Gender roles in forums

[Sere Tuscumbia]

[font=Times New Roman]Gender roles in a forum like Otakuboards really don't work, because no one at OB [b]expects[/b] you to act a certain way depending on what gender you are. All anyone at OB expects you to act like is a civil, rational, and mature human being. *shrugs*

I've never really seen gender roles played out in any of the forums I've ever inhabited . . . well, maybe one, but that goes back to the "gender roles are more apparent among younger posters" point of this thread and I don't feel like beating a dead horse.

Really, the only time I've ever seen gender roles apparent is in what boys and girls are expected to like. Males are supposed to enjoy the darker genres-with plenty of violence, action, and blood, while girls are supposed to like the romance and pink fluffy bunnies. And while that is true to an extent-you do find more guys interested in an anime like Bleach than an anime like Furuba-there are plenty of people who defy that stereotypical behaviour, liking a mixture of both or the complete opposite of what is expected.

And while figuring out the gender of someone on a forum is confusing, figuring out the gender of someone in a MMORPG is far worse. Especially when you are allowed to pick your gender, for there are a great many guys that love to run around with a female avatar. Makes my brain break, because if I get a choice, I play my gender.

My gender is probably apparent enough, considering the last statement.
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[Wolf2gto]

[QUOTE=Prons]

Of course, I always seem to suspect that women on forums have a lot of male friends just because the "omg a female that likez anime" fanboy syndrome.[/QUOTE]

I don?t really agree with this. around here its actually about 10 time harder to find guys that like anime then girls. I think it matters more of were your at.

Anywase as for the topic, I personally find it really hard to determine certain peoples genders on forums. Mainly because a lot of people's avatar/sig/name don?t always go along with there gender. Kinda like how Silver_blade said, the name sounds more like a guys. And boo's is more like a girls, when I first joined I was convinced he was a girl O.o

As its been said many times before it dose seam that there?s a stereotype that if you have a game based sig/avatar people think your a guy, but I don?t think that?s always true, I?ve seen a lot of girls have Cloud or Sephiroth from Final fantasy 7 in there sig.