Terms Related to "Shipping" and Their Usage
Infographics by tikli. Also available as a Pillowfort post.
Page last updated on 22 July 2023 [change log].
How terms related to "shipping" are used within fandom spaces: the original meanings that proshippers use and how these words have been repurposed, twisted and redefined by antis.
The original versions of these infographics were posted on Twitter, Tumblr and Pillowfort some five months ago. These are the refined versions. I made some changes based on the feedback I got.
You are free to repost / share these without asking me for permission beforehand, because information is meant to be spread. Crediting is appreciated, but not necessary, because my website URL is on the bottom right corner of each note.
Contents
Proship
How the term is used
Proshippers use the original meaning when describing themselves
- Pro (prefix) = an attitude of being ”for” something.
- To ship (verb) = to have an affinity for a particular romantic or sexual relationship.
- Being proship means accepting that…
- Everyone has the right to ship/write/read/create whatever fictional content they want without being harassed because of it.
- Different people like/dislike different things and that’s okay.
- If you don’t personally want to see/read something, you avoid/ignore it.
Antis repurpose/twist the meaning when describing ships
- Pro is short for problematic.
- Proship (noun) = a problematic ship.
- Proship content = fiction that contains problematic content.
- A proship is any relationship where the existing (canonical or interpreted) dynamic between the characters means that a fictional relationship between them would be incestuous/pedophilic/predatory/abusive/illegal etc.
Proshipper
How the term is used
Proshippers use the original meaning when describing themselves
- Proshipper is someone with proship attitude.
- Synonyms: anti-anti, profic, pro-fiction, anti-censorship.
- Some proshippers are into dark/controversial/taboo kink content, some aren’t.
- Proshippers believe that the way fiction could affect reality is not on a 1:1 basis.
Antis twist the meaning when describing others
- A problematic shipper; someone who has proships.
- Synonyms: proshitter.
- Proshipper is someone who specifically enjoys all/only/any fictional incestuous/pedophilic/predatory/abusive etc. content.
- Proshipper is a code-word for being a pedophile or a zoophile, and/or interested in actually committing incest or sexual abuse in real life.
Anti(-shipper)
How the term is used
Proshippers use the original meaning when describing others
- Anti (prefix) = an attitude of being ”against” something.
- Synonyms: fanti, fanpol, puriteen, 🐜, feelings yakuza.
- In the early 2000s, people would put ”anti-[pairing]” in their info/bio sections on fandom social media to express their disapproval of that pairing, which lead to them being referred to as ”anti-shippers” in general.
- Since then, the anti attitude has spread to cover not just pairings but also kinks and overall sexual content in fictional works.
- Antis are known to attack or harass others over the fictional content those people create/read/watch/enjoy.
- Antis seem to believe that fiction affects reality on a 1:1 basis, i.e. ”fiction can cause people to commit criminal acts in real life because they enjoyed reading about them”.
Antis redefine the meaning when describing themselves
- An anti is someone who dislikes and is against fictional works that contain incestuous/pedophilic/predatory/abusive etc. elements.
- Antis support the idea that certain themes should not be depicted in fiction/art in a way that could normalise/romanticise/sexualise abuse.
- Antis believe that fictional works could cause harm by just existing, because someone might use them to groom real people.
- For antis, harassment can be justified when the target is someone who creates or enjoys ”proship content”, because their taste in fiction = what they like in real life, i.e. ”people who draw NSFW art of underage characters are sexually attracted to minors”.
