Sam Maggs states outright her love of games, conventions,
science fiction and the culture of fandom. This gives her
a circle of friends with shared interests. As importantly,
she and her pals support the women in media, pushing for
acceptance, visibility and diversity. In her excellent
FANGIRL'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY she tells you how to join
in,
make friends and survive conventions.
According to Sam, some women have encountered obstructive
males who do not class them as real fans, refuse to serve
them in a comic store or harass them at cons. This oafish
behaviour is clearly wrong and not representative of male
fans. A survey by the Entertainment Software Association
in
2014 found that female gamers aged over 18 made up 36% of
the gaming population. SF TV shows and books are becoming
more representative of the female and LGBT audience.
Sam takes a light-hearted look at the various categories
of
fan; Harry Potter girls will want a time turner necklace
but Lord of the Rings fans want an Elvish tattoo,
temporary
or otherwise. Star Trek fans will never wear a red top
(because security do and they often get killed, which she
does not explain) while Star Wars fans spend much time
debating which is the worst of the prequels. YA book
lovers
are spoiled for choice, while gamers can pick up older
games cheaply. (Tip from me: you can be into more than one
series or medium at once.) There's a look at fan dialect
too.
Sam recommends finding like-minded people in a comic store
or bookshop, at a college makerspace (computer workshop
facility) or a zombie walk. There's also Renaissance
fairs,
gaming clubs and blog meetups. She cautions that you might
do better to create a separate fan page on social media,
and beware of strangers trying to befriend you; it might
be
a spammer or a creep. Just block any inflammatory jerks;
they are so not worth worrying about! You can write
fanfic
and keep it family-friendly or mix in romantic scenes,
posting chapters at a time, for other fans to enjoy.
About halfway through the book I found a section on the
types of trolls encountered on the net, and the things
they
might post, and the ways to deal with them. While these
timewasters can sadly be encountered by most people, girls
may be picked on just for being girl fans, Sam tells us,
and she lists a few ways to deal with the matter. The
dangerous variety seek out details like your address and
phone number and post them inviting other trolls to annoy
you. I'd like to think this wouldn't happen but I've
heard
that it has.
Cons are an integral part of fandom and the best fun
going,
so Sam encourages girls to go along (a list of some
American cons is provided) and assures us that it's fine
to
go on your own, you will instantly be part of a crowd.
Wear
comfortable shoes for all the standing in line, keep your
phone charged, (don't spend all your food money in the
dealer room, from my own experience!) and consider a
costume. What if someone behaves inappropriately? Tell a
Con official - there will be a policy in place and you
will
not get into trouble. No matter if you are wearing a
Princess Leia bikini, that does not give someone an
invitation to misbehave.
Interviews from women in the community are spread through
the book, including actresses, writers and comic
creators. There is every reason why you should join
them.
For further reading there is a section about feminism and
being supportive of everyone's choices, as well as being
media-critical and applying the Bechdel test. I think this
is the most important section in the book, as girls may
skim through it first in a hurry to get on with being a
fanfic writer, but they'll read it again later and realise
that yes, a young girl is not best served by dating a
violent, possessive, controlling older man, even if he is
a
vampire. Sam Maggs has put a lot of thought and effort
into
this book - she even reminds us that it is okay to have
girl pals who are not into geek stuff. I recommend that
you
grab a copy of FANGIRL'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY and get
started!
Fanfic, cosplay, cons, books, memes, podcasts, vlogs, OTPs
and RPGs and MMOs and more—it’s never been a better time
to
be a girl geek. The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy is the
ultimate handbook for ladies living the nerdy life, a fun
and feminist take on the often male-dominated world of
geekdom. With delightful illustrations and an unabashed
love for all the in(ternet)s and outs of geek culture,
this
book is packed with tips, playthroughs, and cheat codes,
including:
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