# "My Little Pony": The most sexist show on TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 4, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375 "2014-04-04T21:25:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b4bc9f/32.png) [@ThisUsernameIsForbidden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisUsernameIsForbidden)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/21 "2014-04-05T12:46:40Z")
I thought feminism taught us that it is ok to be sexist in favor of women? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/22 "2014-04-05T13:40:41Z")
Then you know nothing about either feminism nor sexism. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/23 "2014-04-05T13:52:24Z")
Well, so what? What’s wrong with bein’ sexy? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/24 "2014-04-05T13:56:48Z")
^ I read the title the same way the first time too. ---
**Author:** ![LibrarySpy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f9ae1b/32.png) [@LibrarySpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LibrarySpy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/25 "2014-04-05T14:29:52Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > To some extent, this is reflective of reality–it is not unusual for equine populations to be majority-female, though not to this extent. Dude. That is some hardcore analysis of My Little Pony right there. Props. ---
**Author:** ![StJoan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@StJoan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StJoan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/26 "2014-04-05T14:43:23Z")
Where shows aimed at little girls are concerned, there is an advantage in having more female characters than male, in terms of the sellability of the spin-off toys. It just makes more marketing sense. Ever noticed how the little girl ponies have very long manes and tails, and all sorts of glittery accessories ? It is because little girls enjoy brushing and styling the hair, and applying “make-up” on their ponies. There are far more accessories which can be made and sold for the female characters than for male characters. In fact, ever noticed that in the disney world, it is the disney princesses who rule the roost, and the male characters are merely accessories? Same reason – little girls just buy fewer male dolls than female ones (and long haired female characters sell out faster than short haired ones), because the female dolls are so much more fun to play with – prince charming just does not look good in a ball gown :D. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/27 "2014-04-05T17:32:54Z")
> [@LinusK](#): > > On a different note, Smurfette is a good counter-example, (although she was a main character). I’ve always wondered, with only one female Smurf, how did they repopulate? Smurfs do not reproduce sexually, and there are not naturally any female Smurfs. [Smurfette](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smurfette) was created by Gargamel as a spy/seductress/troublemaker, but she repented and was turned into a real Smurf by Papa Smurf. The original evil Smurfette was uglier, less feminine looking, and had black hair, but once she became good she transformed into a more attractive blonde. (No, really.) I’m not familiar with the current _My Little Pony_ show, but I have a difficult time believing that it’s worse than _The Smurfs_ or plenty of other cartoons in terms of sexism. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/28 "2014-04-05T18:09:45Z")
> [@LinusK](#): > > Regarding the responses, they seem to range from, “No, it’s not really all about girls. There’s _lots_ of boys in it,” to “Yup, it’s all about girls. You gotta problem with that?” Sort of a set of contradictory responses. My daughter watches the show, and it’s one of the shows she watches that I don’t mind watching myself. There are boys in it, and some have names, but the only boy who gets episodes focused on him is Spike, Twilight’s assistant. But then, it’s My Little Pony, and aimed at little girls. The girls are friends with boys, though, and neither is subservient. I’ve never seen an episode in which anyone’s parent has died (although neither have I seen one in which a parent of the main cast has shown up in the present\* - all flashbacks, from what I remember, but I could be wrong). The reason the parents aren’t present is that the main characters all seem to be in the equivalent of their early 20s, and they all have jobs and houses and stuff. - Granny Smith may be Applejack’s mother, but I think it more likely she’s her gran. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/29 "2014-04-05T18:51:48Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > neither have I seen one in which a parent of the main cast has shown up in the present Rarity’s folks show up at the start of the present-day episode where they’re heading out of town and want her to take care of her little sister until they get back. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/30 "2014-04-05T18:59:52Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > My daughter watches the show, and it’s one of the shows she watches that I don’t mind watching myself. There are boys in it, and some have names, but the only boy who gets episodes focused on him is Spike, Twilight’s assistant. But then, it’s My Little Pony, and aimed at little girls. > > The girls are friends with boys, though, and neither is subservient. > > I’ve never seen an episode in which anyone’s parent has died (although neither have I seen one in which a parent of the main cast has shown up in the present\* - all flashbacks, from what I remember, but I could be wrong). The reason the parents aren’t present is that the main characters all seem to be in the equivalent of their early 20s, and they all have jobs and houses and stuff. > > - Granny Smith may be Applejack’s mother, but I think it more likely she’s her gran. Well, I’m just relying on my 4-year old’s reasoning and interpretations. All of her MLP toys have ages, and they range from 2 to 6. (And yes - they’re all girls - all 12 of them.) I think she just reasoned that the fathers must of died, because there aren’t any of them. I’m guessing there was no show where there was a mass-slaughter of all the dads :). I haven’t seen any shows where any of the girl ponies were friends with any boys. Friendly, yes, but not friends. I’m not saying they don’t exist, of course. As an aside, I used to play Rarity as bossy and stuck-up, just she looks that way. (And because it’s hard to have a good story without conflict.) But she corrected me, and I’m not allowed to play her that way anymore. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/31 "2014-04-05T19:01:56Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Smurfs do not reproduce sexually, and there are not naturally any female Smurfs. [Smurfette](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smurfette) was created by Gargamel as a spy/seductress/troublemaker, but she repented and was turned into a real Smurf by Papa Smurf. The original evil Smurfette was uglier, less feminine looking, and had black hair, but once she became good she transformed into a more attractive blonde. (No, really.) > > I’m not familiar with the current _My Little Pony_ show, but I have a difficult time believing that it’s worse than _The Smurfs_ or plenty of other cartoons in terms of sexism. I don’t doubt that. And of course there’s plenty of old shows that were all about boys. But I meant to talk about the stuff that’s on TV now. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/32 "2014-04-05T19:03:03Z")
> [@StJoan](#): > > Where shows aimed at little girls are concerned, there is an advantage in having more female characters than male, in terms of the sellability of the spin-off toys. It just makes more marketing sense. Ever noticed how the little girl ponies have very long manes and tails, and all sorts of glittery accessories ? It is because little girls enjoy brushing and styling the hair, and applying “make-up” on their ponies. There are far more accessories which can be made and sold for the female characters than for male characters. In fact, ever noticed that in the disney world, it is the disney princesses who rule the roost, and the male characters are merely accessories? Same reason – little girls just buy fewer male dolls than female ones (and long haired female characters sell out faster than short haired ones), because the female dolls are so much more fun to play with – prince charming just does not look good in a ball gown :D. Plus, he only has one job - to show up at the wedding. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/33 "2014-04-05T19:04:45Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Then you know nothing about either feminism nor sexism. Feminism is about _choices._ For women. Right? ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/34 "2014-04-05T19:06:55Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > F’rinstance, lemme build on my original answer: Hoity Toity is introduced as _“the bigwig fashion hotshot”_ who can make or break our heroine’s dreams of making it as a stylish dressmaker. He’s not the protagonist; the episode revolves around her, and whether he’ll (a) insult her work as amateurish at the fashion show, or (b) follow up praise by placing an order for dozens of dresses. > > Likewise, there’s an episode where one of the girl ponies is in a baking contest; she’s up against recurring character Donut Joe, who’s been _“picking up the final all-important ingredient for my contest entry: DONUTOPIA! And with these super sprinkles, my donuts are going to dunk all the other lousy desserts, steal first prize, and make my donut shop famous forever!”_ > > It’s not about him; it’s about her. But it’s about her accusing him of sabotaging her entry, and then offering to team up with him after his entry likewise gets ruined before the competition, and so on; if she’s the protagonist, he’s the rival-of-equal-or-greater-status. (She just _works_ in a husband-and-wife-owned bakery; he apparently owns his own place.) > > And, as was hinted upthread: in an episode where tomboyish pegasus Rainbow Dash gets laid up in the hospital with an injured wing, it’s a plot point that she’ll leave when the male doctor says so. Because he’s a frickin’ _doctor_. The episode’s still about her, but he’s an important guy. > > At that, they haven’t done an episode _about_ Silverstar, because he’s not a main character; he’s just a male who (a) holds down the job of sheriff, and (b) has an impressive moustache. Daughter actually thought that Rainbow _was_ a boy. For a little while. The show must have cleared that up for her, at some point. ---
**Author:** ![LinusK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@LinusK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LinusK)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/35 "2014-04-05T19:16:17Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Given that the Mane 6 are, well, the main characters, most of the episodes focus on them. There are some Spike-centric episodes, but even those involve the main characters interacting with Spike. > > You seem to be conflating two different things: whether the show is _about_ female characters and whether it _has no_ male characters (or no significant ones). There are significant male characters, both good and bad, but they are not the protagonists, so episodes generally do not revolve around them. > > Oh, and Celestia is rarely, if ever, the focus of an episode. She’s a plot device, the immortal god-queen. Think of her as sort of an amalgam of the entire Bene Gesserit order, a couple of sun/moon gods, a motherly busybody, and an internet troll. No, I never said there were _no_ male characters. In fact I said there was a boy character in my first post. I’m asking whether they play any role other than minor supporting characters or plot devices. In other words, if there are any boy protagonists. I’m now also curious whether there are any friendships between boys and girls, but that’s sort of side issue. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/36 "2014-04-05T19:33:50Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > My daughter watches the show, and it’s one of the shows she watches that I don’t mind watching myself. There are boys in it, and some have names, but the only boy who gets episodes focused on him is Spike, Twilight’s assistant. But then, it’s My Little Pony, and aimed at little girls. IIRC, there’s an episode where hard-working male Big McIntosh gets more time and lines than any of the Mane 6, but that was kind of a special case. _“SCHMOOPIE-DOOO!”_ ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/37 "2014-04-05T21:24:29Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Rarity’s folks show up at the start of the present-day episode where they’re heading out of town and want her to take care of her little sister until they get back. Twilight’s parents get a cameo at Shining Armor’s wedding, and I think another at Twilight’s coronation. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/38 "2014-04-05T21:36:12Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > IIRC, there’s an episode where hard-working male Big McIntosh gets more time and lines than any of the Mane 6, but that was kind of a special case. _“SCHMOOPIE-DOOO!”_ That was also a “Cutie Mark Crusader” episode, which had the three younger girls as protagonists, not the Mane 6. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/39 "2014-04-06T08:46:30Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375/40 "2014-04-06T15:27:06Z")
> [@LinusK](#): > > Feminism is about _choices._ For women. Right? Seriously? Dude. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-little-pony-the-most-sexist-show-on-tv/685375.md?page=3)