What are some "fan" stereotypes? (Meaning the stereotypes the "general public" has about fans, rather than the stereotypes fans themselves have.)
The biggest stereotype of all: Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons. People still believe fans are all overweight, have hygiene problems and are completely socially inept. Never mind that fandom by its very nature is a social activity . . .
Oh, and there's also the belief that we're all out of touch with reality, we spend every single dollar on our obsessions and we cosplay 24/7. And that people who write fanfiction, especially the NC-17 stuff, do it because they've never had sex in their lives and never will.
Are there different stereotypes for female and male fans? Is the stereotype "gendered"?
I think the basic male stereotype is the Comic Book Guy type. Female fans . . . well, some people don't think female fans exist at all, especially in anime and sci-fi fandoms. Women in media fandoms are thought of as the typical shrieking fangirl who is a borderline stalker of her favorite performers -- tries to track them down, rummages through their garbage, etc.
I've also come across the odd stereotype that female fans own entire housefulls of cats. o.O
As of late, anime fandom, which is becoming more mainstream and broadening its audience, has developed a new stereotype -- that of the bubble-headed teenybopper fangirl who slips random Japanese words into her conversation ("Kawaii neko!") and squees loudly over any character that is considered even vaguely bishounen. However, I think this stereotype is still better known within fandom circles than to the public as a whole.
Are there different stereotypes about different types of fans (comics fans, media fans, sci-fi fans etc)?
I think it tends to fall along the gender lines above -- people think all comic and sci-fi fans are male, all media fans are female. (The stereotype that all anime fans are male seems to be finally crumbling with the massive influx of shoujo manga into America's mainstream bookstores).
Do you think these stereotypes affect other's perceptions of you as a fan? Do they affect how you think about yourself? How so?
It's kept me from being open about my involvement with fandom to the general public. I'm only fully "out" as an otaku to other otaku -- people know I like animation, but they have no idea I fully participate in anime fandom or that I write fanfiction (especially since the majority of my fanfiction is NC-17).
How do real fans differ from or compare to the stereotype?
I can't speak for fandom as a whole, but anime fandom does seem to be moving away from the stereotype. You still get unkempt people with poor hygiene at cons, but we also have healthy-looking people who bathe regularly. ~_^ And as anime gets more mainstream, we're pulling a bigger cross-section of people into the fandom, meaning less "geeks." (Of course, that also results in an influx of the teenybopper types discussed above).
How do you differ or compare in particular?
I do tend to spend much more money than I should on anime and manga, which I think is the part of the stereotype which most applies to me. But I do bathe, have friends (both in and out of fandom) and I don't wear costumes outside of cons (or Halloween). And, contrary to the lemon writer stereotype, I *have* had sex, thank you. ~_^
The biggest stereotype of all: Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons. People still believe fans are all overweight, have hygiene problems and are completely socially inept. Never mind that fandom by its very nature is a social activity . . .
Oh, and there's also the belief that we're all out of touch with reality, we spend every single dollar on our obsessions and we cosplay 24/7. And that people who write fanfiction, especially the NC-17 stuff, do it because they've never had sex in their lives and never will.
Are there different stereotypes for female and male fans? Is the stereotype "gendered"?
I think the basic male stereotype is the Comic Book Guy type. Female fans . . . well, some people don't think female fans exist at all, especially in anime and sci-fi fandoms. Women in media fandoms are thought of as the typical shrieking fangirl who is a borderline stalker of her favorite performers -- tries to track them down, rummages through their garbage, etc.
I've also come across the odd stereotype that female fans own entire housefulls of cats. o.O
As of late, anime fandom, which is becoming more mainstream and broadening its audience, has developed a new stereotype -- that of the bubble-headed teenybopper fangirl who slips random Japanese words into her conversation ("Kawaii neko!") and squees loudly over any character that is considered even vaguely bishounen. However, I think this stereotype is still better known within fandom circles than to the public as a whole.
Are there different stereotypes about different types of fans (comics fans, media fans, sci-fi fans etc)?
I think it tends to fall along the gender lines above -- people think all comic and sci-fi fans are male, all media fans are female. (The stereotype that all anime fans are male seems to be finally crumbling with the massive influx of shoujo manga into America's mainstream bookstores).
Do you think these stereotypes affect other's perceptions of you as a fan? Do they affect how you think about yourself? How so?
It's kept me from being open about my involvement with fandom to the general public. I'm only fully "out" as an otaku to other otaku -- people know I like animation, but they have no idea I fully participate in anime fandom or that I write fanfiction (especially since the majority of my fanfiction is NC-17).
How do real fans differ from or compare to the stereotype?
I can't speak for fandom as a whole, but anime fandom does seem to be moving away from the stereotype. You still get unkempt people with poor hygiene at cons, but we also have healthy-looking people who bathe regularly. ~_^ And as anime gets more mainstream, we're pulling a bigger cross-section of people into the fandom, meaning less "geeks." (Of course, that also results in an influx of the teenybopper types discussed above).
How do you differ or compare in particular?
I do tend to spend much more money than I should on anime and manga, which I think is the part of the stereotype which most applies to me. But I do bathe, have friends (both in and out of fandom) and I don't wear costumes outside of cons (or Halloween). And, contrary to the lemon writer stereotype, I *have* had sex, thank you. ~_^
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