The Brony Fandom and the Challenge of Masculinity
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University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2016 Friendship Is Manly: The rB ony Fandom And The Challenge Of Masculinity Samuel Miller Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Miller, Samuel, "Friendship Is Manly: The rB ony Fandom And The hC allenge Of Masculinity" (2016). Theses and Dissertations. 1933. https://commons.und.edu/theses/1933 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FRIENDSHIP IS MANLY: THE BRONY FANDOM AND THE CHALLENGE OF MASCULINITY By Samuel Clark Miller Bachelor of Science, Slippery Rock University, 2006 Master of Arts, Georgia State University, 2010 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dakota In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Grand Forks, North Dakota May 2016 i Copyright 2016 Samuel C. Miller ii PERMISSION Title: Friendship is Manly: The Brony Fandom and the Challenge of Masculinity Department Communication and Public Discourse Degree Doctor of Philosophy In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work, or in his absence, by the chairperson of the department or the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Samuel C. Miller April 28, 2016 iv Table of Contents LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER I. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 II. Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks .................................................................... 13 III. Methodology ................................................................................................................ 57 IV. Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 76 V. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 160 APPENDICES A. IRB-UND .......................................................................................................................... 173 B. UND BRONY STUDY SURVEY ........................................................................................... 174 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................ 210 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Age of Bronies ................................................................................................................... 79 2. Gender Identification of Bronies ...................................................................................... 80 3. Brony Sexual Orientation .................................................................................................. 80 4. Brony Education Level ...................................................................................................... 81 5. Public/Private Bronies ....................................................................................................... 82 6. Private Bronies by Gender Identification.......................................................................... 82 7. Bronies by Age and Fan Identification .............................................................................. 83 8. Brony Harassment and Identification ............................................................................... 86 9. Brony Related Harassment ............................................................................................... 86 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the members of my advisory committee: Dr. Timothy Pasch, Dr. Kyle Conway, Dr. Lana Rakow, Dr. Richard Shafer, and Dr. Michelle Sauer. Their guidance and dedication to the cause made this project possible. I would also like to express my sincerest thanks to fellow scholars who helped me get to this point. This includes past graduate students of the Communication and Public Discourse who were inundated with ponies until the day they left. They may be distant now, but they still have a warm space in my stable. Finally, I would like to thank all of the fans who participated in this project. Some of them provided great insight on the fandom, others gave me a place to sleep on their couch, but all of them inspired me to learn the magic of friendship. vii Mahala, Betty, and Samuel Love does not begin to describe your support. viii ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the cultural phenomenon of Bronies, adult, mostly male, fans of the show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. When large numbers of grown men like a show designed for little girls, how do they contend with the challenges presented by the culturally accepted norms of masculinity? Do these fans disclose their love of ponies to others, if at all? An online mixed methods survey conducted in 2014 looks at how Bronies interact with the show, other fans, and non fans. While some Bronies are cautious about disclosing their fondness for ponies due to potential harassment, there is potential movement growing within the fan community that is slowly changing constructions of masculinity which fosters community and inclusivity. This project explores issues of masculine identity management in four sections. The first segment examines how Bronies experience harassment for being public fans. Secondly, how do secretive members of the fandom maintain their traditional masculine identity through self monitoring techniques like “The Stable.” Third, how are conceptions of masculinity changing in environments where hypermasculinity and ponies intersect, such as the case of military Bronies. Finally, the Brony fandom is aiding in the creation of a new framework of masculinity that distinguishes itself as a more inclusive gender construct separating itself from hegemonic masculinity. ix Chapter I Introduction Pony Prologue This dissertation explores an emerging masculinity with an unlikely genesis stemming from a television program called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic . I call this developing form of masculinity “concordant masculinity” which defines itself through harmony by means of collaboration and agreement without coercion or appropriation of other gender norms. This form of masculinity varies from other structures of the term in that it allows for greater gender fluidity and a wider array of gender performances while further fracturing contemporary understandings of traditional masculinity. Simultaneously, concordant masculinity does not dismiss or marginalize other types of masculinity as previous constructs have a tendency to do. Moreover, compromise is a key component in this framework of masculinity because it grants individuals the ability to perform their gender without reprisal or shaming and acknowledges difference by means of inclusion, not exclusion. The embodiment of this new masculinity has its beginnings in the Brony fandom. A Brony, for this project, is defined as a young adult man between the ages of 18 to 35 who engages in fan activities relating to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic . These activities range from watching episodes of the television show and creating fan art to attending My Little Pony conventions and cosplaying as ponies. Bronies present a conundrum to conventional 1 understandings of masculinity. Their existence perplexes many people because they cannot understand how young adult men could genuinely enjoy colorful ponies talking about friendship issues and sharing their feelings with each other. This new masculinity construct begins upon discovering the name of their fandom. The Brony moniker is a portmanteau of “brother” and “pony.” 1 Even within the name of the fandom members are finding community within a brotherhood of pony fans. Bronies are defying expectations of traditional masculinity which purports young men should herald physical strength, emotional stoicism, and rugged individualism as worthwhile goals. While many Bronies embrace and exhibit a number of the values that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic presents, there a number of fans who feel conflicted with their masculinity while occupying a feminine space.