MLP in USA Today!

[pallas]

I think it was a LA times article about Bronies that got me back into the toy isle at Target and eventually led me here, so I have to thank the Bronies for the coverage otherwise I wouldn't have known MLP's were still being made and my adult life would be a lot less colorful.  I hope this article has the same effect for others like me.

[kittybethy]

So cool!

[DazzleKitty]

Ya know, I'm sorry to be so negative, but this is yet another article that just irritates me.

Suddenly MLP is sooooo cool because MEN are into the show. I'm a female long-time fan and collector but it's not cool because I was born with ovaries.

But now it's cool and soooo not girly to like MLP  now, since men like it.  *rolls eyes*  Like being girly is a bad thing, anyways.

I hope I am not out of line saying this. I am getting really tired of the FiM fandom. Feeling isolated due to articles like this, even though I've been into MLP for a long time, seems really unfair.

[Pinecone]

Yeah, I would like to see an article actually post about the feminist aspects of it instead of making it (like everything) about men.

[zannid]

"It's the male fans, however, who have taken a kids' show and turned it into a pop-culture phenom."

Yeah...sure.

It's unfortunately true. Male-dominated fanbases are always catered to, females are (usually) overlooked, unless it's something atrocious like Twilight or another book series I won't mention here.

This is exactly why I am very wary and often get agitated at the existence of "bronies". While I have no problem with men being interested in something that is mainly marketed towards females, I do hold issue with the way some act when coming into a women-based hobby or community.

Men are catered to the majority of the time, in countless ways. So when they take up interest in something where it was originally female-dominated, I feel that they should have a certain level of respect for that space and the women who reside in it. Sadly, a lot of bronies don't.

I'm not saying all bronies are horrible people but I've seen a good portion be rude, crude, insulting, and continually act as if MLP was made entirely for them and that their opinions should be the only ones that matter. Look, MLP:FiM was created by a woman and is geared toward young girls. If you like it, that's great, subvert all the gender norms you want, but have respect for the women for whom this is one of the few places they get to call their own.

I don't even want to go into the more perverse side of the brony fandom. Which, again, your life, but this is a show for YOUNG GIRLS who nowadays have access to the internet on a regular basis, please, PLEASE, do not post that stuff where they will find it!

If this sounds bitter, I do apologize, and to any male members of the forum, I mean no offense to you. I'm just upset that people can't seem to manage to have a respect or understanding for different groups and how not everyone has equal privilege when it comes to things.

[Rarityfan2011]

Raise your glasses!

[DazzleKitty]

Totally agree with you, zannid!

Even the existance of the word brony has gotten me annoyed. Let's dimish all femininity to the MLP fandom because men like it and it's not cool for men to like anything for inferior females.

[Tupin]

The responses here haven't exactly made me feel the greatest for being a male brony. 

Don't think Faust intended to make a show that catered to anyone except for young girls and their parents, I really don't think an unexpected fanbase did anything but make the show and toys more popular...

[BerryPunch]

The responses here haven't exactly made me feel the greatest for being a male brony. 

Don't think Faust intended to make a show that catered to anyone except for young girls and their parents, I really don't think an unexpected fanbase did anything but make the show and toys more popular...

Hugs. I'm a girl Brony even, but I still feel uncomfortable.

[Tupin]

Faust picked out some good examples of what people can be, and showed that not everyone has to be the same. The show has lessons that cross gender lines and that are relevant to many people, restricting it to just one gender is denying them both a great cartoon and valuable life lessons.

I don't watch the show to just break gender lines. I watch the show because it is fantastic.

[zannid]

Faust picked out some good examples of what people can be, and showed that not everyone has to be the same. The show has lessons that cross gender lines and that are relevant to many people, restricting it to just one gender is denying them both a great cartoon and valuable life lessons.

I don't watch the show to just break gender lines. I watch the show because it is fantastic.

Tupin, please don't feel unwelcome because you're a guy. No one is saying that guys aren't welcome in MLP fandom or that it's only about breaking gender norms, it's much more than that.

I guess the best example would be pointing out comic book culture. Girls and women generally aren't welcome there. When they are represented it's as eye candy for men. The outfits for the heroines are nearly always skimpy and tight fitting. When women decide to dress up as these characters, they're then accused of being attention seeking, not knowing the source material, vain, not worthy, the list goes on and on.

We just had a future Marvel movie director make a downright sickening commentary on female superheroes. I believe at current there is ONE female working on comics at DC. I got dirty looks from some men at a comic convention just for being there (I wasn't dressed up). Granted, there were also some very nice guys, but this is what we get to deal with most of the time.

Now, that example is of a group that has been playing the "boys club" card for years. My Little Pony though, it started as geared towards females and had a female majority fanbase. Not that there were never male fans, but that they didn't make up a greater sum. Then comes the bronies and, while some are majorly cool people, there have been A LOT of guys who have been far less than that.

That effect, of having one of not a whole lot of places where we were the majority and our voices were heard, suddenly being drowned out by guys who, from a larger perspective, seem to get more options most of the time? Well, for a lot of fans, it sucks. Did you know that in media, men are represented more than women 3:1? That's just in characters, not to mention that most of these shows are geared to a male demographic.

It's not even necessarily that MLP became a more male fanbase or that there are so many rude people (because let's be honest, the negative people always seem louder than the positive ones). It's having the media and culture constantly telling you that you don't count or aren't worth it. It leaves people hurting and makes them defensive of the spaces that are theirs.

Men are totally welcome in MLP, in my opinion. I don't think anyone should be forced to avoid a show they like because of their sex or gender. Just, realize that where you are isn't ONLY a man's space and that, while you have the luxury of crossing over into female-based fandoms (disregarding the stigma held for things marked feminine), it's often so much harder for women to get into male-based facets of society.

Sadly, there are many bronies who don't realize or accept that, and that's mainly where the issues seem to reside.

[Wardah]

Faust picked out some good examples of what people can be, and showed that not everyone has to be the same. The show has lessons that cross gender lines and that are relevant to many people, restricting it to just one gender is denying them both a great cartoon and valuable life lessons.

I don't watch the show to just break gender lines. I watch the show because it is fantastic.

Tupin, please don't feel unwelcome because you're a guy. No one is saying that guys aren't welcome in MLP fandom or that it's only about breaking gender norms, it's much more than that.

I guess the best example would be pointing out comic book culture. Girls and women generally aren't welcome there. When they are represented it's as eye candy for men. The outfits for the heroines are nearly always skimpy and tight fitting. When women decide to dress up as these characters, they're then accused of being attention seeking, not knowing the source material, vain, not worthy, the list goes on and on.

We just had a future Marvel movie director make a downright sickening commentary on female superheroes. I believe at current there is ONE female working on comics at DC. I got dirty looks from some men at a comic convention just for being there (I wasn't dressed up). Granted, there were also some very nice guys, but this is what we get to deal with most of the time.

Now, that example is of a group that has been playing the "boys club" card for years. My Little Pony though, it started as geared towards females and had a female majority fanbase. Not that there were never male fans, but that they didn't make up a greater sum. Then comes the bronies and, while some are majorly cool people, there have been A LOT of guys who have been far less than that.

That effect, of having one of not a whole lot of places where we were the majority and our voices were heard, suddenly being drowned out by guys who, from a larger perspective, seem to get more options most of the time? Well, for a lot of fans, it sucks. Did you know that in media, men are represented more than women 3:1? That's just in characters, not to mention that most of these shows are geared to a male demographic.

It's not even necessarily that MLP became a more male fanbase or that there are so many rude people (because let's be honest, the negative people always seem louder than the positive ones). It's having the media and culture constantly telling you that you don't count or aren't worth it. It leaves people hurting and makes them defensive of the spaces that are theirs.

Men are totally welcome in MLP, in my opinion. I don't think anyone should be forced to avoid a show they like because of their sex or gender. Just, realize that where you are isn't ONLY a man's space and that, while you have the luxury of crossing over into female-based fandoms (disregarding the stigma held for things marked feminine), it's often so much harder for women to get into male-based facets of society.

Sadly, there are many bronies who don't realize or accept that, and that's mainly where the issues seem to reside.

At least with comics some progress is being made. While in the past nobody would have batted an eye on those comments. Now there has been a lot of people outraged at what he said. Maybe I am just an optimist but I do feel things are changing for the better. Not to say that there won't be speed bumps along the way but progress is rarely a smooth path.

[LadyMoondancer]

Well said, zannid.

Actually I feel the comics industry is getting worse, especially DC.  "Hey, what if all the Amazons on Paradise Island were MURDEROUS RAPISTS?"  "Hey, what if we just sorta erased Cassandra Cain (Batgirl II) and Steph (Spoiler)?"  "Hey, let's break up Lois and Superman too . . . Superman being married NEUTERS him."

My jaw unhinged when I heard that last comment.  Apparently men are "ruined" just by being around a woman, or what?  And that comment came from the head of DC, Dan Didio.  Not just the kid who makes the coffee or something.  I am not sure what's happening over at Marvel, hopefully things are better there.

[Elisto]

On the one hand, I'm very glad male fans are getting positive attention because as has been said many times, we shouldn't be telling people what they can and can't like based on gender, and I think in some ways, it can be a lot harder for a guy to like "girl" stuff than a girl to like "boy" stuff.

At the same time, I agree that every single story, report, whatever about the popularity of MLP ignores the adult female fans that have been around since the beginning, ignores the new female fans, ignores the feminist intent of the show's creators, etc. Yes, bronies may be more vocal, and that's fine by me, but don't the people writing these stories do some research? Sometimes I wonder if the writers of these pieces just assume that women liking girl's show's is "normal" and forget we, as teens and adults are also not the target audience. The people may be more interested is what stands out as "odd" (guys who like ponies) and less interested in why MLP is appealing to everyone in the first place.

[BerryPunch]

On the one hand, I'm very glad male fans are getting positive attention because as has been said many times, we shouldn't be telling people what they can and can't like based on gender, and I think in some ways, it can be a lot harder for a guy to like "girl" stuff than a girl to like "boy" stuff.

[/b]
Indeed. People seem to not even care if a girl wears clothes from the boy section, but if a boy wears girl clothes, everyone goes nuts. Just as girls seem to be able to buy guy stuff in the toy aisle, but a boy getting a girl toy is outrageous.

Oh god I hate the "boy" and "girl" labels for things. Things are for people, not a certain gender.