- Game designer Jane Jensen took issue with the idea of female role models in a Gamasutra post, suggesting that writing hot men is a worthy pursuit. “Reason #1: Female gamers will love you for it. There are, in fact, a large portion of women who play games. According to the ESA, 45% of all gamers are female. This varies greatly by genre, I’m sure. But if women do tend to play the type of game you design for, then why not give them a male character they can salivate over? Because…Reason #2: Male gamers are okay with it…Reason #3: Pop culture says it works.”
- Writer Brian Fies wrote about the problems women have in the comics field beginning, “Comics has a female problem. Girls and women don’t always feel welcome. They bring uninvited baggage, like feelings and opinions. They create and buy the types of stories they want to read. Even worse, sometimes they create and buy ours.” He cited how “Cartoonist Noelle Stevenson drew a comic about visiting a local comic book shop to support her friends’ work and being mocked by staff who asked if she wanted to buy a ‘My Little Pony’ book while she was at it. Stevenson is one of the hottest talents in comics right now, and her webcomic ‘Nimona’ is a regular stop of mine. She creates the content that keeps those jerks’ shop in business, yet they humiliated her and chased her out the door.”
- Blogger mylifeinverse wrote about the importance of fangirls. “The fandom world isn’t just online, and it isn’t something that pales in comparison to ‘real life.’…fandom is something extra, something wonderful, something worth exploring. It is an unbreakable bond with people all over the globe, it is passion that can turn to positive action, and it is an identity that is as real and significant to fans as their last name or hometown.” So “Don’t make fun of fangirls; they’re incredibly brave to throw themselves into something with no promise of tangible returns. Don’t dismiss fanfiction; it is proof of passion, of dedication, of skill. Don’t demean fandom; this subculture has a purpose that is in no way sub par.”
- Also important is when fangirls spread their fandom to the next generation. In an article for USA Today, Matthew Forbes wrote about his mother. “Kiss played for about an hour and a half, and my mom held me up on that seatback the entire time. I don’t think she caught a single glimpse of Kiss the whole night. Looking back, I don’t know how her arms didn’t get tired. Today my memories of the show itself are pretty spotty, but I’ve never forgotten the experience, and never forgotten what my mom did to make sure I got the night of my 11-year-old life.”
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