Not an accurate reflection
There are so many things that I've been avoiding posting about, from my internship (now that I'm a few weeks in) to the Day(s) the Internet Exploded last week, to reactions to new White Collar, Sherlock, etc.
But apparently the straw that broke the camel's back and is getting me to post is this. CBS has greenlit a new sitcom pilot that is about "three nerdy female friends on their “funcomfortable” quest to have super fun every Friday night."
I don't know about anyone else, but this reads "make fun of fandom/fangirls" to me. Especially when the lead is Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids), who is one of the few plus-sized female leads.
From outside fandom (as I understand it, I've been inside too long to have a clear view of what people think of fandom as a whole), most people see us as fat, socially awkward girls who can't land a man and therefore spend all of our time on the computers fantasizing about fictional characters or celebrities.
For me, some of that is accurate:
(1) I am fat.
(2) I am single.
(3) I like obsessing about fictional characters and celebrities on the Internet.
But this is not all that I am.
I am single right now because I want to be. I am focusing on my career. In (holy shit) less than three months I will have my Juris Doctor degree, and will then spend another three months buried in books before taking one of the most difficult tests out there, which I very much intend to pass on the first try.
I am not "focusing on my career" because I cannot land a boyfriend. I'm queer. I don't want a boyfriend anyway.
Most of my friends are scattered around a) the country and b) the globe, so going out on friday nights every week isn't an option. Though I do have friends from school, they are currently ~3,000 miles away from me, as I've temporarily relocated to take advantage of a fantastic career opportunity. See that whole "focus on career" thing coming back again?
As for #3 above, why the hell should I have to explain that? Plenty of women are enthusiastic about fashion or working out or whatever the hell else without having to make excuses. Hell, sports-obsessed men are the same way and it's perfectly socially acceptable.
Nerd- and geek- culture are getting their fair share of the limelight in recent years, but it's still much harder for women to be nerdy or geeky than for men. Hell, look at CBS's other Nerd-centric sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. This is a show that has referenced Fanfic and fandom more than once. A show that celebrates the geek. But this is the important point: for all that they've introduced more women onto the show in the last few seasons, none of them are fangirls. We keep seeing men celebrate fandom culture (note that I'm using fandom in a very broad sense here) but the women are still very much on the outside, despite the fact that we exist.
The description of this new show and the lead actress they've hired for it make me really cautious. If they do this well, and it lasts, then that's great. But I don't think they're really going to be able to handle the material the way it needs to be handled: ie, we're not all fat, socially awkward nerds.
***
This entry was originally posted at dreamwidth. Please comment wherever you see fit.
But apparently the straw that broke the camel's back and is getting me to post is this. CBS has greenlit a new sitcom pilot that is about "three nerdy female friends on their “funcomfortable” quest to have super fun every Friday night."
I don't know about anyone else, but this reads "make fun of fandom/fangirls" to me. Especially when the lead is Rebel Wilson (Bridesmaids), who is one of the few plus-sized female leads.
From outside fandom (as I understand it, I've been inside too long to have a clear view of what people think of fandom as a whole), most people see us as fat, socially awkward girls who can't land a man and therefore spend all of our time on the computers fantasizing about fictional characters or celebrities.
For me, some of that is accurate:
(1) I am fat.
(2) I am single.
(3) I like obsessing about fictional characters and celebrities on the Internet.
But this is not all that I am.
I am single right now because I want to be. I am focusing on my career. In (holy shit) less than three months I will have my Juris Doctor degree, and will then spend another three months buried in books before taking one of the most difficult tests out there, which I very much intend to pass on the first try.
I am not "focusing on my career" because I cannot land a boyfriend. I'm queer. I don't want a boyfriend anyway.
Most of my friends are scattered around a) the country and b) the globe, so going out on friday nights every week isn't an option. Though I do have friends from school, they are currently ~3,000 miles away from me, as I've temporarily relocated to take advantage of a fantastic career opportunity. See that whole "focus on career" thing coming back again?
As for #3 above, why the hell should I have to explain that? Plenty of women are enthusiastic about fashion or working out or whatever the hell else without having to make excuses. Hell, sports-obsessed men are the same way and it's perfectly socially acceptable.
Nerd- and geek- culture are getting their fair share of the limelight in recent years, but it's still much harder for women to be nerdy or geeky than for men. Hell, look at CBS's other Nerd-centric sitcom, The Big Bang Theory. This is a show that has referenced Fanfic and fandom more than once. A show that celebrates the geek. But this is the important point: for all that they've introduced more women onto the show in the last few seasons, none of them are fangirls. We keep seeing men celebrate fandom culture (note that I'm using fandom in a very broad sense here) but the women are still very much on the outside, despite the fact that we exist.
The description of this new show and the lead actress they've hired for it make me really cautious. If they do this well, and it lasts, then that's great. But I don't think they're really going to be able to handle the material the way it needs to be handled: ie, we're not all fat, socially awkward nerds.
***
This entry was originally posted at dreamwidth. Please comment wherever you see fit.