User:FluffyTeaPancakes/Lesbian Pulp

Virile Adventures
The subcategory “Virile Adventures”, served as a precursor to “Pro-Lesbian” pulp. Between 1952 and 1957, only virile adventures were published. Although, after 1957, the initial popularity created a shift for pro-lesbian wave of stories to be published. With publishers only concerned about how much profit this genre created. Some of the motivation for a pro-lesbian wave came from reading Virile Adventures, which were homophobic, voyeuristic, and male-centered. Virile Adventure stories accounted for about 85% of Lesbian Pulp published in this time period.

Virile adventures created the standard of what to expect from lesbian pulp, for both publishing and the public. These standards ended the stories with the couple ending up in a heterosexual marriage, having frequent sexual activity, sensationalistic, and having a male hero with the intention of catering to a male audience. Pro-lesbian authors focused on writing against the standard of Lesbian Pulp. Writing stories that weren’t homophobic, having the couple stay in a happy lesbian relationship at the end, and focusing on aspects of their relationship, forgoing what virile adventures were doing.

Lesbian pulp covers followed a typical formula. Which aligned with the subcategory they were in: virile adventures had either both or one woman partially undressed having overt, exhibitionist titles. Pro-lesbian had the lesser sexualizing covers, focusing on hinting at the lesbian themes, instead of overtly stating them.