Help! My Heart is Full of Pony! - Representation · 11:30pm Nov 30th, 2018
We've all heard the rumors that FIM is going to be cancelled, and replaced with a G5 reboot. We all have our own pet theories - hopes, and dreads, and wishlists of what is to become of the franchise.
A good-hearted, well-meaning friend of mine recently wrote a small essay about his. He said that he hoped that in G5, there would be more male protagonists. (His rationale was that it would help young male pony fans not get bullied.)
I could not possibly disagree with this sentiment more.
The show already has appeal for everypony. Aiming to entertain parents as well as children has been part of FIM's mission statement.
However, at its core, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is still first and foremost a safe space for girls - a world populated almost entirely by females with many powerful role models.
The fact that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has male appeal (either despite or because of this) is a sign of glorious progress, (and I don't use that word lightly). The fact that so many of us find a spiritual home in Equestria is a testament to its awesomeness, and proof that boys and men can and should learn to identity with female characters.
It sounds like a no-brainer, but a lot of people vehemently resist the notion.
The point is: Now that we are here in the fandom, we should not seek to co-opt MLP in any way. Simply put, girls need Equestria more than we do.
My wife and I raised a daughter. Let me tell you, almost all media geared toward girls was coded with highly toxic disempowering messages. Filtering stuff like that out, and helping to foster a sense of self worth in a female child is a massively uphill battle, believe it or not. I did not fully appreciate this until I became a parent.
I don't want to lecture anypony on gender politics. That's not my way, but I do feel there's something here that bears discussion.
These days, you hear an awful lot of talk in the media about what is and what is not empowering - and what does and does not constitute positive representation for women. I'm not getting into any of that. A comic strip artist from the 1980's created what is now known as the Bechdel Test, and quite frankly, it cuts through all of the BS better than any HuffPo article ever could.
It is quite simple. Take any movie. Ask yourself three questions:
1. Does it have at least two female characters?
2. Do they talk to one another...
3. About something other than a boy/man?
It sounds silly, but please. Think about it. Run the past ten films you saw through the Bechdel gauntlet.
99% of Hollywood movies fail. The ones that pass usually only barely squeak by.
The My Little Pony Movie is bucking incredible! It not only passes the test, it aces it harder than any mainstream film in recent memory. The whole mane cast is female (except for the Storm King, the kitty cat, and the henchman with an eating disorder).
Girls need that. Where else can they get it?
The fact that Equestria is populated primarily by females is actually really, really, really important. It's a fundamental part of its zeitgeist. The fact that bronies can (and do) get behind such a world is a big part of what attracted me to the fandom in the first place. Let's cherish that, and take pride in it.
Bottom Line: We are guests in this phenomenon we call Equestria, and have no right to remake it in our own image.
(That being said, even if, hypothetically, we were to do so, it would not help victims of bullying. At all. It is not our job to change who we are. It is not our job to change what we love, merely to seek out the approval of sadists).
-Sprocket
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Not really and oh yes, in order of the two statements made there. At this point, Equestria really isn't that one sided in male/female split, it's just most of the primary focus character are female. Which is a lot better then the first few seasons where it seemed like Big Mac was the only stallion in town, if only because that just... really did not make a lot of sense and could lead to a lot of issues with why that was. But yes, that focus should stay the same and..... people can just stop giving a fuck about what someone watches.... if only.
Granted, there is the leaked info that they are going for more 'representation' of another kind, by making Applejack "More urban."
Nicely said, Sprocket.
(Regarding G5, I'm still cautiously optimistic about it, certainly willing to give it the benefit of the doubt until I actually see it for myself. And the end of G4 seems quite unlikely to signal the immediate end of all G4 fanworks.)
Well said, Sprocket!
Happily, it's not quite that dire!
A majority of movies do pass the test these days — but let's be clear, it's not a large majority, and the Bechdel test is the lowest possible bar. It's still shameful and your point still stands. Just wanted to give some actual numbers for the stats geeks in the audience.