Why are there no guard mares?

[ggg-2 3,552]

Isn't  it weird that we've never seen a female guard? IRL, women in the military are nothing new.

[Concerned Bystander 2,902]

Isn't  it weird that we've never seen a female guard? IRL, women in the military are nothing new.

 

That depends on the country, in the UK for example women have been in the military for many years but it is only very recently that a ban on them serving in front line combat units has been lifted.

 

Of course that doesn't necessarily relate to MLP, but it could be something similar that mares only serve in the guard in support roles.

 

More likely is that the makers of the cartoon wanted them to have a very uniform appearance and so they are all stallions because they are all copy and pasted from the original guard.

[Snow 7,004]

because guys need a mention too :c i mean.. come on, the mane 6 are all girls, the closest thing to a guy main character is spike who is a baby and a slave :/ gotta get some of those guy characters in there somehow right?

[RealityPublishing 323]

because guys need a mention too :c i mean.. come on, the mane 6 are all girls, the closest thing to a guy main character is spike who is a baby and a slave :/ gotta get some of those guy characters in there somehow right?

Very true.

 

Not to mention, I'm sure it was quite a hassle for Hasbro to break the racial boundaries. It'll be Season 17 before they get around to gender. 

[Snow 7,004]

Very true.

 

Not to mention, I'm sure it was quite a hassle for Hasbro to break the racial boundaries. It'll be Season 17 before they get around to gender. 

amen, i mean.. 'derpy hooves' and 'coco pommel' got changed to 'muffins' and 'miss pommel' for legal reasons... how stupid is that? not to mention the fans going nuts about the Indian ponies in spice up your life.. it's going to take time clearly

[Guest]

I'll go with the most non-controversial answer: Not many apply for the job.

[RealityPublishing 323]

amen, i mean.. 'derpy hooves' and 'coco pommel' got changed to 'muffins' and 'miss pommel' for legal reasons... how stupid is that? not to mention the fans going nuts about the Indian ponies in spice up your life.. it's going to take time clearly

Most definitely! Not to mention Hasbro is going to have to clear up on whether or not Twilight is actually African American in the Live Action film coming in 2069! 

[cmarston1 5,959]

Maybe we just haven't seen them yet.

Or it is just easier for the animators and they can just copy and paste models.

[Midnight Seashell 206]

I read a comic strip that states Fluer Dis Lee was a former royal guard member but she quit.

[Thrond 3,263]

Because they're all clones! Clones, I tell you!

 

Not sure if the guard entirely corresponds to Equestria's defence force, to be honest. We can assume the Wonderbolts are a military unit of some sort, and Twilight & friends seem to contribute heavily to Equestria's security. Most of those are mares, so there you go.

[Sunny Shimmer 259]

Because mares always get the good jobs in Equestria. Leaving the stallions to a select few.

[Discordian 6,015]

For some people when they think of royal guards and knights their first thought is of a man. This is likely the extent of that design choice.

[Ruthborn 55]

....there are several mares in the Wonderbolts military branch.

There were a lot of military mares in armour in the alternate timelines shown in The Cutie Re-Mark (particularly Nightmare Moon's guards).

 

Plus, they all wear armour, with no obvious feminine traits (breasts, hips) how can you tell if they're female or male.

[Cwanky 17,570]

To the OP's question I ask a counter question: why are there no male nurses?

 

If we're being honest,   there are certain norms, stereotypes and societal rules that the writers still choose to abide by, as transformational and gender shattering FiM may be. Being that the Equestria is a monarchy, although Celestia is a "princess," she functionally acts very much like a queen, alongside Luna   . Its really not that surprising then that the Royal Guards (Grenadier Guards) are quite similar to the Queen's Guards in the UK. Like the real former, they look very identical, including in personality and pose even. They are very serious and loyal to the royal family they serve. They are also, like most militaries, male dominated. In fact, the British Armed Forces, women are not allowed to serve in combat units (but they are in combat support units). Moreover the first black person to join the Grenadier Guards was Folarin Adeyemi Olatokunbo Olugbemiga Kuku as recent as 2007.

 

While its very possible there are or will be female royal guards in Canterlot in the future, I'd expect them to be the exception rather than the norm.

[El Duderino 879]

The answer is very simple. They have better things to do than boring guard duty. They have do stuff like build rocket packs, and go to the moon, and become florists...

 

Unless you want the boring answer that the animators just needed some default guards to make their jobs easier and they made them male.

 

 

thumbs up if you got the reference.

[Tarnation 142]

Males are stronger, but honestly, sometimes they can do a lousy job

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,025]

The only reason of reality is that the animators are lazy, they've done the like 3 or 4 variations of guards and they most likely won't add anymore. Simply because it be extra work they would not be bothered to do.

[Concerned Bystander 2,902]

 

 

In fact, the British Armed Forces, women are not allowed to serve in combat units (but they are in combat support units).

 

You're a little bit behind, this ban was lifted recently.  So recently in fact that there are no women yet serving in combat roles, as any applicants will still have to go through training, which is currently being reviewed, but they are now allowed.

 

 

 

Its really not that surprising then that the Royal Guards (Grenadier Guards) are quite similar to the Queen's Guards in the UK. Like the real former, they look very identical, including in personality and pose even.

 

I would take issue with the excerpt in bold.  The guards are as much a jumbled bag of spanners as any other group of people.  The grim, silent sentry is purely a look cultivated for when they are on royal duties.  Off duty (or on regular infantry duties), they're as different as any people in any occupation.

 

 

 

The only reason of reality is that the animators are lazy, they've done the like 3 or 4 variations of guards and they most likely won't add anymore. Simply because it be extra work they would not be bothered to do.

 

This is the root of it, these are background characters with very limited interactions with the rest of the cast, and designed specifically with a (mostly) uniform appearance.

[LyricaDreamy 43]

Their ruler is female ,i dont think Celestia would want mares to do hard jobs, though its possible some exists

[cider float 2,537]

....there are several mares in the Wonderbolts military branch.

There were a lot of military mares in armour in the alternate timelines shown in The Cutie Re-Mark (particularly Nightmare Moon's guards).

 

Plus, they all wear armour, with no obvious feminine traits (breasts, hips) how can you tell if they're female or male.

Stallions and mares have distinct features that set them apart. And the models for mare and stallion are a bit copy paste that makes us know indefinitely which is a mare and which is a stallion. 

[Cloby604 87]

I don't like to touch this subject... but maybe since is a "show for little girls", most of girls likes to fell protected by a strong man...

[Rawzy 1,302]

Tough, protective ponies in mlp have always been males ponies, so it's no surprise that the guards are only male, it also makes sense since real life is generally the same.

[Vixor 80]

Because the animators haven't taken the time to make art assets for them, in the same way they haven't made many art assets for diversifying the colors of their coats, for example. There's no reason whatsoever for there not to be female guards, as we've seen that there are mares that are just as capable physically as the stallions. The only reason for one gender to be excluded would be pointless discrimination, which is completely nonsensical because Equestria is a gender-egalitarian society with no gender roles, as well as de-jure and de-facto gender equality. We've also seen some mare guards in places like those alternate timelines, and the comics too, if you care about those any.

 

Guard mares most definitely exist, but we don't see them because DHX simply doesn't have the art assets prepared for them. The generic guards in the background are an incredibly low priority for them. It's perfectly safe to assume that there are indeed mares in the guard, though. There's simply no reason for there not to be.

 

Because they're all clones! Clones, I tell you!

Not sure if the guard entirely corresponds to Equestria's defence force, to be honest. We can assume the Wonderbolts are a military unit of some sort, and Twilight & friends seem to contribute heavily to Equestria's security. Most of those are mares, so there you go.

 

There are an even number of male and female Wonderbolts.

 

Because mares always get the good jobs in Equestria. Leaving the stallions to a select few.

 

Completely nonsensical. Equestria is a gender-egalitarian society with no gender roles. There is no indication whatsoever that either gender is advantaged or dominant, and both genders have been shown in a large variety of walks of life. Nobody is being discriminated against for the job they want. The show is usually more focused on female characters, screentime wise, but it's never portrayed either gender as superior or dominant.

 

To the OP's question I ask a counter question: why are there no male nurses?

 

There most definitely are, but this is not exactly a show focusing on hospitals, so we don't see many medical ponies in the first place. You're wrong about the whole 'societal norms' and all that nonsense too, as it's pretty clear that Equestria has no real gender roles. We've seen ponies of both genders in all sorts of different careers and walks of life. And even from a meta perspective, shattering the notion of gender roles was one of the big messages/goals of the show, besides the primary purpose of simply being a good cartoon with great characters.

 

I don't like to touch this subject... but maybe since is a "show for little girls", most of girls likes to fell protected by a strong man...

 

God no, that's incredibly sexist, both to men and women.

 

Tough, protective ponies in mlp have always been males ponies, so it's no surprise that the guards are only male, it also makes sense since real life is generally the same.

 

Now that's just plain and utterly wrong, not to mention terribly sexist. There are a wide variety of personalities in MLP characters, of both genders. The male characters aren't required to be 'tough' just like the female characters aren't required to be 'submissive'. Both mares and stallions are allowed to be individuals, and aren't judged based off of their gender or anything like that, as it should be. There are no gender roles and there's no reason whatsoever to actually believe that all the guards are male, especially when we've seen that both mares and stallions are perfectly capable of having enough potential strength to do that job.

Edited August 19, 2016 by Vixor

[silvadel 1,393]

My guess is that there are mares.  I would figure the uniforms are what makes them all look like the same stallion.

 

I had a mare as a royal guard in one of my fics, and despite many comments on the story, nobody even brought that one up. 

Edited August 19, 2016 by silvadel

[Rawzy 1,302]

Now that's just plain and utterly wrong, not to mention terribly sexist. There are a wide variety of personalities in MLP characters, of both genders. The male characters aren't required to be 'tough' just like the female characters aren't required to be 'submissive'. Both mares and stallions are allowed to be individuals, and aren't judged based off of their gender or anything like that, as it should be. There are no gender roles and there's no reason whatsoever to actually believe that all the guards are male, especially when we've seen that both mares and stallions are perfectly capable of having enough potential strength to do that job.

It's not sexist, it's a fact. Stallions are generally much more tougher than mares, and having stallions as guards gives off the feel that the princess is being protected, it's easier for kids to understand that way.

I don't like to touch this subject... but maybe since is a "show for little girls", most of girls likes to fell protected by a strong man...

Correct, kids would be able to understand the show much better that way.