I'm interested in egalitarian heterosexual romances where it feels like the partners are best buddies. They don't care about societal expectations and will often do gender non-conforming things just out of happenstance. There's a vibe of casual playfulness and spontaneity, with neither partner taking themselves too seriously. They have a lot in common and feel like equals, not dominant/submissive. Both partners initiate and receive affection and feel intense love and passion for one another.
I don't want to see the same old tired gender expressions; I want to see guys who are super warm and bubbly and women who are playful and tomboyish, guys who are shy and sensitive and women who are outgoing and assertive, and all kinds of other variations that don't get so much representation. I like the idea of buddies who have a natural chemistry instead of a "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" dichotomy. Both partners can be sweet, both partners can be silly goofballs, and both partners can share many of the same personality traits in differing amounts and contexts.
I've seen communities like "gentle femdom" and "role reversal," and while there is certainly some overlap with what I'm talking about, they feature a gender dichotomy and power dynamics, which don't appeal to me. Do I want permission as a man to be soft and cute and pampered by my partner? Of course! Does that mean I want to adopt inverted gender roles and become her subordinate? No, not at all.
I'm attracted to the idea of mutual relationships where partners are free to embrace nonconformity, but in a way that rejects prescribed social roles and hierarchy entirely instead of boxing people into new ones. Both partners respect and care for one another, and acts are done explicitly to please the other in a mutual give and take. Both partners have complex emotions and personality traits that do not fall along arbitrary gendered lines.
The ideal is a relationship that feels so authentic and natural that gender expectations fade away in favor of two people complementing one another in their own special way.
Does anyone know any books, media, or online spaces that fit the bill? Personally, as a gentle sensitive sweetheart kind of guy, I'd appreciate material that I feel represented in, but even just nonconforming straight couples in general would be super based. Thanks!
Maybe it’s a because I’m rewatching it right now but the first couple that jumped to my mind was Andy and April from Parks and Rec. Andy is very warm and bubbly and April is not. They’re a very fun couple but I’m not sure about breaking gender roles so much as just not really caring about them. The rest of the couples in P&R are pretty good friendship and passion combos from Ron and Diane’s practical seriousness to Leslie and Ben’s friendly romance. It’s the first place I heard the phrase that’s become my relationship touchstone “I love you, and I like you.”