I don't understand what's so wrong with that drhampton caption? I mean, it does kinda get the one line about LGBT representation in Persona wrong, but I don't get why it's worthy of such heated criticism or attention?
It’s not about whether it’s right or wrong, per se. It’s about treating artists like zoo animals. Analyzing words and works of an artist as if they aren’t physically present to ask is just flat out rude. It’s also extremely lazy, academically.
I don’t think Fandom-As-Anthropological-Point-Of-Study is necessarily wrong, but even if the academic assessment isn’t necessarily 100% critical, it still treats the artist like her motivations must be somehow analyzed. It’s “othering” and it’s an attitude unique to people’s treatment of the female side of fandom.
Ask yourself if you’ve seen anyone at football games recently, writing a field guide to Green Bay fandom without actually talking to any of them. It’s an absurd idea, to draw conclusions about what someone (who is alive and available) feels about a subject by passive observation only. More than that, I’ll say again, it’s super rude!
Reaching out to artists or any fans of anything, privately, to ask them how they feel would be a very different thing. I hope that explains the distinction?