I think it's a commonly established fact that the vast majority of yaoi readers are women. And mostly straight women, at that.

But what about yuri?

This is just a poll I'm conducting out of curiosity, to see what types of people read yuri/GL, and in what ratios! Admittedly, the way this poll is taken is a little faulty because there are bound to be more straight guys than gay guys on B-U, for example, so it won't show the proper ratios of the readership in a controlled way, but at least we'll get some idea.

Please also say a little bit about WHY you read shoujo-ai/yuri, or what appeals to you in the genre, as opposed to or in comparison to other genres.

I'm especially curious about straight girls or gay guys who read shoujo-ai/yuri, because the appeal (from a romantic/eyecandy standpoint) is a little harder to see. I guess in this case it really does boil down to just reading a good story, regardless of the sexuality of the characters? And the feeling of love is the same, anyway, so a good romance is the same as well... That's my hunch, but maybe that's not the real reason?

I mean, if the "good story/romance" thing held true for all readers, then how come more straight guys don't read yaoi? There's got to be something more to it... If more straight girls read yuri than straight guys read yaoi, then it either means that: a) girls are just more open-minded than guys are, b) girls are more secure than guys are about their sexuality (and therefore less likely to feel threatened by other sexualities), c) girls are generally more fluid in their sexuality (and can consider lesbianism or empathize with it comfortably), or d) guys are the ones who have more fluid sexualities, and that's why they freak out at yaoi, because they're afraid of being "turned," while girls freak out a little less at the yuri, since it affects them less, or they don't think that being able to empathize with something is the same as becoming it.

Note that I DO NOT BELIEVE any of those things I've just said, lol - I'm just offering different ideas for discussion. Playing the Devil's advocate, so to speak, to incite debate. Let's see what the poll tells us, and then we can debate based on that!

I have to say that I do think that more straight girls read yuri than straight guys read yaoi, only I don't know why they do (and I don't believe in any of the rationalizations I've put forward above, which is why I'm still confused). Maybe this poll will prove me wrong, and I've harbored a misconception about the yuri readership all along?

Hm. Either way, I'm looking forward to the results! It can never hurt to know more about the readership of one of my favorite genres!

Go ahead and comment on these topics or discuss whatever you like about the yuri/GL readership! (As long as it's not flaming anyone, lol.)

Oh, and PLEASE ANSWER HONESTLY about your sexuality. In the poll at least, no one's going to know who any of the respondents are, so you don't have to worry about outing yourself... You will out yourself if you declare yourself as gay/lesbian in the comments, though. 😀

This is all in my honest opinion~

I've noticed that most shoujo-ai mangas that I've read have the same atmosphere. It's very slow-budding and "innocent." That's one of the reasons I like it. Compared to some yaoi mangas which are pretty plotless and jumps right to the fun, shoujo-ai is refreshing, and a bit different from how romance is shown in shounen-ai/yaoi. (note; I'm saying some and most, this is not about all yaoi/yuri mangas out there.)

I'm very open-minded, and accept homosexuality 100%. That is another reason why I read shoujo-ai. (It's not to show how open-minded I am, but I don't brood so much on the fact that the girls are "lesbians," and/or are having a relationship that is different from a hetero's.)

One of my closest friend (a female as well) is as open-minded as I am. We've both read shoujo-ai before. Maybe it has something to do with "acceptance" as to why some girls read shoujo-ai. Reading shoujo-ai doesn't necessarily make you a lesbian (or bisexual), but sometimes that can be pretty hard to understand. Like if a guy reads yaoi, some would assume he's gay because he's reading something about gay relationships. But why can't some just assume he's very accepting of things? I believe that you can love a person, not because of their gender, but because of who they are.

One of my guyfriends who is a closet-gay, has read shoujo-ai mangas before. His opinion on them was that it was boring, but some can be cute. He thought some of the storylines were nice, and a bit different, but all in all, he's not a fan of shoujo-ai. It wasn't the fact that there were girls in it that made him not love shoujo-ai mangas, but because the shoujo-ai atmosphere and how some of the stories are told isn't to his taste.

There is definitely more straight girls reading yuri (well, around me there is XD) than straight guys reading yaoi. It's something I'd want to know more about. Possibly could be related to being a certain gender, their mentality, and/or perspective on some morals.

I'll nudge again at the fact that this is my opinion.

@eccentrrick, this is the most AWESOME reply ever, seriously!

Like if a guy reads yaoi, some would assume he's gay because he's reading something about gay relationships. But why can't some just assume he's very accepting of things?

Yes, THAT. It kind of bothers me that people judge readers on what they're reading... That way lies censorship of the personal and the political kind. And I don't like censorship. 😛

Like... if a woman reads yuri, it doesn't necessarily make her a lesbian, either. I mean, does reading a novel about people from the middle ages make you a person from the middle ages? Does reading a manga about Americans make one an American? Of course not! So I find it weird that ppl judge characters and personalities based on a reader's preferred genres.

I could judge someone's character based on the QUALITY of what they read, like whether they read really thoughtful/intellectual/deep stuff or Mills & Boon novels. Lol. But not by the content of what they read - just the quality.

There is definitely more straight girls reading yuri (well, around me there is XD) than straight guys reading yaoi.

That's what I feel too. Let's see what the poll reveals!

Thank you so much for responding so thoughtfully, I really appreciate it. 🙂

I picked the first option, but I'm not really a GL fanatic. 😐 I'm just open to them, I suppose. Most of them annoy me though, either they're 1) of the ecchi variety that panders to those guy fans -- not for me, 2) the innocent, pure ones that are just so... eye-rolling -- again not for me (although I find that atmosphere charming, but it's usually so slow-paced and naive), then there are of Josei-ish variety that are so boring. So out of the few GL that gets scanlated, there are only a few to my taste. Also, Hentai featuring yuri is 9/10 guaranteed to be a borefest to me. o_o;;

And it's not that girls are more open to it as if that information lies in their genes, society conditions them that way. They grow up and see straight girls being "touchy" with each other (more than guys do with each other), and they go, "Oh, despite being a straight girl, we can hug each other with no weird stares at us." That's all there is to it. In other cultures, guys are more touchy-feely with each other (i.e. South Korea, Middle East, ...). Ironically, those countries usually don't have a high opinion of homosexuals. 🤣 Crazy world, I tell ya!

Also, I've seen lesbian women like BL too, so nothing strange about that.

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I'm a bisexual female who reads yuri and shoujo-ai.

What always appeals to me is a good story + good art.
As much as I like girls though, I find many of the GL titles to be rather boring.
Some remind me of a strange mix between shoujo, shounen and ecchi.

I read GL titles for the same reasons I read any other manga
(when it's a yuri and it's hot it turns me on, I won't deny lol).
I also treat GL titles just like any other manga.

As eccentrrick said, reading yuri, like reading yaoi, doesn't mean you're homosexual.
It doesn't mean anything since it's fiction.
The reasons vary between individuals.

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If I had a fantasy self, it'd be a tentacle monster.

Since I don't find women sexually attractive, I voted for female and straight but if I ever feel like it, I won't deprive myself of the experience. (does this already count as bisexual? not so sure)

I do not read yuri/shoujo-ai as much these days (nothing really...) but I got interested in the topic when I found out about yaoi/shounen-ai which was by accident.

What I like more about shoujo-ai than shounen-ai is the fact that the female characteristics fit better with women than with men and thus appear more natural or "realistic". And since I am a woman myself, I can relate way better to a girl falling in love with or feeling desire for a woman than a man developing romantic feelings for another man. This does not mean that I fall in love with women, it just feels closer to home.

My first yuri was Maka-Maka which is rather intense. Or steamy. 🤨 But I would have to lie if I would deny a certain level of arousal. 😳
Still, I dropped the manga because it got to intense and I felt repulsed. Not in a judgemental way but rather that I was reading porn that simply wasn't meant for me anymore.
But I dislike yaoi as well so this speaks for a general inhibition I harbour and do not feel comfortable crossing.

Some josei-ai (does this term even exist?^^) is very insightful and tells a lot about the mechanics of falling in love and I always prefer a bright, honest mind behind a manga. This applies for some well done shounen-ai as well, but sometimes I just feel more like looking into another woman's mind than a man's.

(by the way, this is a very interesting take on the whole genre, tartufo! )

i'm bi, but i find that in general, manga in the yaoi/yuri genre feature characters that are alot more hesitant about charging into relationships, than in hetero-love genre

i just find this quality in characters a bit more realistic to relate to - gender aside i just find characters that just assume relationships will just start and work out beautifully too naive, in GL stories characters at least somewhat consider social scrutiny and such 😳 maybe i'm just weird though