(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

Browsing through Enterprising Women over on Google Books, I found some evidence to back up one of my hunches: that a lot of fangirls are mutants like me. The author, Camille Bacon-Smith, recounts how many female fans have experienced "scorn" for their "masculine" interests. She describes Star Trek fangirls growing up during a time when, as teenagers, they were expected to give up any tomboy inclinations, and defer to and flatter boys. "Many women in fandom, however, did not make this transition". Some were outcasts because of their physical appearance; some refused to mask their intelligence. Even in fandom, some suffered ostracisation or harassment from male fans. (That said, as a teenager, I was far more bullied by girls than by boys.) It's possible this explains some of the sensitivity around issues of gender and inclusion into which I have poked my thumb.

Some data points on the gender makeup of fandom. Firstly, from Enterprising Women: in 1988, an index of 34,000 Star Trek fanzines included only 4 edited by men, and only 10% of contributors were male. Polls of readers of sexually explicit Trek zines found they were mostly women. Secondly, this list of 80s/90s fanzines gives a snapshot of offline Doctor Who fandom in the UK: there are women editing and writing, but they're a tiny minority.

Comments

[hexacontium.livejournal.com]

Btw, I really enjoy reading your thoughts here and the discussions on this topic. And I'm still trying to come up with something that is typical female without sexual/birth flavor to it but I can only find clichees such as buying ones first heels *rolleyes* But then again, what's typical male?!?

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

*tips hat* The few arseholes who've graced us with their presence haven't managed to stop a good discussion. I've been especially interested by people's personal stories.

[pbristow.livejournal.com]

"Btw, I really enjoy reading your thoughts here and the discussions on this topic. "

[WAVES A HAND] Seconded! =:o}

(When someone said that a different approach might open "a larger discussion", I quickly checked how much further my scroll bar had to go to reach the bottom of the comments. "This one's pretty large already, actually..." =:o> )