Growing up a girl geek and becoming a geek girl.

[seanan_mcguire]

I became a geek when I was four years old. That's when my grandmother handed me my first My Little Pony (Cotton Candy) and told me that if I liked her, I could have more. That was also the year when I first really and truly understood that Doctor Who had an ongoing storyline that could be followed and thought about, even when the TV wasn't on. I

Comments

[fadethecat]

I have mixed feelings about the whole bronies thing for similar reasons. Apparently it's only cool if boys show up and give their stamp of approval, and otherwise it's icky and cootie-covered and girly. Where "things female people like" always ends up meaning childish and inferior and stupid and pointless and...sigh. But I do get my sparkly teleporting unicorns, so I should probably not stress too much about what other people like--or don't like--about them. I don't want to be the person who goes out and tells other people that they're liking My Little Pony in the wrong way.

That said, now that I have more confidence (yay adulthood!), there is a certain freeing sensation in knowing that my chesticles ever prevent me from being a True Geek in the eyes of people who actually think there is an ideal True Geek standard that they can rate other people against. I can't meet their standards because of a stupid reason, so, y'know. Screw their standards. I've got a whole shelf of ponies, and many more shelves of sf&f books, and they can't

[weds]

I remember being incredibly frustrated that, during the FiM launch and runup thereto, I couldn't persuade people that this was a show worth watching, that the idea of multiple sides of multiple axes of gender expression couched in cute little ponies was happening and happening right. But the boys happened round, and boom. In retrospect, I found myself needing to use them as persuasive leverage (in that brief, shining moment before it all went to hell).

I felt horrible, and quietly so: why is my word not enough for others to trust this? And I kept a lot of it hidden, because some of it was backfiring, and some of it held portent.

But you saw that; you know.

[fadethecat]

I do find some comfort in that the show creators, even if they appreciate the broader fandom, still keep their target audience in mind. FiM is not about to start catering directly to the bronies over the little girl market, even if the former has a much louder voice on the internet than the latter.

[seanan_mcguire]

GOD YES.

[marlowe1]

Well bronies to challenge the accepted gender roles in what people should like and should not like and get accused of being pedophiles all the time.

Also as far as kid's shows are concerned, the new My Little Pony is really good and is particularly worthy of cutting across gender lines. I think that cheesy and inane entertainment tends to be gender-stratified but if something is particularly good (Star Wars, Casablanca, Hong Kong action movies, etc.) it stops "belonging" to any one gender.

[fadethecat]

I can be fine with them enjoying a show aimed at girls and still annoyed that it took Men Liking Girl Things for it to be considered "particularly good." Lots of things that are considered to be just for boys are considered "particularly good" whether or not there's a large group of women loudly proclaiming that they like it too.

[seanan_mcguire]

This, exactly.

[seanan_mcguire]

I've had some Brony-related rage, usually when I see someone at a con in a "Bronies before Honies" shirt. IT IS NOT BROS AND HOS IT IS A SHOW AND TOY LINE AIMED AT NINE-YEAR-OLD GIRLS. And then I go and sit in the corner before I get my rage all over the internet and get yelled at by a fandom movement that I predominantly have no issues with.

I will never be a "true geek" to those people, but I'm geekier than many of them. We are the paradox.

[fadethecat]

...I had not seen that shirt, and I'm glad I haven't, because there would be rage-face. And frothing. And quiet muttering to myself in dark corners of the con.

Instead, I take joy in knowing that, unlike Yo Gabba Gabba, I can at least enjoy this show along with my nieces.