Stereotyping: Beyond the Fandom

    Is it right to judge a fandom without knowing the fandom?
    Stereotyping, by definition, is labeling someone without getting to know them. If you see a person dressed up as a superhero, comic book characters, or a movie/television show character, you stereotype them into nerd with glasses and zits who are too busy living in a reality of someone's own creation instead of living in our world. Or if you you think about people who go to comic book conventions or anime conventions, you stereotype them as being the fat, middle age man living in his mom's basement and getting nowhere in life. You laugh at these stereotypes thinking how right you are, but have you ever thought about how wrong you are as well? Have you ever thought to get to know the person behind the costume, behind the mask?
     On the page iFanboy by Molly McIasaac, she writes that "Currently, comic books are an integrated part of pop culture, whether most 'normal' people realize it or not. Look at some of the most popular films in the last ten years:Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, etc. These movies have done so well that they are breeding sequels, and sequels of sequels." 

Not to mention Avengers, Thor, Captain America, and Batman. Each of these movies are now a popular genre are based of of comics, graphic novels. The population that goes to the theaters to see these movies are more than just comic book geeks and middle aged men. Gandhi stated that "Imitation is the sincerest flattery" so when you see someone dressed up as a superhero, it is a sign of respect to that hero and it is also because they want to not be the hero, but everything he stands for. And a lot of the heroes are very relatable: spider-man was bullied and picked on in high school for being a nerd. There are so many people who relate to that and know what he's going through. They also relate to the back story such as the fact that Peter Parker lost his parents and was left to be raised by his grandparents. It does happen and these all make him relatable. He fights the bad guys, he struggles between doing what he wants and what he knows is right and in the end always chooses to do what is right - something many of us struggle with and strive for.
     McIsaac also mentions that "While some of the stereotypes certainly come from a grain of truth (yes, some of us are smelly, awkward, chubby affairs), we are in reality some of the more socially adjusted, attractive, and "acceptable" geeks I have experienced." Part of that is because they can express who they want to be and feel comfortable about themselves even if others judge them. Many of us struggle with trying to fit in with society and what is expected of us that we never try to make ourselves happy, just other people and what they deem as socially acceptable that we may not necessarily like. McIsaac thinks back about a past comic book convention and states that "Sure, this year’s crowd at San Diego Comic-Con was varied with its makeup, ranging from cosplayers to stroller-pushing family folk, but I noticed a distinct lack of stereotype with the bulk of attendees flipping through back issues or ogling the half-off trades. These are the people actually reading comics, the sort of people you’d pass on the street and not immediately smell, disdain, or judge." If you look closely at the above picture, most of those people are dressed normal and they are a variety of ages and shapes. 
   

    In the end though, dressing up as a superhero is still far more accepted in today's society when compared to bronies. It wasn't until the fourth generation of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that bronies became a thing. A large percentage of viewers for MLP is 13-35 year old men. Not only this, but they have their own convention - BronyCon. I recently watched a documentary on Bronies on Netflix in which one person says that "This isn't just a fad. This isn't just an internet phenomenon anymore.  That was part of the reason I started BronyCon because I realized this is a community that deserves a real world presence. It deserved the what the Star Trek fans and the SiFy people and the anime friends have. It deserves a robust convention scene and now it has one."
     Bronies to have their share of stereotypes and during the documentary they interviewed random people on the streets and asked what they thought about bronies. Some of the common answers were that bronies must be gay, pedophiles, weird/creeps, or that there is some sexual deviancy involved. But like with superheroes, there is much more to the bronies than meets the eye. Sure some do fit the stereotypes, but they are not the majority. One person interviewed stated that the "community is so accepting" and who wouldn't want that? In a world where we are constantly judged, isn't it nice to be and feel accepted for who you are, that you don't have to pretend to be someone else? Another person said that "almost any show can help with different situations" so in a sense it's a new take on such shows like Boy Meets World. So is there really anything wrong with young and older men watching this show? And another interviewer started that "My Little Pony is about a bunch of tiny, cute, little herbivores that are chasing down these titanic, personified evils and I think somedays we all feel like that - we all feel like we're just a little small thing facing down these huge forces that are greater than us." For these men, MLP our their version of being a superhero. They give them an outlet, something to believe in.