Being a woman in any fandom these days is exhausting. If you aren’t a fan of an area of pop culture that’s more typically male-dominated, like the MCU and Star Wars, you’re derided for being just like other girls who care only for vapid pop music and lipgloss.
But then, if you are a fan of these things, suddenly you find yourself in a pop quiz where it’s demanded you recite C3PO’s mother’s maiden name or risk being labeled a phony or a ‘pick-me girl.’
Either way, the internet is a hostile place to be if you’re a fan. If you need any proof of that, look no further than the now-viral Jan. 11 video on the Star Wars Theory YouTube channel, where psychologist Sadia Khan declared that women “don’t even care about” Star Wars.
“It’s a man’s little thing. Let them have it. But they want to be like, ‘Oh, there’s such a deprivation. We’ve got to be in it,’ so they can be a mini-hero,” she said.
It wasn’t long before this soundbite went viral across TikTok, being used in over 1,300 videos over the past two weeks, not because of widespread agreement, but for something more special than that. Namely, female creators began to use it to show the exact way they are fans of the franchise, from cosplaying to convention appearances.
“If you are a Star Wars fan and you are a woman – YOU HAVE A PLACE,” one creator wrote. “Your voice is heard. Star Wars is nothing without its women. period.”
“As a little girl who grew up loving these characters, having women-led stories is so important,” another added, while a third creator simply said, “Seeing the women using this audio is healing my soul.”
As a Star Wars fan myself, it’s truly heartwarming to see creators come together like this to mobilize against a common cause and to stand up against misogyny and hate. May the Force be with you all.
