Fandom, gender, and the effects of Twilight
I just read an article about females in fandom that brings up some interesting points but also frustrated me. Media powers are now realizing that women are sometimes interested in geeky things too! Wow, girl geeks! Who could have guessed? *eye roll*
Some people in the article talk intelligently about things that we in fandom generally already realize: men and women are sometimes fans of the same things but not for identical reasons, with women typically being more interested in emotional connections with the characters. As a generalization, this is true, although there is a LOT of variation within both sexes. I like a tightly written plot and a thrilling action sequence too, I just won't get really into a story unless I care about the characters.
What frustrated me about this article was its focus on Twilight as some epicenter of female fandom, with some idea of males being universally anti-Twilight and females all being screaming fangirls about it. Women in fandom existed (more commonly than many acknowledged) long before Twilight, and many of us couldn't give a damn about teenage stalker sparkly vampires and the disempowered Mary Sues who love them.
Also, how can you write an article on female fans (actually, three articles, although the first two really don't add much to the one I linked) and not once mention fan fiction? They are ignoring a big part of how a lot of women and girls relate to the books, tv shows, movies, etc. that they love. Instead, the article is focusing on the screaming teens who follow hot actors around at conventions. Fic's a way that fans are creative, really engaging mentally and emotionally with the original works.
I did like the quote from Kevin Smith in response to his audience's booing of Twilight: "That's the next generation of fans! That's what I love about a comic book convention. People will come to a convention, stand there in a Spock costume, look at someone in a Chewie costume, and say, 'Look at that f__in' geek. How dare you pass judgment on those 12-year-old girls who like vampires!"
Oh, interfandom judgment. Really, as much as I will criticize Twilight and its less sane and/or mature fans, I hope the books' success can ultimately be a good thing. Some of those girls will go on to a better quality of sparkle-free vampire fiction (Buffy, Robin McKinley's Sunshine, Tanya Huff's Henry Fitzroy books), and from there to the rest of fandom. At my local borders, they have moved the Young Adult section to the front of the store. I hope that's an indicator that a lot of younger readers are buying books. Admittedly about half of it is Twilight and its ripoffs, but surely some of the girls who go there will get into a habit of reading fantasy and sci-fi. (Incidentally, a RL friend of mine who works in publishing keeps a blog reviewing YA books from an adult perspective, focusing on quality works. Her reviews are excellent reads in themselves. There are tons of really good books for teens to move to when they start to tire of Twilight.)
Finally, I have a random question. I know male fans are out there since I see them at conventions. However, the aspects of fandom I participate in (fic, LJ) are very heavily female. What do the male fans DO when they aren't at cons?
Some people in the article talk intelligently about things that we in fandom generally already realize: men and women are sometimes fans of the same things but not for identical reasons, with women typically being more interested in emotional connections with the characters. As a generalization, this is true, although there is a LOT of variation within both sexes. I like a tightly written plot and a thrilling action sequence too, I just won't get really into a story unless I care about the characters.
What frustrated me about this article was its focus on Twilight as some epicenter of female fandom, with some idea of males being universally anti-Twilight and females all being screaming fangirls about it. Women in fandom existed (more commonly than many acknowledged) long before Twilight, and many of us couldn't give a damn about teenage stalker sparkly vampires and the disempowered Mary Sues who love them.
Also, how can you write an article on female fans (actually, three articles, although the first two really don't add much to the one I linked) and not once mention fan fiction? They are ignoring a big part of how a lot of women and girls relate to the books, tv shows, movies, etc. that they love. Instead, the article is focusing on the screaming teens who follow hot actors around at conventions. Fic's a way that fans are creative, really engaging mentally and emotionally with the original works.
I did like the quote from Kevin Smith in response to his audience's booing of Twilight: "That's the next generation of fans! That's what I love about a comic book convention. People will come to a convention, stand there in a Spock costume, look at someone in a Chewie costume, and say, 'Look at that f__in' geek. How dare you pass judgment on those 12-year-old girls who like vampires!"
Oh, interfandom judgment. Really, as much as I will criticize Twilight and its less sane and/or mature fans, I hope the books' success can ultimately be a good thing. Some of those girls will go on to a better quality of sparkle-free vampire fiction (Buffy, Robin McKinley's Sunshine, Tanya Huff's Henry Fitzroy books), and from there to the rest of fandom. At my local borders, they have moved the Young Adult section to the front of the store. I hope that's an indicator that a lot of younger readers are buying books. Admittedly about half of it is Twilight and its ripoffs, but surely some of the girls who go there will get into a habit of reading fantasy and sci-fi. (Incidentally, a RL friend of mine who works in publishing keeps a blog reviewing YA books from an adult perspective, focusing on quality works. Her reviews are excellent reads in themselves. There are tons of really good books for teens to move to when they start to tire of Twilight.)
Finally, I have a random question. I know male fans are out there since I see them at conventions. However, the aspects of fandom I participate in (fic, LJ) are very heavily female. What do the male fans DO when they aren't at cons?