[// Pregenerate link to episode ahead of time: - clicktotweet.com- sharelinkgenerator.com]: #
This week, we take a bit more of a convention-al bent, to talk about the wider world of women heroes in media with special guest, Emily Gonsalves (con chair of the [Pretty Heroes convention](https://www.prettyheroes.com/)). We talk about representation of women in comics, tv, anime and manga and a LOT more.
Next week, we continue the magic with a trip to a little place that's a small world after world: that's right, we'll be talking about fans of Disney theme parks!
## Where can I learn more about Emily Gonsalves and the Pretty Heroes convention?
Pretty Heroes is a convention dedicated to showcasing strong female characters and it's the first "girl power" convention in Toronto. It started as the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration and grew with fan demand to expand into a convention with a new name (but the same heart) featuring a variety of anime, cute items, "girly" items, and plenty of intriguing female characters. The founder and con chair, Emily Gonsalves, is a professional graphic designer and marketing manager by day, but she also used to "moonlight" as a regular reporter for the Sailor Moon focused blog "Moon Chase." You can also find Emily at other conventions running panels about Sailor Moon, art, fandom, and social media marketing. To follow her Sailor Moon related content on social media, check out [Moon Chase on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/MoonChaseBlog/) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/MoonChaseblog/) and [SailorMoonCelebration on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/sailormooncelebration/). For general female character and convention fun, check out Pretty Heroes on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/prettyheroes/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/prettyheroes/), and [Instagram](http://instagram.com/prettyheroes).
## Episode outline
### Fandom Facts
**Search Data:**
Given the broadness of today's topic, its hard to get data... but we tried! Looking at [Google Trends data](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F03hdkg,girl%20power,%2Fm%2F01cjwd) for _Girl Power (search term)_, _Girl Power (Topic)_, and _Magical Girl (literary genre)_ all reveal interesting results...
- Interest in the _Magical Girl_ literary genre is about twice as high as _girl power_. Interest was on a slow incline from 2004 to December 2010 before spiking dramatically starting in January 2011 (Madoka Magica), then decreasing a bit (still more popular than 2004).
- Interest in _Girl Power (search term)_ has been on a slow increase since 2004, whereas _Girl Power (topic)_ has been on a slow _decline_ in the same period.
The top 5 countries for the various trends, by search volume:
- _Magical Girl (literary genre)_: Japan, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong
- _Girl Power (search term)_: Philippines, United States, Puerto Rico, Malaysia, Australia
- _Girl Power (topic)_: Italy, Sweden, Australia, Denmark, Norway
### [Last Episode's](http://fanthropological.com/e/boys-love-boys-keep-swinging/) Famous Last Words
**T**
Who was the first pretty hero?
[// Himitsu no Akko-chan (1962) is the earliest magical girl manga... possibly her ]: #
**Z**
Who was the more popular female hero of the 90s? Xena, or Buffy?
**G**
Where does Lina Inverse sit in the roster of pretty heroes?
**Sara**
Given that it is an empowerment fantasy for young girls, how do people feel about magical girls? What are some of the discussions around that?
### This week's spotlight
**[Inspiring Girls](http://www.inspiring-girls.com/)**
> Inspiring Girls International is an organisation dedicated to raising the aspirations of young girls around the world by connecting them with female role models.
>
>Our goals are:
> - Exposing young girls (10-15 years old) to the full variety of careers and options in life; and
> - Inspiring them to aim high
>
> ... We connect female role models and young girls around the world.
>
> — [Inspiring Girls International - About Us](http://www.inspiring-girls.com/about/what-we-do/)
**[Pretty Heroes](https://www.prettyheroes.com/)**
> It’s time for a convention in Toronto that is dedicated to strong female characters.
>
> We first started as the [Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration](http://sailormooncelebration.com/). Now we’re transforming to incorporate even more girl power to meet the demands of fans in Toronto.
>
> We want to encourage young people to pursue their dreams and define what being a hero means for them. If you enjoy narratives featuring strong female characters – you will find a positive, welcoming space at our events.
>
> — [Pretty Heroes](https://www.prettyheroes.com/)
[// Plugs go here ]: #
[// Race Against Time ]: #
### Famous Last Words
This week's famous last words around *next week's* fandom, Disney parks!
**Emily**
How many days does it take to get through Disney world (all of it)?
**T**
What are some of the biggest Disney park failures?
**Z**
Are Disney fans worried that the magic of the theme parks will be diluted by other franchises popping?
**G**
If you are doing a Disney-bound outfit, how close can you get?
## Where can you find us online?
We are everywhere! Most notably though, we like to hang out in a few places on social media:
- If you want to be part of our podcast (or just want to check us out), we record our podcast LIVE on [twitch.tv](http://twitch.tv/thenickscast) every Monday at 20:00 Eastern Time!
- For all the latest updates, check us out on [Facebook](https://facebook.com/thenickscast) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thenickscast)
- To see the latest hijinx from our conventions or even our daily lives and adventures, check us out on [Instagram](https://instagram.com/thenickscast)
- For our latest convention updates, *Let's Plays*, and other in-real-life video, [check out our YouTube channel](http://youtube.com/thenickscast)
- We're also on [iTunes](https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210), and [Google Play](https://play.google.com/music/m/Icmngxz7yhaoivdvivvf6q6c2pu?t=Fanthropological), and would love it if you could leave a review and rating!
- if you want to reach us, and for some reason none of those work for you, try [
[email protected]](mailto:
[email protected])
- You can check out [our website](http://thenickscast.com); that will mostly bring you back to this stuff.
- Everything is `thenickscast`, so if you can't find us, go on your social network and search for that!
## What is "Fanthropological"?
How did you read this far without asking this question?!
Fanthropological is an anthropological (ish) podcast where we bring the fan's-eye view to you! Each week, we take a look at a different fandom, dig up interesting background, trivia, and history, and try to get to why it is that people are a fan. We also try to highlight good causes related to that fandom, and find interesting things that fans have created to share those to the world. Each episode is about an hour. Ish.
## Who is "The Nickscast"?
*We* are the Nickscast! Three products of late-80s / early-90s pop culture who love exploring fandom and everything geek ... who also happen to have been best buddies since high school, and all happen to be named Nick. Yes, we are super creative (dare we say, the _most_ creative).
*Ahem*
We are Nick Green, Nick Terwoord, and Nick Zacharewicz: We started the Nickscast as a labour of love, and as a place to entertain and to discuss our love of fans and fandom, and all that is shiny and interesting in that realm. It's what lead us to start our first podcast, our satellite podcasts, Fanthropological, and so much more.
We want to help others learn more about different fandoms, and to create empathy with other fans: We dream of a world where other fans aren't "those Weird-o's", but just folks with different tastes. A world where fandom is full of discourse and analysis, and there are plenty of tools and resources to help. Fans building communities to do good in the world. *Because everyone's a fan.*
## Thanks
Special thanks to Emily for taking the time out of her busy schedule to chat with us!
## Credits
### Sources
- [Google Trends - Girl Power and Magical Girl](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=%2Fm%2F03hdkg,girl%20power,%2Fm%2F01cjwd)
- [Wikipedia - Magical Girl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magical_girl)
- [Elle - How To Reboot Girl Power](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a14700/cartoon-girl-power-reboots/)
- [Buzzfeed - What Happened to Girl Power Cartoons on Television?](https://www.buzzfeed.com/spartantown/what-happened-to-girl-power-cartoons-on-television-c8u6?utm_term=.wx3WAZkk2#.gwPpm011P)
- [a plus - Here’s Why One Campaign Is Targeting The Gender Imbalance In Cartoons](https://aplus.com/a/inspiring-girls-redraw-the-balance-lets-get-animated?no_monetization=true)
- [Jezebel - Where Are the Girls in Children's Media?](https://jezebel.com/5980085/where-are-the-girls-in-childrens-media)
- [Fanlore - Buffy the Vampire Slayer](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer)
- [Fanlore - Xena: Warrior Princess](https://fanlore.org/wiki/Xena:_Warrior_Princess)
- [Gwern.net - Magical Girls and Atomic Bomb Sperm: Japanese Animation in America](http://www.gwern.net/docs/anime/1995-newitz.pdf)
- [IMDB - Buffy The Vampire Slayer (TV Series 1996-2003)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118276/)
- [IMDB - Xena: Warrior Princess (TV Series 1995-2001)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112230/)
- [Nika Summers - E-Zines](http://www.nika-summers.com/ezines.php)
- [OpenEdition - “Unreal” Gender Messages in Late 90s Women-Centered Action Dramas](https://journals.openedition.org/tvseries/1205)
- [The Mary Sue - Netflix and Lumberjanes Creator Noelle Stevenson Deliver She-Ra for the Next Generation](https://www.themarysue.com/noelle-stevenson-netflix-she-ra)
- [UVicSpace - Make-Up!: The Mythic Narrative and Transformation as a Mechanism for Personal and Spiritual Growth in Magical Girl (Mahō Shōjo) Anime](https://dspace.library.uvic.ca/bitstream/handle/1828/8496/russell_ndonna_MA_2017.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y)
- [Wikipedia - Buffy The Vampire Slayer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer)
- [Wikipedia - Xena: Warrior Princess](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xena:_Warrior_Princess)
- [YouTube - Bigger Than Me: A Documentary About Fandom ► JamesChats](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGDtTRPgfrw)
### Music / Sound
- ["Sheba out on the Town"](http://teknoaxe.com/Link_Code_4.php?q=988&Genre=Downtempo) by TeknoAXE used under [CC BY 4.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- All other music and sound for this week's episode were provided by Nick Green!
### Artwork
- ["Glasses"](https://thenounproject.com/term/glasses/132894) by [Anton Anuchin](https://thenounproject.com/antonwebium) used under [CC BY 3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/)
