What is Alpha Male Erotica?

enkidu007

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I see a lot of books on amazon labeled in that category of erotica. Tried goggling it but no exact definition. Anyone know?
 

TammySilverwolf

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Just going by the name, I would assume some type of erotica that fulfills power/control fantasies. That's me throwing darts, I can't say I've had any experience with this type of content.
 

M.N Thorne

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Alpha Male Erotica is a genre that involves maledom fantasies and it is becoming very popular. Many stories involve dominant men in powerful positions such as Christian Grey-type of business men. Maybe I should try my hand at this brand of erotica?
 

afullmargin

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What I've read in the trope is mostly "MANLY" men pseudo-authority or authority types (executives, foremen, cops) as a dominant partner - though not necessarily in a structured BDSM sense.
 

Sonsofthepharaohs

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Yeah, I don't think you can necessarily equate alpha male erotica with BDSM erotica. Having a character who is a dominant male does not have to mean he's a Dom ;)

Although the MMC in my historical novel is a dominant alpha male, and the FMC is literally his slave, my sex scenes are not even in the same postcode as BDSM.

*has thought*

Why the fuck am I not writing BDSM??
 

SierraLee

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Alpha males and BDSM are two different things, even if there is sometimes overlap. At least I've gotten the impression that they're hitting two very different kinks. BDSM involves dominance and submission in a lot of sexual contexts, whereas the alpha male stories I've read are about dominance and submission in a broader context.
 

CharleeBeck

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It pretty much means they crank the misogyny up to 11 and some people find it sexy. I've written it but I don't really get it.
 

Maryn

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Not necessarily. It can be gay, for instance.
 

Viridian

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"Erotica about sexist people" seems to be painting it with a wide brush.

It's only misogynistic if the man's dominance carries the implication that he's dominant over her because she's a man and he's a woman. Or if he constantly does things without her permission to gain control over her in her everyday life, such as track her, buy the company that she works for so that he's her boss, restrict her ability to talk to her friends and family, ect.

*ducking back down again because she does not generally read heterosexual erotica and therefore may not know what she's talking about*
 
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SierraLee

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I was under the impression that "alpha male" was a code word for a seriously misogynistic swathe of current western culture.
If I ever used the word in real life I'd mean this, but in erotica it seems to be a different sort of thing. A lot of M/F work has some of this flavoring, not necessarily degrading women so much as being really preoccupied with how powerful the man in the story is.
 

SierraLee

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Uh, bit of a disclaimer on that link. It's completely fine as a way of framing romance or thinking about men, but the alpha/beta/etc male terminology has been pretty thoroughly taken over by pick up artists and other misogynist types. It might have unpleasant connotations for some people.
 

Hunter S Johnson

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Alpha males and BDSM are two different things, even if there is sometimes overlap. At least I've gotten the impression that they're hitting two very different kinks. BDSM involves dominance and submission in a lot of sexual contexts, whereas the alpha male stories I've read are about dominance and submission in a broader context.

An alpha male is in contrast to a beta male. Lots of warm and fuzzy romance stories feature a beta male, who is a family man, a trusted VP, or a best friend rather than a hyper-masculine alpha male.

There's a good discussion of it here: http://viviennecourtoise.blogspot.ca/p/alpha-male-vs-beta-male.html



That's my take... My WIP is written from a submissive female POV, surrounded by competitive, hyper-masculine, dominant alpha males... wealthy playboys, powerful businessmen, professional athletes, etc. BDSM is woven in, but power and control that springs innately from them is the unifying characteristic.
 

gingerwoman

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I don't think it has to mean misogyny. It just means a male that acts super macho. A book certainly does not have to have an BDSM in it to have an Alpha male hero.
 
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gingerwoman

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Uh, bit of a disclaimer on that link. It's completely fine as a way of framing romance or thinking about men, but the alpha/beta/etc male terminology has been pretty thoroughly taken over by pick up artists and other misogynist types. It might have unpleasant connotations for some people.

But that would be outside the connotations it has in romance literature.