Gender in Equestria: An Examination of Reconstituted Forms of Masculinity and Their Consequences for Gender Relations in the Brony Community

In this dissertation, I analyze the Brony community to better understand reconstituted forms of masculinity. Specifically, I focus on the following questions: What does it mean when men incorporate what has traditionally been viewed as stigmatized or feminine into their gender presentations? How do these forms of masculinity represent a challenge to gender politics and how do they reinforce gender inequality? How do women navigate spaces defined by reconstituted forms of masculinity? In what ways do women within these spaces both challenge and maintain power relations? I address these questions through an analysis of interviews with 43 men and women who are fans of My Little Pony and ethnographic observations at four My Little Pony fan conventions. In doing so, this dissertation nuances and extends the literature on reconstituted forms of masculinity, including hybrid masculinities.