How Teen Wolf’s transmasculine fans use online fandom to build community and representation

Authors

  • Ari Page Ball State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3983/twc.2023.2259

Keywords:

Fan transformation, Fan works, Online fan communities, Trans euphoria, Trans representation, Transmasculinity

Abstract

When media are unable or unwilling to provide accurate trans representation, trans fans use online fan communities to create their own representation and invent entire worlds that transgressively diverge from the source. The transmasculine fans of Teen Wolf are exemplary of this phenomenon, revealing that the foundational work within the show offers a rich (though unsanctioned) basis for trans connection through lycanthropy, transformation, and queer masculinity. This article looks at the possibilities for projecting trans experiences onto fictionalized bodies in a way that is celebratory, euphoric, and reparative.

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Published

2023-03-13

Issue

Vol. 39 (2023): Trans Fandom

Section

Article

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Ari Page

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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