This letter was written in response to an article, The Guns of Fantasy, posted on TOR.com.
Dear Stubby the Rocket,
Writing this was a hard decision, but I want to let you know that someone wrote an article objectifying, of all things, biceps. They wrote it and gave you the byline. I can only come to the conclusion that whoever wrote it originally didn’t want anyone to know they’d written it.
I guess I can’t say I blame them. I suppose I wouldn’t want anyone to know I wrote, and published, something so distasteful. Objectification at any level, even the biceps of fictional characters, is just wrong. Did the editors at Tor.com know this was going to be published? If they did, how could they let it get through?
Our genre community’s foundation is one of inclusivity. Everyone’s supposed to be welcome. No gatekeeping, no making others uncomfortable, no objectification. Agreeing to disagree as necessary and encouraging everyone to be who they are, or want to be, whatever that may be.
My dream for our messy, weird, wonderful community is that we lift people up, demanding we all be better citizens. As a fan, I can no longer stand by and not say something about how angry some behaviours make me. I get angry because I know we can do better, we don’t have to reduce others to feel good about who we are.
Haven’t you heard? This is our time to shine! We’re the cool kids now. Why would someone want to waste that opportunity? Why would anyone want to behave badly where others, especially those who might want to become a part of our community, can see it?
Jason Momoa, of all people, was recently body-shamed because while he was at the beach with his family he didn’t look like Aquaman. And while Momoa is athletic, the workouts he goes through for his movie roles are extreme and unsustainable. Somehow, Jason Momoa at rest isn’t good enough. Which … so wrong.
And here’s what objectification does. It reduces someone to an object, a thing. By objectifying someone we tell them they’re not worthy of our respect. We rob them of their dignity and integrity. Most of all, we rob them of their right to be human in their own right.
By making them objects, it’s a really small, tiny, infinitesimal step away from treating them like they’re nothing. Like they’re useless and unwelcome. It’s called othering, and it’s becoming the norm for society at large
Othering is what allows people to treat one another like dirt. It leads to gatekeeping, and all sorts of behaviours predicated on exclusivity. It’s harmful to everyone.
Another story. In 2012, authors Jim C. Hines and John Scalzi held a pose off. While raising money for charity, they posed in the same poses as women on cover art. The point they were making was that no matter how nimble a woman may be, the poses depicted are impossible things our bodies weren’t made to do.
“But if you’re laughing because you’re a straight guy and therefore must declare all male bodies brain-searingly ugly? If you’re laughing because you think a man in a dress is funny and should be mocked? In other words, if you’re laughing because of various aspects of ingrained sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other discriminatory nonsense? Then you’ve missed the point so badly it’s not even funny.” (http://www.jimchines.com/2012/12/wait-what-were-we-laughing-at/)
No, I’m not saying we’re not allowed to enjoy the beauty of the people surrounding us. What I am saying is, it’s a fine line between, “Wow, they’re pretty” and only liking someone because they’re pretty. The problem lies in being so focused on them as beauty, we miss the person who brings that beauty to life.
And so Stubby, what I hope comes from this is a conversation about how to be better members of the community of fandom. How to help ourselves become aware of our harmful behaviors. And then, I would love to see us become aware enough to stop objectification, in ourselves and others.
I left fandom once because I couldn’t stand the gatekeeping and felt anything I had to contribute was unwelcome. A lot of that was gender-based and I got tired of it. Now I realize that as I rejoin the community which allows me to be who I am (some days it’s the bowler hat, some days it’s the propeller hat), I have to speak up.
As flawed as I am, as messy as I can be, I can’t just walk away this time. Because this is the closest to a village I have and I want very much for us all to be treated with respect for who we are. I want us to be allowed to be enthusiastic about the weird things without being judged for that. And I want us to work on being better stewards of each other.
I have to speak up, because there are those who can’t speak loud enough through their pain to be heard. We’re supposed to be enjoying what our genre has to offer, including each other’s company. We’re not supposed to be afraid to be around others because they judge us.
In closing, Stubby, I hope the writers and editors at Tor.com will come to understand that writing such articles and hiding behind you is an act of cowardice. We should all have the courage of our convictions and stand by what we have to say. And we should be willing to get called on our bad behaviour so we can grow and do better.
Yours in fandom,
Stephanie Alford
Stephanie Alford is a critical book reviewer dedicated to a life-long study of science fiction and fantastical literature.
7Stillwell – http://www.lunisea.com