Another misconception about funu is they are lesbians. Japanese sociologists have already reached a consensus that the fujoshi phenomenon is a projection of women's sexual desires onto men. So the interesting question is, why have these women developed such a psychological projection?

Traditional analysis always starts with their sexual psychology, but while this is an influential factor, in my opinion the funu phenomenon has a lot to do with the culture that surrounds them.

In the West there are "funu" groups as well, but these women are generally called fangirls, rather than rotten women. This indicates that attitudes toward sex and homosexuality are quite different in Western culture and East Asian culture.

Nowadays, the funu phenomenon has become a sub-culture in China, but not all funu dare to openly declare that they are rotten women. Western women are not embarrassed about this "special" interest, nor are they stigmatized for it, thus it is unnecessary for them to form such an "underground" sub-group.

Interestingly, Japanese research has traced the origin of the funu phenomenon to the United Kingdom. After the industrial revolution, women's social status and self-awareness gradually grew. Feeling disappointed by the men around them and depressed and subjugated by the traditional morals, some women projected their romantic imagination on "boys' love", which not only satisfied their desires for but also avoided moral condemnation for their sexual nature. Such a situation faces women in East Asia today. Against the misogyny that dominates East Asian culture, the ever-rising female consciousness leads some women to declare themselves through the sexual, yet aesthetic, appreciation of good-looking male characters and their relations.

The growing visibility of the funu subculture actually reflects the global trend of women's aesthetic appreciation of male beauty against the background of feminism. In Japan and the United States, the number of adult video production companies targeting female audiences is increasing, which partially reflects the acknowledgement women have their own sexual demands.

The growing visibility of funu in China, reflects the country's greater social openness, plurality and diversity, as well as the greater awareness of women that their role in society is not just defined as lovers, wives and mothers. But the interest in them shows there is still a way to go yet.

The author is a psychological consultant and writer.