In 2020, a global lockdown encouraged people to entrench themselves in online fan spaces more than ever before, aided by the internet’s most popular platform: TikTok. But fandom culture existed decades before TikTok and will almost certainly exceed the app’s lifespan. So why, if fandom is an ongoing, beloved phenomenon, is it considered ‘cringe’? And why are the discriminatory practices of misogyny and ableism at the forefront of its judgement?
Fandom spaces are dominated by women and neurodivergent people, likely due to their lack of positive representation in mainstream film and television media. The allure of fandom, and fanfiction in particular, stems from the ability to recreate and modify pre-existing content. Fandom allows women and neurodivergent people to bring the characters and situations they connect with to the foreground of artwork or writing to create more meaningful and accurate representations of their experiences.
The Hate-Train Ideaology
However, the domination of women and neurodivergent people in these spaces has sparked what the internet has deemed ‘cringe culture’: the hate-train ideaology that participating in fan culture is ‘cringy’ or embarrassing. With improved algorithmic specificity and offline enrichment difficult to come by during lockdown, people not previously entrenched in the world of fandom flocked to long-standing communities as TikTok became the new online hub for all things fandom.
Whilst this appeared a positive movement, expanding online societies and welcoming new fans quickly became a toxic culture of ‘normies’ invading ‘weird kid’ spaces. ‘Weird kid media’ such as anime and video games and the fan creations that accompanied them like fanfiction and cosplays had (until lockdown) been embraced for their uniqueness and creativity. Suddenly, they were receiving backlash for being ‘cringe,’ and fandom etiquette was forced into the digital ether by the online equivalent of high school bullies.
Misbehaving, Destructive Children
Through no fault of their own, new fans missed the establishment of etiquette sentiments agreed upon with the birth of fandom. The bypassing of these discourses seemed to create a blatant disregard for these rules, and fandom spaces were suddenly riddled with what felt like misbehaving, destructive children. Due to their dominance in fandom demographics, women and neurodivergent people took the brunt of this new negativity.
Let’s give this discussion a comparison. Another prominent community works in similar ways. This group obsesses over their favourite icons, values community and friendly rivalry, produces fan-made content and attends events dedicated to their interest. I’m talking of course about sports fans. Did you think I was going to say K-pop fans? Exactly. So why are football fans not stuck with the same ‘cringe’ label as the BTS A.R.M.Y? As a community dominated by neurotypical men, with an identity that escapes the same belittling, infantilising treatment, it is clear that misogyny and ableism intersect at the forefront of ‘cringe culture’.
Degrading Female Characters
Those new to fandom spaces in 2020 are not the only culprits of the misogyny and ableism running rampant in these communities. A lot of it is sourced from established, deeply active fans, many of them women unable to overcome their internalised misogyny. This is exemplified through the refusal to acknowledge that shipping queer ships does not absolve one of misogyny. The treatment of female characters by fans of gay ships is worrying.
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The disproportionate amount of content catered towards gay ships to sapphic ships and even heterosexual ships on popular fanfiction site Archive of Our Own ultimately comes down to a vicious cycle of misogyny: writers create boring, uncomplex female characters who spark no interest among fans; fans therefore have no desire to include them in fan works; creators, in turn, observe the lack of approval given to these characters, and hence see no reason to write them admirably. Therefore, female fans in particular tend to demonise female characters they perceive as a threat to the gay ships they enjoy. Take Tonks of the Marauders fandom, or Mel of the Arcane fandom – both strong female characters undeserving of this treatment, but who ‘disrupt’ the ‘Wolfstar’ and ‘JayVik’ ships by merely existing as women.
While this discussion is important for keeping beloved fan spaces as welcoming and judgement-free as possible, it is not intended to deter anyone from participating in fandom activities. Most spaces are filled with wonderful creatives, and it is possible to broaden your media consumption and make new connections through the phenomenon that is fandom. Be positive, be complimentary, and be willing to engage and your time in these communities will be extraordinary.