How do You Lock the Closet?

[Invincible 2,091]

I don't hide me being a brony per se, but i don't make a conscious effort to celebrate being a brony. I don't own any merch or anything, and if i want to search ponies online i can just use an incognito page. Works every time. If i get questioned, i just tell 'em the truth - i like the cartoon and some of the fan contents inspired by it.

[DubWolf 17,263]

I kept it open and my brothers found out :1 (they saw the forums I browsed). I didn't think theyd care, but they occasionally make fun of me . Just act natural, is all I have to say. Watch the show and anything related to that like you would watch porn

[Sazama Ichida 2,367]

Only my mom knows my secret. My dad doesn't know. Sadly I can't ever get the chance to watch MLP very much because of this and I can't buy the merchandise either...

[SparklingSquirrels 21,341]

I go on mlpforums on my phone and no one notices it . I'm a "closet brony" in that I don't talk about the show with other people in real life, but I don't care if people find out.

[Silver Letter 1,832]

Being a brony isn't something that's worthy of being kept hidden like being in a minority sexual orientation which is where the phrase comes from, as far as I know. In fact, it really doesn't even come close. It's a television show, people. There is no reason to hide.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,302]

(Editing my edited post.)

 

I was never really in the closet to begin with.  I live in a teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy town, but I've worn pony shirts into town before and purchased pony items from the local store.  I showed one of my brushables to my neighbor.  Guess how many people have given me trouble here?

 

 

Zero.

 

 

 

Neither here nor there, but I've also worn colorful girls' socks into public locally.  Guess how many people openly took issue with this?

 

 

Also zero.

 

 

 

I have a Rainbow Dash avatar practically everywhere online. xD  Including places I use my real name (like this site).  If everyone stopped hiding together, all of you may suddenly be less alone and have less to fear.  There is power in numbers.  You HAVE the damned numbers.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Ziggy and Angelbaby

[Dark Qiviut 22,402]

Nope, I don't lock the closet one bit. I don't show it because I'm not a fan of most merchandise beyond fanmade brony stuff, but I do make FIM references wherever deemed fitting and am not afraid to admit being one.

 

If everyone stopped hiding together, all of you may suddenly be less alone and have less to fear.

 

It's a television show, people. There is no reason to hide.

Easier said than done, you two. There are hundreds to thousands of societies where social and gender roles are not only the norm, but also a requirement to grow and survive. Being a brony, you're challenging the gender roles because the concept of boys or men liking something feminine is "abnormal." In those conservative societies, if they admit to being a brony, they can be bullied, outcast, and slandered as gay and/or a pedophile. There's a very good reason why the "closet brony" concept exists.

 

I'm all for challenging the stereotypical social and gender norms, too (Ziggy, you said it yourself; the numbers are there). Let's face it, gender norms are passé and deserve to be called out. But being headstrong about it or blasé over the closet bronies' fears isn't going to cut it.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

My closet is open for all to see, actually. I feel it is kind of risky at times because of where I live, but I can handle myself when needed so I'm not cowering down to anyone. At worst, if anyone says something I just don't respond, and if I'm pissy already I usually try come back with something of my own.

 

My personal favorite one was when this fat kid at school was like "Don't you like My Little Pony? Isn't that just for little girls?" (tone meant a lot when he said that)

 

I responded with something really snarky like "Well, you have a pair of (breasts), and I thought those were just for girls too."

 

He wanted to fight me in the parking lot after school Never happened, though, but I digress.

 

Essentially, I'm very open about it but I try to avoid bringing it up where it'd cause problems. Most problems it creates for me in real life aren't instigated by me, so I see no reason to change my current ways.
 

[Sipenda 66]

Pfffftt. I don't even bother with a closet. I have fun with being a Brony. if im having fun watching ponies i think every one around me should enjoy them as much as i do tharefore I subject them to ponies also. Stangly enough when I blast Smile, Smile, Smile on a 1,500 watt home sound system with Bose 901's my roommate and his Vermin (2 teenage boy's) they just put thier head phones on and ignore me untill I find a song thats less anoying. 

 

To me it just seems that covering up somthing like enjoying pastel ponies is pretty small in the big picture.  If they ARE your friends and family they will understand. If they don't understand then im willing to bet the issue is not with ponies but is a hell of a lot bigger than what can be covered in this post.     

[Cosmik Vek 764]

When people come into my room I try to hide anything pony related in my computer the fastest way as possible. Why? Because honestly it is in my nature to hide things I like from the internet (like videos,etc...) because I don't like being judged for I what I like in general and I'm shy. Also, my dad found my drawings about some times ago when clearing a bit my room, but he don't really know about the whole brony thing so I don't think he cared, but I'm scared that sometimes i'm gonna get judge by him or by somebody else in my family just because I like a "girly" thing.

 

In real life I'm somewhat trying to get more open about that: I leave clues when I browse in the computers at college and sometimes when I notice MLP things I talk to myslef about it lol and i know that some people can have caught me noticing it.

[TheDashingRainbow 134]

I'm becoming less of a closet Brony than I use to be. I use to keep it hidden from my family, but then my sister caught me and told my entire family.. I now somewhat open with me and they even occasionally buy me pony merchandise. In public is where I'm more in the closet. I don't wear or do anything pony related in public (Although I wear my Brony necklace once in a while).. at least when I can help it.. I have caught myself heavily quoting the show without even planning it..

[Shykalar 25]

It's hard. Part of me wants to scream it out. The other part knows that I just can't. As a Socially angst guy, I have a hard enough time trying to say anything at all.

But saying your a Brony is hard. When I lived at home, it was hard enough to say I wanted to move away (rural families like to stay close). They are very right wing. Hell, I'm right wing. But, unlike most right wing people, I don't see how liking a tv show that is clean, positive and uplifting is a bad thing.

I know people that find Bronies to be "non-Christian" while they watch gruesome and convoluted shows. As long as you ain't clopping, there ain't anything bad about Ponies.

But that's why telling people is hard. Everyone assumes you clop. Everyone.

I watch an episode a night. Maybe 2 on a weekend. That's it. I watch the show. I am a fan of this show. But people assume it's worse.

So keeping this secret ìs a necessary evil. Keeping this a secret allows people to see me as a normal person and that's all I need. I don't want drama or to have to defend myself. I don't go out of my way to hide it, I just never mention it because it doesn't need to be brought up.

 

I am in the "closet" because no one has bothered to open the door and I ain't going to. That's not a fight I need in my life right now.

 

My wife knows. That's it. No one else on the face of this planet could tie my face to me being a Brony. Except maybe the comic book shop keeper who sells me my t-shirts. Maybe.

[Catpone Cerberus 23,599]

I just make sure that nobody sees anything and I don't speak about it. I don't know why thought because I don't really care what others think about it.

[Gestum 2,493]

I don't talk about the show and I watch it in private.

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

My mom walked in on me while I was watching ponies, so I switched it to port so it would he easier to explain xD. But seriously, no one will care if you're a brony if you don't go shoving it down their face.