Fandom has changed a lot, and over time has gone from something on the fringe of society to the forefront. Does that also mean that fandom has moved towards a key part, an integral piece of people’s personal identity? In this episode, we dig a bit about representation and self-identification as well as: * What does being a fan of something even mean?! * The (non) importance of level of participation in (self) identification * Conversations that are strangely lacking self-awareness about the parallels of fan self-identification as compared to other areas of self-identification, closeting… etc. And more! All in under thirty minutes. ## Episode Outline **Topics:** How do people identify themselves, the meaninglessness of the word fan, the difference between interests and fandoms… sort of, the difference between liking something and having it be a part of your identity, interests between people don’t inherently mean connections, how community contribution or participation impact perceptions of identity, the importance of self-identification and self-labelling, the desire to put things (and people) in boxes, labels as shorthand for characteristics, stereotypes, feeling closeted in your hobbies, aspirational vs actual identities ## Where can I get updates? If you want to follow us on social media, we’ve got you covered: * Facebook: [facebook.com/fanthropological](https://facebook.com/fanthropological) * Twitter: [@fanthropologic](https://twitter.com/fanthropologic) And of course, we can be found where all fine podcasts are found (e.g. [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/2IVp8MBIUyCqlKyZn79iHn), [Apple Podcasts](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fanthropological/id1163621210?mt=2), [Google Podcasts](https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLnBvZGlhbnQuY28vZmFudGhyb3BvbG9naWNhbC9yc3MueG1s)). Oh, and here at [fanthropological.com](https://fanthropological.com) ## Special Announcement: Livestream for the Cure 4 The 4th Annual Livestream for the Cure (or the Livestream 4 the Cure?) has been scheduled for FORTY-EIGHT HOURS from May 28th thru the 31st, with a small four hour kick-off event scheduled for the evening before to do final ...
What if you had one chance, one shot to talk with a super-fan about Sailor Moon fandom and how it lead to moving across the globe from to Japan? Well, you'd be in the position Nick T is in as he chats with Jason, author of _Tuxedo Unmasked_ to get a better understanding of what Sailor Moon fandom is like, and what life as a fan is like in Japan! ## Where can I learn more about Jason and _Tuxedo Unmasked_? > I’ve been a fan of _Sailor Moon_ since the late 1990s (1997, to be exact) and have been passionate about the series and characters ever since. I’ve run multiple websites (and fanfiction archives) dedicated to the series over the years, but unfortunately university and work life took over and I fell out of all that for several years and just “being a fan” had to take a back seat. > > However, with the new release of the web-based series _Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Crystal_, I’ve started re-reading all the old manga and watching through the old anime, and really wanted to dig deep into all those questions that were left unanswered. I realized that making this in-depth analysis into the history of – and stories behind – _Sailor Moon_ was my chance to (finally?) make use of my degree in Japanese history and occupation as a Japanese translator. > — [Tuxedo Unmasked - About](https://www.tuxedounmasked.com/about/) If you want to learn more about Jason and his work, you can check out: - Tuxedo Unmasked: https://www.tuxedounmasked.com/ - On Twitter: [@t_unmasked](https://twitter.com/t_unmasked) - On Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tuxedounmasked ## Sources - Opening music, ["Sailor Moon"](https://soundcloud.com/nospoonkid/sailor-moon) by Nospoonkid used under [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) - ...
Here we are in the future... and talking about the lessons, culture, and fandom of Steven and the Crystal Gems! Why is it so popular, especially among other contemporary animations? _“Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It is Cartoon Network's first animated series to be created solely by a woman. It is the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe (voiced by Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, humanoid aliens named Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl (Deedee Magno Hall)—in the fictional town of Beach City. Steven, who is half-Gem, has adventures with his friends and helps the Gems protect the world from their own kind. The themes of the series include love, family, and the importance of healthy interpersonal relationships.”_ [—Steven Universe - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Universe) ## Episode Outline **Topics:** _Animation in the 90s, Animation in the 00s, Representation in Media, LGBTQ+, Toxic Masculinity, Secondary Audiences, Media Criticism_ ### Fandom Facts * From the [2017 r/stevenuniverse survey](https://www.reddit.com/r/stevenuniverse/comments/78fe1f/the_2017_rstevenuniverse_survey_final_results/) (again, skewed by reddit’s demographics): * 60.7% identify as male, 33.8% as female, 3.4% as non-binary * Only 50.9% identify as heterosexual; 23.7% identify as bi/pansexual, 13.7% as homosexual, and 6.1% asexual * 54.9% are 20 or younger, 15.6% are older than 25 (or just 5% over 30) * Top 3 Songs: It’s Over Isn’t It (19.7%), Here Comes a Thought (16.8%), and Love Like You (12.3%) * Interest in Steven Universe is pretty spikey; plotting it against Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, and Regular show in [Google Trends](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=%2Fm%2F0r3t_0y,%2Fm%2F0807c5r,Adventure%20Time,Gravity%20Falls) over the past 5 ...
