i was a teenage fangirl

[schmerica]

So earlier I was reading a post on my friends list, and even though it was on a completely different subject, some of the comments made me realize that I have some totally deep assumptions about fandom that maybe I'm not really basing on anything.

Here's the thing: I think of fandom as age-blind. Like, woo! It is a magical society of woman of all sorts to commingle together! I have women on my flist who are thirty years older than me; I have women on my flist who are teenagers still.

But, you know, I was 17 when I got into fandom, and I'm not quite 21 now. There's a pretty good possibility I see fandom that way -- as equally respecting and interested in all levels, there -- because I needed to. "I may be underage, but I am so brilliant and wonderful and blahblahblah that I will be appreciated nonetheless! Woot!"

Which, really, is not quite it: I think it's really easy (and justified, in a lot of cases) to assume that relative youth is also a sign of relative immaturity, inexperience, naivete, etc, etc, etc. Which means it's not that age is irrelevent; it's more that youth is a strike against you, but one that can be overcome by your other qualities. An extra element to go to prove you're interesting and intelligent and deserve to be a part of the community.

And of course, it's not like most of us don't de-emphasize our age in most contexts, anyway. (The main exception being when we want to play the gifted prodigy card. Not that fox1013 and I ever do that. *cough*)

Comments

[fox1013.livejournal.com]

...Card? What card?

You mean I have an ARCHETYPE or something?

*coughs*


It's weird. I actually consider age a lot MORE important because we were so young in fandom, entirely based on the assumption that we didn't fuck up, so why should I accept it in someone else who's older than I was when I started in fandom?

But it's possible I'm just a bitch.

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

*giggles* No, I totally get that. But it still weirds me out when I'm reading along and somebody is all "Well, but you're trying to have a conversation with a teenager; there's no point to it" -- I mean, it's hard to *not* immediately internalize it, isn't it?

[shrift.livejournal.com]

Today I jokingly referred to some people on my friendslist as "whippersnappers", knowing full well that I still qualify for that title to other members of my friendslist.

I like to think I'm open and accepting of age difference, but sometimes it startles me when I find out how young people are. And usually I'm startled because they're good writers, and I'm jealous that they have their shit together like I didn't at that age.

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

I think one of the interesting things about not being a teenager anymore is suddenly realizing that, hey, there are people younger than me around! All the time! What's up with that? It's a very strange adjustment to no longer be the special baby of the room.

(Also? Total Eclipse of the Heart mp3 was the one thing missing from my life and I didn't even know it until you posted. *heart*)

[shrift.livejournal.com]

Yeah, yeah, I hear you. I joined my first fandom when I was 19, and I *was* a baby to rest of them. I got used to it, and the first time I realized it wasn't true anymore, it freaked me out.

Total Eclipse of the Heart mp3 was the one thing missing from my life and I didn't even know it until you posted.

You're welcome! I'm listening to it right now and playing it LOUDLY, because my office is emptying out.

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

Heee. My sister and my mother played it ALL THE TIME when I was home over the summer? So I have, like, hand gestures and crooning and everything. Not to mention a whole elaborate horrific Fraser vid plotted in my head.

[shrift.livejournal.com]

Not to mention a whole elaborate horrific Fraser vid plotted in my head.

You have killed me DED with this mental image.

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

Ahahahahah. Dude, you have NO IDEA. It's very s1 and Victoria's Secret heavy. But sometimes there is RayK bits to make it all better.

TURN AROUND BRIGHT EYES!

EVERY NOW AND THEN HE FALLS APART! With the candles! And the crying! And-- yes.

[cathexys.livejournal.com]

see, i had no idea you were that young :-) [b/c you seem to havebeen around forever and time-in-fandom is like dog years *g*]

and on some level, i think fandom *is* age blind in the sense that we often don't know ages orin mowt contexts age doesn't matter...and i actually was kind of annoyed with myself after making a comment that pretty much diismissed teenagers from all discussions, b/c i donb't do that on LJ and I don't even do that in real life if a person is intelligent and interesting enough (and there's a reason i have three of my former students on my flist...pretty much the only non-fannish people i have friended!)

but...and that's the big one...i think that may be the exception. in other words, mnost of the time when i find someone who's smart and has an intersting LJ and i feel i can relate to them...they tend *not* to be teenagers.

maybe it's a bit like gender...i don't care if there are guys infandom unless they do sth really asinine...then i'll think about how "typica;l" that is...yes, definitely prejudiced...

[and i didn't ssay anything you hadn't said already, did i??? :-)]

[holyschist.livejournal.com]

i think fandom *is* age blind in the sense that we often don't know ages

I think that's true of the internet in general. I mean, I can look back at list posts I made when I was 14 and cringe, but when I was actually 14 and on that list, a lot of people assumed I was older (primarily because I punctuate and use proper grammar and spelling, which really isn't an age indicator, but some people perceive it that way).

On the internet, people don't know how old you are until you tell them. I've run into folks who claimed to be 25 and acted like immature 13-year-olds and 15-year-olds who could almost pass for 30-something graduate students. So, yeah, age can be a strike against you, but only if you let it, because people can't reach into your monitor and see that you're only 14 even though you present yourself in a mature and intelligent manner.

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

see, i had no idea you were that young :-) [b/c you seem to havebeen around forever and time-in-fandom is like dog years *g*]

Hee. See, I think that's a lot of it! If you know the person before you know how young they are, it's maybe different than someone who emphasizes their youth somehow. (Especially if you're underage, of course; I think underage fans have a responsibility to not discuss or acknownledge their age, but that's just good etiquette -- give the legal fans plausible denialability, yo.)

It's interesting that I tend to assume people in fandom are older than me, but still pretty young -- 20s or early 30s, usually. Of course, I also tend to assume that if not stated otherwise, most fans I interact with identify as queer in some way, so my experiences are definitely off-center.

[meacoustic.livejournal.com]

I always kind of had this (completely) wrong assumption that since all my fandom friends were the in the same age group as me, that most of fandom was in or around that same age group. Then I went to Escapade and was totally proven wrong!

[pearl-o.livejournal.com]

Hee. I know that a large portion of fandom is either a) way young and immature or b) considerably older than me (like, my parents or aunts' generations), but I still find myself with a default assumption of a much smaller age group.

[thete1.livejournal.com]

You know... it is and it isn't -- age-blind, that is. The fact is, a lot of the younger fangirls -- you, included -- are/were of a Certain Type. And that Type? Is *all* about "dude, high school is over. And even if it isn't over for *me* in the real world, it's sure as hell not *here*."

In my experience -- and this has a lot to do with the fandoms I've been in and the fandoms I've *avoided* -- the problematic people were always the ones who failed to get that essential point about high school, and far more of them were *my* age or older than yours.

[norabombay.livejournal.com]

I hit fandom at 18. I'm 29 now.

And I am generally startled to learn the ages of my friends list, which has a span of 15- 55.

But tends for reasons to cluster in the late 20's, early 30's. If only because a lot of my friends list is the same people I was friends with when I first entered fandom.

I always get freaked out when I see the statistics about the age range on lj, because while 50% plus of LJ users are under 18?

On my friends list of 250, naybe two people are.

Certain groups tend toward age segration. Not of physical age, but mental. In that if there are three groups that are all fans of say, Angel, they will splinter by interest and focus.

The fic that appeals to me at 29 is not the same fic that appealed to me at 19. I'm noticing different things.

The loan 15 year old on my friendslist is a huge fan of House and Crossing Jordan. She role plays as Cuddy and Renee. And it's painfully obvious that she's 15 pretending to be 45. Not because she can't fake the dialogue, but because the things you worry about are a lot different. Money is suddenly a much bigger issue than sex is. Because past a certain age nobody is going to say a thing about who you sleep with. But nobody is financially going to bail you out.

Pensions, paychecks, tax rates, insurance, real estate, and even legal liability are all things that at 15, you just don't have to deal with.

It's, it's an eye opener.