This week, we take a bit more of a convention-al bent, to talk about the wider world of women heroes in media with special guest, Emily Gonsalves (con chair of the Pretty Heroes convention). We talk about representation of women in comics, tv, anime and manga and a LOT more.

Next week, we continue the magic with a trip to a little place that's a small world after world: that's right, we'll be talking about fans of Disney theme parks!

Where can I learn more about Emily Gonsalves and the Pretty Heroes convention?

Pretty Heroes is a convention dedicated to showcasing strong female characters and it's the first "girl power" convention in Toronto. It started as the Toronto Sailor Moon Celebration and grew with fan demand to expand into a convention with a new name (but the same heart) featuring a variety of anime, cute items, "girly" items, and plenty of intriguing female characters. The founder and con chair, Emily Gonsalves, is a professional graphic designer and marketing manager by day, but she also used to "moonlight" as a regular reporter for the Sailor Moon focused blog "Moon Chase." You can also find Emily at other conventions running panels about Sailor Moon, art, fandom, and social media marketing. To follow her Sailor Moon related content on social media, check out Moon Chase on Facebook and Twitter and SailorMoonCelebration on Instagram. For general female character and convention fun, check out Pretty Heroes on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Episode outline

Fandom Facts

Search Data:

Given the broadness of today's topic, its hard to get data... but we tried! Looking at Google Trends data for _Girl Power (search term)_, _Girl Power (Topic)_, and _Magical Girl (literary genre)_ all reveal interesting results...

• Interest in the _Magical Girl_ literary genre is about twice as high as _girl power_. Interest was on a slow incline from 2004 to December 2010 before spiking dramatically starting in January 2011 (Madoka Magica), then decreasing a bit (still more popular than 2004).
• Interest in _Girl Power (search term)_ has been on a slow increase since 2004, whereas _Girl Power (topic)_ has been on a slow _decline_ in the same period.

The top 5 countries for the various trends, by search volume:

• _Magical Girl (literary genre)_: Japan, Macau, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong
• _Girl Power (search term)_: Philippines, United States, Puerto Rico, Malaysia, Australia
• _Girl Power (topic)_: Italy, Sweden, Australia, Denmark, Norway

Last Episode's Famous Last Words

T

Who was the first pretty hero?

Z

Who was the more popular female hero of the 90s? Xena, or Buffy?

G

Where does Lina Inverse sit in the roster of pretty heroes?

Sara

Given that it is an empowerment fantasy for young girls, how do people feel about magical girls? What are some of the discussions around that?

This week's spotlight

Inspiring Girls

Inspiring Girls International is an organisation dedicated to raising the aspirations of young girls around the world by connecting them with female role models.

Our goals are: - Exposing young girls (10-15 years old) to the full variety of careers and options in life; and - Inspiring them to aim high

... We connect female role models and young gir