joke. … The organization stepped over a line here with how they engaged with BookTok and social media, specifically by sexualizing their own employees. They absolutely have a responsibility to course correct if one of their employees or their family has complained in this way. … Stop harassing people, this is unhinged behavior.”
—BookToker Mari on the Kraken controversy.

Of course, there’s something a little different about being objectified when there are thousands of years of systemic oppression behind it. Political, economic, and even physical power inequalities mean the objectification of straight white rich men is much less likely to result in them facing sexual violence. But even so, men are facing unprecedented levels of perfectionism-driven social anxiety and mental illness. They too are bombarded with more objectifying media than ever before.

In a world that entirely values women for beauty and feminine appeal above all else, I think we can extend some understanding for men here. Has Barbie taught us nothing? Ken’s “himbo” energy is surely a source of comedy, but his character is also a vulnerable depiction of how men, too, suffer under patriarchy.

Are men not hot when they’re in their feelings? Is it their destiny to live and die a life of blonde fragility? The Kens need some love too. They need flowers before their funerals. They need to be able to reclaim the best part of themselves. And creators, they need fully developed storylines, please.

And now… back to our regularly scheduled programming.

– Grace Stanley, Newsletter Editor

DEAR SENATORS

The ‘Kids Online Safety Act’ Won’t Protect Every Minor

The controversial Kids Online Safety Act is heading to the Senate floor for a vote, sparking concern for LGBTQ+ minors and potential ID-based verification systems.

By Steven Asarch, Passionfruit Contributor

→ READ THE FULL STORY

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