Psychology Journal 1: Gender Roles in “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”
Section 1
The TV show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” is a show loved by audiences of all ages and both genders, despite originally being targeted at young girls. The show is about the adventures of six ponies in the land of Equestria and the lessons they learn about friendship. An important thing to note about Equestria is that the population is mostly female. In fact, the “Mane 6” are all female. The only important male character is a baby dragon, Spike, who is an assistant to one of the main ponies, Twilight Sparkle. Spike obeys her commands and loves to please. Spike rarely takes part in anything involving hard physical labor (although this is likely due to his small size.) However, physical labor is often performed by one of the main ponies, Applejack, who is an apple farmer. She works hard to harvest apples for her family to sell. Applejack and Rainbow Dash (another one of the main characters) are both strong athletes, who, in one episode, compete in a contest of physical ability. Rainbow Dash has a strong aversion to anything “fru-fru”, such as getting a “hooficure.” These traits are normally considered male in human culture. These “male” traits contrast with another two of the main characters, Fluttershy and Rarity, who are more “feminine.” Fluttershy is extremely kind, but passive to the point of being a pushover, and has a job taking care of animals. Rarity is a fashion designer who loves to do “female” things like getting spa treatments, wearing makeup, and wearing fancy outfits. The last of the main characters are Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie, who are relatively independent of gender roles, by being equally tomboyish and girly.
Section 2
The psychological concept most embodied in this example is that of gender roles. Gender roles are defined as “the behaviors a culture expects of its men and women.” Myers, 2010, 159) Culture is “everything shared by a group and transmitted across generations.” (Myers, 2010, 159) In human culture, the general trend of gender roles holds that men are aggressive, dominant, and physically strong, and women are passive, sensitive, and usually homemakers and the primary parent. The 20th century saw many changes in the rigidity of these gender role, but they are still commonplace, especially in the less developed areas of the world. The general expectations of human society hold that men are physically active and only express “manly emotions,” and women are sensitive, emotional, and not eager to compete physically.
Section 3
It would seem that, in the show, gender roles are completely different from those in human culture. In human culture, it would be expected that the nearly all-female cast would act in a sensitive, loving manner, talking about feelings and rarely performing physical labor or competition. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic defies this female gender role in order to create vivid, complex characters, rather than the shallow ones in most other “girl's” TV shows. This breakage of traditional stereotypes in the show is a probable cause for the massive fan-following of the show among children and adults, both female and male. Most viewers would rather watch a program that is innovative and novel rather than one that is cliched. A show with characters that fill all gender roles is more balanced and has more appeal than one that does not.
References
Author, D. M. (2010). Psychology (10th). New York, NY: Worth.
