55 pages • 1 hour read
Alexis HallBoyfriend Material
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Genre Context: Romantic Comedy
Romantic comedy, often referred to as rom com, is a media and literary genre that combines many facets of romances and comedies. Romantic comedies are typically light-hearted with dramatic moments exaggerated for comedic effect. They challenge ideas about what being the “perfect couple” entails and highlight the importance of overcoming obstacles to strengthen a relationship. Some examples of rom com books include the Bridget Jones’s Diary series (1996-2016) by Helen Fielding, The Kiss Quotient (2018) by Helen Hoang, and Book Lovers by Emily Henry (2022). A common trope in romantic comedies is the “enemies-to-lovers” trope; the films You’ve Got Mail (1998) and When Harry Met Sally (1989) are examples. The “fake relationship” trope, seen in books such as The Upside of Falling (2020) by Alex Light, is also common. Both tropes are central to the plot of Boyfriend Material.
In an enemies-to-lovers trope, two people strongly dislike each other or perceive an insurmountable obstacle to them getting along. This can manifest in a way that is professional (two colleagues vying for the same position) or personal (ethical or moral dilemmas prevent two people from being civil to each other). Usually, an extenuating circumstance forces these enemies to collaborate. As they spend more time together, they find common ground. There is often physical chemistry that grows more intense as the characters find emotional intimacy; eventually, the couple realizes that they are meant to be together and overcomes all past obstacles.
Boyfriend Material’s enemies-to-lovers dynamic hinges on Luc’s first-person perspective. Because Luc perceives himself to be undesirable to Oliver, he feeds his own perception that Oliver is too prudish and perfect. Ultimately, Luc’s perception of Oliver as an “enemy” is revealed as false.
The fake relationship often has comedic effects. Two people enter a fake relationship even though they are not romantically involved. This is done for a range of reasons, like to inspire jealousy in an ex-partner or to bolster one’s professional or social standing. These fake relationships gradually develop into real relationships over time as the participants gain emotional intimacy through proximity. Boyfriend Material features a staged relationship created to improve Luc’s social standing and protect his job, as well as to give Oliver companionship at a high-stress familial event.
Historical Context: LGBTQ+ Representation in Media
Representation describes how media deals with and presents gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identities, social issues, and sexuality. Representation has many components, including the utilization of stereotypes, which are simplified versions of people or groups of people with features that are exaggerated so as to give audience members an “easy” way to understand characters (“What Is Representation?” BBC). Representation has increasingly become part of discussions related to media and production as audience members, actors, and writers highlight the need for diverse characters and scenarios that reflect the real world.
Until 1983, the Code of Practices for Television Broadcasters legally restrained the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters, which limited the depiction of members of the LGBTQ+ community. Such characters were depicted as criminals or met with tragic ends that came as the result of their sexual orientation. If LGBTQ+ characters were featured briefly in an episode of television, the plot of the episode was often centered around an issue related to their sexual orientation, and they often were portrayed in a way that reduced them to harmful stereotypes.
It was not until the late 1990s that LGBTQ+ characters began to be featured in media in a positive light, such as with Will and Grace and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. At the time of this guide’s writing in 2023, there is a rising trend of positive LGBTQ+ depiction in most forms of media (Phares, Matthew. “History of LGBTQ+ Representation in Media.” Matthew Phares’ Civic Issue Blog, 6 Feb. 2020).
Hall references stereotypes and toxic historical representation practices within the text. He makes them a vital point when considering the sexuality-based discrimination faced by Luc and Oliver in both professional and social contexts.
