Written
Analysis 5
Taylor
Alexandria Carroll
Popular
Culture
Professor
Garey
5/3/2016
During my research on the fandom and popular culture
phenomenon of the television show My Little Pony I found the stereotype theory
to be the most interesting. If you recall, the stereotypes I covered were the appearance
of fans, the gender or sexuality of fans, and the conduct of fans. While some
of these stereotypes were proven true, it was much more likely for them to be
disproven. This feeds the theory that stereotypes are just what they appear to
be. Stereotypes. This blanket theory places seemingly normal people into a twisted
web of exaggeration and lies. While it may be true that some members of the
brony fandom may fit into the stereotype, it is unfair to place all bronies
into that same cliché.
I believe the most interesting findings from my analyzes
was the statistics I found. During my research I found that 84 percent of
bronies identified as heterosexual, which challenged the notion that fans of My
Little Pony are homosexual. Another statistic was bronies are predominantly
male. Through my research I found that 86 percent of bronies were male. However,
there are also female and non-gender conforming fans in the fandom. Another
interesting finding was realization that My Little Pony was purposefully
following the formula theory. This theory states that all media has a common
theme that ties them together, and only the unique characters, story lines, and
genres separate them. When I analyzed the My Little Pony cartoon, I found that
the popular television show was not exempt from this theory. In fact, they
seemed to follow the hero formula quite closely. This was proven when the
characters had to overcome evils to protect their friends, way of life, and
society.
The My Little Pony show and fandom has been brought into
a whole new light for myself. I have discovered new facts, theories, and
statistics about a very new popular culture topic. I believe I will find new value
in the My Little Pony show and fandom as a popular culture topic.
Several of my friends enjoy the show, art, and voice actors. Because of this, I
will attempt to continue to understand the interesting fascination with these
colorful cartoon ponies.
References
Browne, R. B. (2005).
Profiles of popular culture: A reader. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.
C., B. (2015, April
27). The History of My Little Pony. Retrieved April 06, 2016, from https://www.shoutfactory.com/editorials/the-history-of-my-little-pony
Petracca,
M., & Sorapure, M. (1998). Common culture: Reading and writing about
American popular culture. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Truitt,
B. (2012, November 26). 'My Little Pony' plants a hoof in pop culture.
Retrieved April 06, 2016, from
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2012/11/26/my-little-pony/1725375/
