A New York Times article on the Sci-Fi Channel – well, a passage about how the network attracted more women – sent io9′s Annalee Newitz on one mother of a rant:
If there’s something keeping women away from enjoying science fiction, it’s not spaceships. It’s not “aliens on some far-off planet.” It’s the fact that people on our very own planet keep telling us that women aren’t supposed to like science fiction. It’s a self-confirming prophesy, because the more that scifi creators are told this, the more they imagine that their audience is all boys. So they write rich, believable male characters and boring, cookie-cutter lady characters. They organize conventions with panels devoted to shit like “the hottest women of science fiction” and nothing devoted to female heroes — or the kinds of hotties that straight women might want to see (i.e., men).
Can I get an amen, ladies?
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5 responses so far ↓
1 liash // May 20, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I agree! If people would stop telling girls that science fiction is all for boys, I think we’d see a stunning change in the demographics of fandom.
2 Scoke // May 20, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Obviously they’ve never seen BSG or Firefly.
3 Cheryl // May 20, 2008 at 4:14 pm
An amen and a hallelujah!
4 Bonnie // May 24, 2008 at 8:51 pm
I think we all know that women love sci-fi and fantasy, no matter how clueless some journalists remain to be about it.
5 Silver // Jul 16, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I know girls like myself who grew up with Star Trek the next generation and such..we like it for the stories..and while the technobabble is nice, not overtly necessary. Sometimes there are men who write far too much science, and not enough story.
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