The Girl Show Ghetto (or, how I stopped worrying and learned to love Equestria Girls) · 3:32am Oct 18th, 2013

... Make that a month and a half.

I like to think there's a reason I survived Equestria Girls, and even kind of like it- because I've actually seen this type of movie/show before. And believe me, EG is not that bad when compared to similar works. One of the perks of being raised by Disney-worshipping parents and having little to no social life up until my high school years (and even then I was somewhere between Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle as far as social skills) is constant exposure to straight to DVD films and whatever was being advertised on the Disney Channel. Having nothing else to do, I of course watched. So yeah, I watched a good chunk of DC and Nick sitcoms. Even now though I've mostly given up these kinds of tween-girl shows, I'm still trying to finish up a few that are slated to end later this year. And then, no more sappy or overly cheerful sitcoms.

Well, mostly.

My point being, as I sat in the theater with my BBFF (Brony Best Friend Forever) that fateful June afternoon, waiting to get this thing over with, I was ready for ANYTHING it could throw at me. And by the end, I can honestly say it could have been worse.

MUCH worse.

I'm sure some of us are familiar with the term "Girl Show Ghetto" and if not, it's basically this idea that Female-oriented merchandise/media, or even media that just has female leads is automatically C(squee)p. There are examples of shows and films that disprove this theory (Clarissa Explains it All, Powerpuff Girls, Brave, etc.) but there's still enough bull out there that it's not hard to see why people still cling to the GSG train of thought. I myself know this because, as stated earlier, I've sat through said bull. Nowadays whenever I watch it again- if I can actually take it again, because there are those movies and shows you loved as a kid but can't stand to touch with a ten-foot pole- it's usually either because it's genuine nostalgia for me and I thus feel good despite the cheesiness (Full House, for instance) or, for whatever reason, I like it as a Guilty Pleasure. Any half-decent tween sitcom nowadays will probably fall under this category. The following is a compilation of girly things both recent and from my upbringing that make it hard for a show like "Friendship is Magic" hard to take seriously in the mainstream due to overly girl-centric natures, poor role models, and just plain terrible writing present in these examples and more. I give you...

Top 11 Girl-marketed Films/Franchises that make "Equestria Girls" look like "Citizen Kane" (in no particular order)
1. Bratz: The Movie
2. MLP Generations 3-3.5
3. Sleepover
4. MyScene Goes Hollywood
5. Charm Girls Club (video game line)
6. Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True
7. Pollyworld (and its sequel, 2 Cool at the Pocket Plaza)
8. Twilight (both the books and movies)
9. Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse (webseries)
10. Most Disney Channel Original Movies (too many to list here)
11. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

You'll probably notice I didn't include "Monster High" or it's spinoff, "Ever After High" on here. I have a perfectly good reason for this- while I am put off by the designs of the MH characters and dolls (in fact they make it easier to look at the EG designs by comparison), I've never actually WATCHED the web-series or films, or even read the books, and I don't want to base my opinion on an entire franchise solely on looks. And as for EAH... okay, not going to lie, I actually kind of like this web-series/franchise, in a non-ironic way. Why? Well, that's another blog altogether. ;)

And I'm still debating if the "Pretty Little Liars" series (the show, anyways) qualifies as either a genuinely good show or guilty pleasure. Because as suspenseful and exciting as it gets, the twists can get kind of.. weird, at times.

Huh. I went from complaining about girl shows to admitting to liking a few. And I haven't even touched on the various DC shows I've put up with in my time. I may have to work on a part 2 for this particular blog posting...

But for now, let us be glad that there are shows like FiM and Korra that break out of the ghetto. And as for Equestria Girls... let's see where it goes. Maybe it'll surprise us in the future. After all, it's happened to us before...

Wait, what was the point of this post again?

Currently Reading: "Ali's Pretty Little Lies" by Sara Shepard

Report pixarprincess · 271 views ·

Comments ( 2 )