Anthology of Computers and the Humanities · Volume 3

When the Hero Becomes a Girl: Presenting Characters’ Gender with Stereotypes in AO3 Gender-Bending Fanfiction

Yixi Chen1 ORCID and Jianwei Yan1 ORCID

  • 1 Department of Linguistics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Permanent Link: https://doi.org/10.63744/d0T9FeacxMZ5

Published: 21 November 2025

Keywords: gender stereotype, bias modeling, gender-bending, fanfiction, AO3

Abstract

Gender-bending fanfiction is a subcategory of fanfiction where characters are transformed into a different gender. This study examines gender presentation in gender-bending fanfiction on AO3 (Archive of Our Own). The findings reveal that gender-bent characters are marked by biased words. These biased words predominantly reflect gender stereotypes and even negative experiences of femininity, such as body objectification and vulnerability. It indicates that gender-bending involves not merely a biological sex change, but a modification in characters’ personality and behavior through language. This study may provide valuable insights into how fan communities perceive the gender hierarchy in the real world and how their experiences shape their fanfiction creation.