Reader Camille writes about the Bronie fandom community... and why it matters to her!
Camille says:
There's a cartoon currently on TV called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The show was originally created for children, mainly girls, but has attracted a much wider fanbase, myself included. Adult fans are called Bronies and a lot of them are male... the appeal is much wider than the makers of the show might have imagined! So far, I have only ever met two other Bronies of my own age in person, but in October I am going to a convention called BronyCon which is basically a weekend long party with tons of other Bronies. There are stalls with art and toys made by fans, and panels with some of the voice actors. Some fans have even written music based on the show and at one convention, a fan created an amazing light show for everyone. It's an amazing community, both online and in the real world.
The problem is that people who haven't watched don't really understand and some of them pick on you. I get teased at school a lot for wearing a pony t-shirt for PE. People say, 'Well, if you don't want to be teased, why do you keep on wearing it?' But this misses the point; I should be able to wear what I like without fear of judgement. I reply: 'Because I'm not afraid. I won't hide what I enjoy just because others hate it.' Men who like the show get even more hassle. People can be really harsh to these adult fans, labelling them with all kinds of names and making judgements on them, which is kind of ridiculous. It's a free world, and we should not judge what we don't understand... people should be free to follow their own interests, even if they are not what others might choose. We are all different.
Most people don't even understand why Bronies get so involved and so enthusiastic. It's because at the end of each episode, one of the Mane Six (the main six characters in the series) will tell their lesson for the day. They call it a friendship lesson, but they are lessons you can take and convert into a lesson for teen or adulthood. Of course, I don't expect everyone to see the appeal in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but for me the show has real value and I'm proud to be a fan. Don't judge what you don't understand!
Cathy says:
I know a few of my readers are My Little Pony fans (or should I say Bronies!). I also agree with Camille that somebody with an unusual hobby or interest should never be bullied or harassed because of this... live and let live! Have YOU ever watched the show? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!
There's a cartoon currently on TV called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The show was originally created for children, mainly girls, but has attracted a much wider fanbase, myself included. Adult fans are called Bronies and a lot of them are male... the appeal is much wider than the makers of the show might have imagined! So far, I have only ever met two other Bronies of my own age in person, but in October I am going to a convention called BronyCon which is basically a weekend long party with tons of other Bronies. There are stalls with art and toys made by fans, and panels with some of the voice actors. Some fans have even written music based on the show and at one convention, a fan created an amazing light show for everyone. It's an amazing community, both online and in the real world.
Cathy says:
I know a few of my readers are My Little Pony fans (or should I say Bronies!). I also agree with Camille that somebody with an unusual hobby or interest should never be bullied or harassed because of this... live and let live! Have YOU ever watched the show? COMMENT BELOW to have your say!
I thought it was Brony, not Bronie. Because it's like 'pony' but the fandom are 'bros' because of their shared interest. And I've heard there's a term for female fans. Equesisters or something? Bronies rolls off the tongue more easily! I'm not a fan myself (although I think Rainbow Dash's hair is cool!) but one of my friends is. And that's cool. It makes her happy and I like my friends to be happy. That's way more important than what other people think. As for getting hassle over your taste in TV shows, I know that feeling. When I was 10 - 13, I was OBSESSED with Doctor Who. I brought my action figures to school, all my books were wrapped in Doctor Who posters from my Doctor Who magazine and Doctor Who stickers. I spent my breaktimes reading Doctor Who books and being given Doctor Who trading cards by kids I'd never met but who knew me as the biggest Doctor Who fan in school. When we went into secondary school where a tie was compulsory, mine was adorned with Doctor Who badges. I carried around Doctor Who notebooks and stationery to draw with (I even designed my own alien race, the Xulleraz. They harvest water so they came to Earth to harvest our oceans despite the damage it would do to the planet. There was probably a message about environmental damage caused by humans in there but it was mainly about these pale, one eyed beings with no skin on their bodies so all their bones and muscles were exposed. Oh, and they could teleport). I got a lot of flack for that. But who cared? Not me! I had Doctor Who to keep me happy. It got me through a pretty tough time in my life so was I going to be bullied into being ashamed of what I liked? No. Funnily enough, a couple of years after I'd gone off Doctor Who - thanks to the departure of David Tennant and Russell T Davies - it was suddenly the new "cool" thing. I was kind enough not to hassle them for liking it because it is so easy to keep your nose out of other people's likes and dislikes!
ReplyDeleteLol that's funny! Like the sound of Xulleraz!
DeletePegasisters. But I never liked that because it seperates the female and male fans. It's all one fandom so why should the fandom be seperated?
DeleteYES, i've found someone who has the same interests as me! I love watching that cartoon - it's literally amazing!!!!
ReplyDeleteBest show in the world!
Delete