Didn't know where to ask this but a few month ago this topic has come up quite a lot on the Internet for me. This post is going to be quite long.

The most common take is that a woman's ass and boobs being exposed is the same as a man's dominant and protective personality (and that that means male characters are usually much more shallow than female characters in things targeted at men)or a man cooking and cleaning. Other takes are men being gay or being intimate or even more friendly then usual with other men and men having their chest exposed. I once even saw someone compare an anime woman with an overdressed anime man wearing many layers of clothing and saying that is the difference when it comes to fanservice.

I don't find many of these things to be fanservice and the sad thing is that I thought I might be alone.

Firstly we need to define fanservice. There are people claim that when to comes female fanservice them just being attractive counts. While I do think it could be fanservice, I don't think it is in the same sense most people think of. Like cute, adorable animal characters designs also fall under the same category of fanservice.

Sure women may find a man who is dominant and protective attractive but I don't think that counts as the sexual fanservice I am referring to and the one that people think of. Female characters also have archetypes and cliche personality. I also don't know how I feel about the claim that male characters are often more shallow than female ones for their demographic. I can see where people who say this are coming from. Many girls/women say the opposite. I can see both sides.

When it comes to cooking and cleaning again the male audience might point out that those are positives when deciding which waifu they like the best but does that mean it is sexual (s) fanservice?

When it comes to men being really friendly or intimate but not sexual, I was going to say that "I personally don't even find that to be fanservice in bl, yaoi or shounen ai. What I find to be s fanservice is the sex" but I wonder if having characters have sex counts as the same type of fanservice. However I think I understand the appeal whether it is morally right or wrong having two people of the same sex being touchy could be arousing to both sex. When it comes to me, depending on the situation deep kissing can be but then again that goes to both genders for me(if two people of the opposite sex did it in the right context I would feel the same). Things like handholding however would not count as s fanservice for me.

When it comes to men having exposed chests I think that many women can find it to be fanservice and arousing but honest for me when it comes to anime and manga they do nothing for me. Sometimes it does but most times it doesn't depending on how their chest is drawn, even if they have 8 packs and a really muscular. That leads me on to another point.

I know for a fact that a lot of women don't find exposed muscular chests/abs in shows/manga meant for men sexual/arousing/fanservice. You could argue that they are more to serve the male power fantasy or just a simple character design to show strength without caring about a female audience or being meant to be attractive to anyone.

For the the last one, please tell me that i am wrong and a woman with a lot of her ass and boobs exposed isn't the same as an overdressed man?

The worst thing with all this for me, is I think that many women are satisfied with this. Maybe because I like fanservice with women too that I have too high expectations for men.

The problem is that there is more ways to sexualise women than men. You hardly see people who draw nsfw art draw men and that includes men and women. You also see a lot of women drooling over sexualised female characters. Women's breasts, butt, tighs, tongues even, etc are sexualised. It could be the same with men but it often isn't. Even when it comes to men's chests those aren't seen as sexual. So you can't really sexualise a male character without showing through private parts.

I have only ever seen 2 or 3 women have a problem with this and other women seem fine with screaming and gushing over a fictional man's face so maybe this isn't really much of a problem. After all there is smut. Smut or nothing no inbetween unless you get aroused by most of the men's abs and muscular chest. 😢

there's probably a lot of contrived scenes with activity/preoccupation that cause unusual angles or cropped frames that remove male eye contact from readers.
(with the intent to mimic real life voyeurism.)
Once there is no requirement to hide your gawking, you get a green light to eyebang.
eye contact can be a little too intense initially.

suddenly zoomed in shots that contain a lot more detail than previously available

v-pose/throne or manspreading where a character is inexplicably framed/centered at their crotch

hands

injuries, maybe

I can only speculate. maybe there's a poll out there that could get some of those answers

However a fictional man is drawn makes no difference to me.

What I am into in men is character irl or in fiction. Also for me they all look like drawings and I can't see them as any way sexually because they are just fcking drawings. Fanservice for me is if his character is smart and strategic and he goes for power and he got the brains to do so and he also goes beyond the ways of normal to get the fl.

Now I do love fanservice on women but unfortunately most of manhwas that is mainly what I am reading have zero through female gaze which is very different from male gaze one(which I actually enjoy as well). The female gaze that creates a fanservice on the woman always feel artistic and beautiful and is mostly seen in gls the male gaze most of the times loses that.

________________
finally pregnant

So when it comes to fanservice on women it is no longer just a drawing?

I mean it is like I thought I assume you are female. Both men and women like female fanservice but men aren't into male fanservice and apparently a lot of women too.

Guess I should be the change, I want see.