Philadelphia writer and comedian Meg Favreau writes about her experiences at Wizard World Chicago, where the above quote was said to her (while she was picking up a volume of Preacher).
She writes this:
The Suicide Girls and Wizard World can only be alternative up to a point; after that they would cease to be as popular and, perhaps moreover, as profitable. Unfortunately for me, that means that at Wizard World, the Suicide Girls set the bar for what girls are supposed to be — cute and kind of alternative, but still seen more as sex symbols than nerds.
And that’s been somewhat my experience. I can’t exactly think of one instance where I’ve ever been talked down to by men when it comes to comics — certainly, I’ve been in comic book stores where I’ve felt left out of the boys’ club, but that’s a little more subtle. I’ve had boys try to act like they know more about comics than I do because they’re boys but that hasn’t happened in a while (I think I’ve just learned to keep better company). The only people who recommend “cute” comics to me are those who know I do like cute comics.
But I know experiences like Favreau’s do happen, and probably all too often. And I do know what it feels like to be stuck in the realm between “girl” and “person who likes geeky stuff.”
It’s a good read. Go check it out.
