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Evan Nip: The doll represents everything I hate about the fandom, to be honest. I've always had a big problem with the sexual fetishization of My Little Pony, and it's something that seems to only occur in the adult fandom. The show itself I believe does a good job of maintaining a non-sexualized image for the ponies, something that seems to be increasingly rare in television and toys marketed toward young girls. However, [some of] the fandom takes it and twists it all up. Let me be clear: I know some furries, and that is not what I have a problem with.
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To be honest, I was actually listening to this podcast called the InternetBox, where they had a segment on Ponies every episode. The podcast was really good, but for about ten minutes each episode they would just go on about the latest episode, and it sounded funny, but I couldn't really fully comprehend what was being said. So basically I started watching it simply to try and get a full understanding of what was being said on some dumb podcast.How does MLP meld with your identity?
People treat my fandom of MLP much differently than [other types of fandom]. Being a brony has become a defining feature of my interests to other people. If a friend of mine decides to make a jab at me, it's usually related to MLP, so whether I think it is or not, it cannot be helped that it is a major factor in how others perceive me, and therefore becomes part of my identity. Like it or not, identity is largely shaped by what others think of you, because if it was simply what you think of yourself, then we wouldn't have such problems with discrimination.What are some of the misconceptions that people have about bronies?
I mean, the obvious one is that we are all perverted furry pedophiles. Every time someone finds out I'm a brony, the third or fourth question is some covert way of asking if I jack off to pony porn, and the only reason they wait that long to ask is out of politeness. However, I think there is a larger misconception that often goes unnoticed, and that is that we are all adult men. I know a lot of women bronies (some who hate the term "pegasister," some who don't), and for whatever reason, they consistently are marginalized in media coverage. Part of the reason, I think, that bronies have such an association with sexual fetishization is because the belief is that we are all dirty men living in our basements, when the truth is we are much more diverse than that. There are people who take the enjoyment too far in every fandom, but ours tends to cause more alarm because it's a little girls' show.Does your current relationship have any My Little Pony aspect to it?
[Laughs] No, not really. My girlfriend thinks that me being a brony is kind of weird, but she doesn't really give a shit. I think she's weird for watching America's Next Top Model religiously, but I don't make a big deal about it, either. Honestly, we are both mature adults, and we respect each other's choices, and that's all there is to it. If someone can't accept that, then that's their problem.Back to the doll: would you be interested in purchasing something like this for, y'know, non-sexual purposes? Or do you know someone who would?
I definitely would not be interested in purchasing the doll, except for maybe prank purposes… I do know some people who would buy it, but to be honest, the majority of the people I know don't take sexual pleasure in MLP. If anything, they would buy the doll just to dress it up and keep it with their collection of plushies and other memorabilia.