'The Mortal Instruments' Cast Says "F You" To People Who Snark On Female Fandoms (And So Do We!)
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It's not always easy being a woman in a fandom. From sexual harassment at cons to the rude reaction to the Women Who Kick Ass panel at Comic-Con by some male audience members last month, women are often made to feel low status in fan worlds they help shape, champion and rule. Not to mention the assertion that some women are "pretending" to be geeks for attention, or the way female-dominated fandoms are mocked and ridiculed. As a fangirl of many things myself, I know these experiences firsthand.
Glee
One Direction
Teen Wolf
Welcome to Night Vale
The Hunger Games
The Vampire Diaries
Pretty Little Liars
Roosterteeth
Orange is the New Black
Divergent
Hannibal
The Avengers
Star Trek
Free!
Superwholock
The cast of The Mortal Instruments and the book's author, Cassie Clare, are at the heart of a female-heavy fandom, so I asked them what they think of people who snark on women who geek out. Their responses will make you wanna join the TMI fandom -- if you haven't already.
"F--- you," said Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Shadowhunter Jace in the film. "Seriously. Anyone who behaves like that is an idiot. That just angers me." (Can I get an "Amen?")
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"Things that are considered to be fandoms full of women or things that aimed at women or things that are about women are traditionally denigrated as being lesser stories with lower stakes," said Clare. "And we've certainly been seeing that that's absolutely not true." She added, "I think that there is an unfortunate general idea that if a movie is about a girl then it's only for girls and that if a something is for girls then it's less important. I think it's one of the reasons it's important to make movies like this --- and The Hunger Games and Divergent --- to reinforce that stories about girls are not just for girls, and they're not lowers stakes, and that they're not less important and less relevant."
Our amazing intern and fandom expert Jenna Ballinger created a gallery of 15 current fandoms filled with awesome female characters and/or fans. We stand in solidarity with these kick-ass fan armies, and their predecessors. (Firefly, Veronica Mars, Twilight, Harry Potter --- we salute you, too!)