>>3952632There's always been some level of self-insertion in the yaoi scene. The audience was meant to simultaneously identify with, gaze at, and disassociate from the men. The proportion of each varied from work to work, and within each work depending on the framing.
The difference with regard to sex acts and bodies nowadays is a wider knowledge of tools like strap ons, and cuntboys/t guys (I know they're two different things, but the serve the same purpose for this discussion), allowing women to directly explore sexual situations they wish to or fantasize about encountering irl. That said, most of the smut is still cis guys on cis guys.
