MLP:FIM: a gender neutral show? Why or why not?

[Megas 27,588]

Depends. I'd like to say it's gender neutral, but it's really hard to deny that the show likes to show off its girlyness.

Of course a lot of stuff the show teaches are suitible for a wider audience

 

So I'd say gender-neutral leaning towards girly

Edited June 27, 2014 by Megas75

[The Crimson Cross 7,532]

I don't think I'd label the target audience as gender neutral, but it's one of those shows that was meant to be appealing to all members of the family!

It's clearly targeted at a younger female audience, and there's a ton of female characters which is why I'd say that.

Anywho, I guess you could say MLP is gender neutral because of the audience who watches it are from all genders.

The percentage of little girls who watch it compared to the older audience is still pretty small in comparison!

Edited June 27, 2014 by The Golden Cross

[Odyssey 5,716]

Actually, all four of you are not only factually incorrect, but also repeat the same mistake that I called out in the past. Back when Faust developed the show, she created it without simply looking at it as a show squarely "for little girls." The colors may be saccharine, or the mane cast is mostly female, but the presentation is very oxymoronic. Toy bait notwithstanding, FIM is developed to be enjoyable for anyone regardless of primary demographics, and FIM's true market audience is all-ages and gender-neutral. She created the show to be enjoyable for everyone with content and writing that transcends the typical tropes seen in shows like these. The same demographics as The Powerpuff Girls, Pixar, and current Thomas & Friends. (BTW, the true target audience of the franchise isn't little girls or kids at all, but their guardians, as kids usually aren't allowed to buy products without their parents' consent.)

 

There's plenty of subtext within the show to prove it's gender-neutral:

1. Beyond simply the writing, it has the quality and nuances to attract anyone regardless of gender or age through little messages that transcend its base demographic (i.e., criticism of executive meddling in Suited for Success, subversion of fairytales in The Best Night Ever, critique of the American public school system in Testing Testing 1, 2, 3).
2. It's inspired by pre-Tales G1, which targets the very same demographics of FIM. Hell, Bonnie Zacherle helped found MLP as a gender-neutral franchise.

The only content thus far that is exclusively marketed to little girls is the first-party toys that are not Equestria Girls.

 

Because it FACTUALLY isn't.

 

Quoted for truth. This person knows what he is talking about. -3-

 

I always viewed MLP: FiM as a show for everyone, regardless of their age and gender, because like Dark Qiviut said, Lauren Faust wanted to make a quality show without looking at it as a little girl's show.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Mienshao

[Celli 4,338]

I would definitely say so.

[Justin_Case001 4,882]

I think gender needs to go. As in disappear. There is nothing inherent in any television show that makes it more suitable for boys or girls. It is only marketed to one group because CEO's sell things as such and parents obey their wishes. Anything can be gender neutral with the right perspective, including My Little Pony. I wish that it was the case that most people saw the show as neutral so any of their children can enjoy it, not just girls.

This pony gets it.

 

I think this is one of the key messages inherent in the existence of the brony fandom--that things don't need to be labeled as being for one gender or the other.  People should just be able to like what they like, simple as that.  Saying that something is "girly" seems ridiculous to me.  If there's a huge male following for MLP, then doesn't that mean it's just as masculine as feminine?  Thus, drop the labels.

 

Also, when we see a lot of pink and purple, like in the logo, why does that immediately make us think "girly"?  It shouldn't.  It's silly.  They're just colors.  There is nothing inherently gender specific about a color.  I just like to challenge the rules like this.  Again, drop the labels.

 

However, since I live and breathe, I can definitely say that show is largely marketed for girls, because I understand how stereotypes work.  Doesn't mean I agree with the stereotypes, but I've grown up in this society, so I know what is "supposed" to be for girls.  But also think the show does a very good job at being pretty gender neutral.

[RainbowMau 291]

It's a girls show, just like Lauren wanted it's a girls show that it's good and not only focused in friends who solve everything with saying sorry and having a cup of tea.

Nothing wrong with that, it's a girls show that everyone enjoys, just like it has been hapenning with boys' shows that girls have been enjoying too.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

because I understand how stereotypes work

I do as well even though stereotypes can get ridiculous like commercials only having women enjoy yogurt or something and marketing their products as such. Someday, there may not be such thing as television that panders to "gender"; it might be no longer part of some societies.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Silver Letter

[Scoots2 8]

Gender-neutral as in everybody can watch it?  Perhaps, yes, but that applies to anything and everything. The fact of the matter is that this show is made for girls. This must be the billionth time I've repeated this, but the show was, as said by Lauren Faust meant to be a quality show for girls, to show them that there are many ways to be a girl, and they none of them are wrong.

 

To call it a gender-neutral show is jarring. "Oh, this show is actually good? Then it can't be a girl's show, it must be gender-neutral!" Why is it so hard for many to admit that they like a girl's show?

Basically, this. Anyone who says that Lauren Faust INTENDED to make it a "gender-neutral" show has not read her preface to The Elements of Harmony, in which she basically asserts the beauty and magic of the iconography associated with little girls. I'm sorry, but the cupcakes and hearts and unicorn farts are girly, and if they weren't attached to an awesome show, a lot of people wouldn't want anything to do with it because it is girly. Because it is awesome, suddenly it is now "gender neutral." And that is insulting to girls: that anything good associated with them must be "rescued." 

 

"But but but! It has relatable plots! It shows things anyone can identify with! The characters' lives don't revolve around makeup and boys! There's even some badass fighting!"

 

Yes? And this means it's NOT for girls?

 

I would like to try an experiment sometime and extract only the design elements--the color palette, the concepts, the shapes, the music--and not tell some bronies "this is from the show." I very much doubt that they'd say, "oo, look how gender neutral this is!" 

 

I am very concerned by this attitude, since it often goes along with an exaggerated sense of importance that young adult male audience is to the show and demands that it be changed to suit them (more violence, edgier plots, more male characters.) No. It is what it is. And you don't want to make it "more gender neutral." What you want is to remove its feminine elements for your own comfort. Like it for what it is, but don't try to change it and don't try to call it something it isn't. And it would be nice if you wouldn't lie to yourselves about it, but I can't help that. 

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

If by gender neutral you mean appealing to both genders then most definitely yes. It's got something for both genders indeed.

[Solid 1,327]

It's really just the color hues and the gender imbalance of the population in Equestria that made the show a bit female oriented, personally I don't really mind but apparently some people do.

 

Add enough stallions (maybe like male mane 6? :3) and use more gender neutral or masculine colors (especially for the logo) and you have a neutral show!

 

Maybe for the theme song and misc songs in the show let the guys sing more often too.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Solid Scorpion

[SolidTwilight 383]

It's really just the color hues and the gender imbalance of the population in Equestria that made the show a bit female oriented, personally I don't really mind but apparently some people do.

 

Add enough stallions (maybe like male mane 6? :3) and use more gender neutral or masculine colors (especially for the logo) and you have a neutral show!

 

Maybe for the theme song and misc songs in the show let the guys sing more often too.

this is what I was really getting at with my OP. other then the above stuff I really don't see much that is overly feminine or masculine. I am not saying at all that the show is "too good to be made for just girls". what I am saying is that if you take away the colors, logo, opening song and gender imbalance but had all the same every thing else (plots, animation, ext..) I don't think anyone would say that it was made for girls or boys. kind of like the movie wall-e. it would be just a show that some people like and some don't. anyway, that what I think. I am not trying to rationalize anything to myself or anyone else about liking a show with brightly colored pony's. I just rally feel that "this show it for girls" is all most all just the marketing of it. also note that just because something is not feminine, that does not mean it is masculine by default. there is a middle ground that is not ether. Edited October 25, 2014 by SolidTwilight

[NotoriousSMALL 1,984]

Somewhat. It still a bit on the side of girls obviously it can appeal to a wide audience

[BritishBrony2012 799]

Always label as show for everybody. Sick of hearing show for little girls. It sad that some bronies label the show as for little girls.

[An Unknown Pony. 370]

Maybe,I think the number of bronies to the number of pegasisters who watch mlp is higher,and the fact that mlp'a target audience is for little girls.

[HunterTSN 1,444]

At it's core no; despite what bronies like to argue, My Little Pony is a show intended to entertain little girls probably ranging from ages 6 to about 12 because they are (typically) fond of ponies, princesses, and cutesy magical fantasy worlds. That said, there are lots of more mature references and one liners that would go right over a little girls head to keep things interesting for any parents being forced to watch TV with their kids. While it may make a good arguing point for older and male fans, it doesn't really change the target demographic in the long run. 

Edited November 2, 2014 by HunterTSN

[Alex Z 848]

Yes I would, I feel like the show is good for anyone of any age. It looks girly and stupid when you first look at it but, when you watch the show it dosen't feel girly at all.

[Jeric 46,851]

Intentionally it was created as quality children's entertainment geared for girls, but using some gender neutral and adult accessible aspects. That said, like language, what something starts out as isn't always where it ends up. It's an interesting discussion nonetheless, and one that I find myself constantly re-evaluating. I almost prefer the idea that boys and men can enjoy something that IS traditionally feminine rather than describing it as gender neutral. Optimism bias perhaps?

[Gernia 691]

Actually, no. It's a feminine show mixed with elements that are masculine, probably done so that it could appeal to other audiences (which Lauren Faust has claimed to having done) and possibly break notions of what "girly" shows are like.

Edited November 2, 2014 by Gernia

[chirox the pony 1,336]

Well that really depends on what you define as a "little girls show", some may define it as a show that uses the colour pink and others will have different ideas of what it is. To me what defines a "little girls shows" is something that panders to that audience, so for example G3 is a little girls as the creators clearly had a set view of what little girls like and thus pandered to that ideal little girl. FIM doesn't pander to anyone and thus makes itself for everyone, so yes FIM is a gender neutral show IMO.

[Dewdlz 938]

I suppose at first it was intended for mainly girls so yes. Now I would say mostly guys watch it than girls. I also think the show takes it's fans views into consideration, molding it into something we all like so it kind of does make it neutral in a sense.

[Moonlight 7,286]

The show was made for little girls therefore it's a girls show but it just happens to have qualities that can make it gender-neutral. 

[Silver Letter 1,832]

 

 

The show was made for little girls therefore it's a girls show

Of course, when the subject of mainstream "gender" and the motivations of the creators of shows such as Friendship is Magic comes into play, then it can only be defined as media for younger female audiences. I don't believe that there is any reason to dispute that. I don't see anything inherent about such things that must apply to such a demographic. "Gender" is just the imposed culture on the sexes. Like other forms of culture, it's man-made and subjective...and it changes on a whim.. There is no reason why male children couldn't have grown up with these sort of shows. When people say that trying to undermine "Gender" takes something from young female children, that is incorrect. There is nothing about these shows that belongs to them. And there is nothing inherent about "male" shows that make them inaccessible to females.

[Visual Spectrum 1,932]

G1: Neuteral 

G1.5 Girls

G3 Girls

G3.5 Babies 

G4 Girls 

 

FiM is for girls. It isn't overly feminine, but it's intended for girls and was not made to attract male viewers. 

I would also like to add that a show made for girls does not make it boring. In fact, I find shows made for boys to be boring. There is mainly violence and yelling. I prefer girl shows to boy shows despite being male. I don't like the overly girly shoes with one dimensional characters and tea parties all the time. The mild girly shows are great though. 

[Sig Hoovestrong 838]

So I always here people refer to MLP:FIM as a "girls show" but if you take a good look at it you see that really only the stuff like the name of the show, logo, colors and other cosmetic things are "girly". if you look at the story, carters and every thing else that makes the show great, it is all very gender neutral. I don't think it should be called a "girls" show because it really is not. what do you all think? also on a side note, I always wanted to know if someone changed all the "girly" stuff like the colors, logos, opening song to more "boy" like stuff but left the show the same (even leave the female voices) and showed it to boys in the target age that its made for girls how they would react?

I feel like MLP fim is family oriented show for everone to enjoy. And i think that wasen even there orginal attant. That parants with there kid could watch to show to gather with our gatting borde themselfs. But people saying is just little gril show i say just don't know better, like there grown man watching disney right? And there nothing odd abut that. 

 

And i can strongly addmit i like cheerfullness of the show and it's cuteness, but at same time feel it has something for everyone to enjoy. But end the end just come down to point, for me. That the show just make me plan happy and brings me joy. 

 

[UnusedAccount 15]

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Edited October 26 by UnusedAccount
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