As a library student I get the privilege of getting into some awesome conferences for an exceptionally low price. This weekend I went to St. Louis for the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Lit Symposium. While I was excited about the networking opportunities I was more excited about the presentation topics. Hands down the best was the Pop culture segment.
You ask, “what does Pop culture have to do with geek?” Everything! Look around you, in this day and age geek is the new sheikh. Nerds are celebrated in popular TV shows and movies. Clark Kent glasses are a fashion must and trendy girls wear t-shirts saying “Geeks love me”. Being a geek has never been more celebrated than it is right now.
As we were learning about incorporating Pop Culture into the library we were introduced to some new fandoms that literally had us either staring openly in rapt horror, laughing, or silently wondering “is this for real?” The fandom that I bring to you today blurs the lines of gender roles and the traditional definition of manliness at its finest. I am talking about Bronies!
Bronies are defined as teenage to adult males who love the reboot show “My Little Pony Friendship is Magic”. They have forums, Deviant Art pages, cos-play groups and much much more. They love those pretty plastic ponies and their rainbow hair and aren’t afraid to show it. The show was developed for 7 year old girls and the creator Lauren Faust was pleasantly surprised by the unlikely audience her show has garnered. In the online article for Wired “My Little Pony Corrals Unlikely Fanboys Known as ‘Bronies’” she states:
“This might be a little short-sighted on my part, but I just assumed that any adult man who didn’t have a little girl wouldn’t even give it a try,” Faust said in a phone interview. “The fact that they did and that they were open-minded and cool enough and secure in their masculinity enough to embrace it and love it and go online and talk about how much they love it — I’m kind of proud.” – Faust Wired interview 2011
These guys are defying gender roles and creating a new Pop culture phenomenon one plastic pony at a time. I leave you with a video and a question- Is this worthy of true Geekdom or just a Pop culture fad that will fade as soon as the show is cancelled?
Are Bronies Changing the Definition of Masculinity?
