So, I'm going to say this right out, I heartily enjoy the show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic". It has excellent storytelling, fun and fascinating characters, good humor, and is just an enjoyable show to watch. Lauren Faust said she wanted to make a cartoon that parents could enjoy with their daughters, and considering the general range of cartoons aimed at girls tend to be "OMG! Let's go SHOPPING!!!!" or something equally silly, I think that's a noble goal, if even setting the bar pretty low. But she succeeded so well that it crossed over from being a show parents could enjoy with their daughters to being one of those elusive cartoons that captures the 18-30 demographic just as well as the 5-13. Since I grew up in the 90's, it seemed to me to be following in the grand tradition of the Kid's WB! line-up, which was also just as popular among adults. After all, there were some really great shows, for people who weren't close-minded about animation being "just for kids". Fun, fresh cartoon series that everyone in the family can enjoy are great, and even better when it's quality family programming - where the in-jokes for the adults are somewhat obscure, not smutty.
But then I found out about the giant backlash against people who enjoyed this show. The basic argument seems to boil down to "It's creepy", so I decided to rebut each of the "creepy" arguments.
#1 - "It's creepy for men to watch a show for little girls!"
Strange. Was it also creepy for them to watch "Animaniacs", "Freakazoid", "Batman: The Animated Series", "Pinky and the Brain", "Dexter's Laboratory", "Ed, Edd, and Eddy", or "Gargoyles", to name some of the 90's cartoons that did best with the 18-30 male demographic? Is it creepy that they currently watch "Spongebob Squarepants" and "Adventure Time"? How about "Avatar: The Last Airbender"? Now, "Gargoyles", "Batman", "Avatar", and "Samurai Jack" all fit into a class of animated TV shows that are more dramas. They could conceivably be judged on a different scale, but please don't try to tell me that "Spongebob Squarepants" is a more mature work than "Friendship is Magic". Yet people don't really judge grown men for watching it. The only thing I can think of is that the shows I listed all have heavily male casts, male protagonists, and could be considered either "boy's shows" or "unisex shows". "Avatar" has the only truly gender-balanced cast, with male and female protagonists and antagonists being equal. Now, if you have a problem with adults watching animation that is not "The Simpsons" and it's ilk, that's your problem. But if you only have a problem with adults watching animation that features a primarily female cast, maybe examine why you're so bothered?
#2 - "They're all perverts!"
Far be it from me to make excuses for people who do find the ponies sexually appealing. I find that rather peculiar myself and have no wish delve more deeply into it. However, they are the minority in the fandom. The only reason I can think of for this one getting so widespread ties into the basic sexism of the previous article - that the only reason to watch a show with a primarily female cast is if one is sexually attracted to them (or gay, but that's the next item). Well... no. Female characters can be interesting to watch even if they are not sexually appealing. Hopefully very few people went into the theater for "Spirited Away" thinking what a babe Chihiro was... and I doubt many people were slavering over Grandma Sophie in "Howl's Moving Castle". Both are rightfully acknowledged as superior films that feature amazingly developed female characters. There are still reasons to watch female characters who are not sexually appealing, even if there are no sexually appealing characters anywhere else, and even if there are few male characters the male viewing audience can "sympathize" with. Studio Ghibli does not have a patent on compelling female characters that aren't sexy, and if you can't sympathize with a character because they are not your same sex, you are the one with the issue.
#3 - "They're gay!"
Why? Because liking things originally intended for the opposite gender is bad in males? Guess you guys better give up fedoras and trilby hats, then, because both originated as female clothing. Besides "gay" being an idiotic bullying term anyway, why would liking a quality show make you like someone of your same gender? Where's the connection? I'd say that MLP fans, if started young, have a leg-up on male/female relationships, because they are learning to see girls as individual, developed personalities, instead of the alien presences adolescent malehood has traditionally regarded them as.
#4 - "It's so girly!"
Watching a show causes no distinct loss in testicle or penis size, based on any scientific study. As for girly... um... really? In the last 4 seasons, a force of evil has plunged the world into eternal night, the god of chaos has turned the world inside out, a giant bug has sucked most of the life force from the main character's brother, a lost empire has reappeared an nearly been swallowed by the ghost of it's past king, and a forest of thorns has gained sentience and run rampant through the town. There have been homages to "Indiana Jones", "The Big Lebowski","Dr. Who", "Spiderman", "Escape From New York", "Top Gun", "James Bond", "Street Fighter", "Batman", "The Hulk", and "Rocky". Candy-colored ponies notwithstanding, the "girly" excuse is quite flimsy. And silly, because what's wrong with being girly? If it was immature, you may have a point, but it's not.
#5 - "It's just for girls! How could any man watch it?"
This one really hit me when Weird Al announced he was doing a voice on the show. A bunch of fathers complained on his Facebook that now they would have to give in and watch such a stupid, girly show with their little girl. Which.... WHAT!? Way to teach them from the very beginning that you consider what they're interested in lesser and things "for girls" of lower quality and less important. I'm sure my own father was grateful when the generally poor-quality "Little Mermaid" TV show was replaced in his daughter's affection by the much superior "Gargoyles", but he did not complain that he was having to spend time with his little girls, watching something they considered wonderful. Remember, dads, the creators wanted this to be a show you could like too, not just a merchandising zeitgeist of crappy songs and crappier animation. You may like it or you may not, but be glad while your little girl is watching something that idealizes friendship between characters above lying and cheating until you can have sex with the cutest boy in school.
And that's what it really all boils down to. You don't have to like the show or enjoy it or anything. But it is breaking some new ground, by being a "girl's" show that is centered around primarily female friendship, not boys, not shopping, not marriage. Female characters, with disparate personalities (not "I like sports and shopping and boys" "I like art and shopping and boys!" "We're so totally different, but are still friends!"), careers, families, lives... who make time for each other, and for saving the world. Which is fun. And funny. And well-written. View it as a positive step that there is some animation with primarily female protagonists that's good enough to field a wide audience! This hasn't happened since "The Powerpuff Girls"! Why knock someone for enjoying something positive? And really, check just how much of your disdain is really sexism.
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