Despite the subtitle, this blog is not just for men
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 9:23PM
This evening a new Facebook follower posted on my wall, "is this site for men only??? does it count if I think like a guy??? or that I love Star Wars????".
It's not the first time. The subtitle of this blog, of course, is "STAR WARS for men old enough to know better". That certainly makes it sound like a men-only sort of place. Similarly, in my book, the focus is very much on the boys and men I have shared Star Wars with for the last 35 years (although my sister is important to the story, too).
The truth is that I see Star Wars as largely a boy's interest. But the Star Wars I'm talking about is the old-school Star Wars of the late '70s and early '80s. I don't know much about today's Star Wars and I don't care to. My interest lies almost exclusively in the Star Wars of my youth, and for me that was a very male experience. Most of this blog's followers are men, and I don't think that's a coincidence. One of the ideas behind my book and this blog is that Star Wars was a profoundly important phenomenon for my generation of men. They are who I am chiefly speaking to.
But the answer to my newest Facebook follower is an emphatic No: this site is not for men only. There are women out there whose childhoods were shaped by Star Wars as much as was mine. I know it and I welcome it. I confess you're not my "target market", but I certainly don't mean to exclude you, or anyone. On the contrary, welcome aboard!
See also: Star Wars: not just for boys; Star Wars, bullying and girls
PS: My wife says "For women old enough to know better" is not a good subtitle. Smart enough, perhaps?
Reader Comments (2)
good picture for this...Leia surrounded by men...and she is telling them what they need to do. :-)
Quite intentional. It took some time to find that photo, too!