In the first episode of You Are What You Love Marissa Tandon and Lauren Grace Thompson explain that the reason young women love Dean Winchester is because they identify not with the successful, emotionally intelligent women they see in media, but with the emotionally challenged fuckups represented in media, who are generally men.
To complete the fandom cycle:
I, who falls into almost the exact same demographic as Kat from That Vampire Show (created by Marissa as an exploration of fandom), find Warren to be a more interesting character.
Why? Because Kat’s angst hits too close to home. I can’t enjoy angst about college applications and parental expectations, because I’m neck deep in that hellhole IRL. But Warren? A guy who at his best sucks, who’s ruined his best relationships for his career, and who is probably about to commit copyright offences on AO3. That has nothing to do with me. That’s angst that feels good to consume.
I’m feeling brave, so @tandonshows, bracing for impact, and I hope this goes down better than Kat’s attempt at communicating with the creator of her favourite media.
