Adulthood

[owlectomy]

Last night, I was in blue plaid schoolgirl uniform, looking silly at a semi-spontaneous trip to Animazement. Today, I have a 401k. (I got my first paycheck today, for all of $33--that's for two days of work, minus dental, retirement, and so on).

"I'm too old for this," B. said, and it's a bit ridiculous to be too old for anything at 22 but in a way she's not wrong; anime fandom favors those who have time, money, energy, and youth. Youth enough to look good in a schoolgirl outfit. Science fiction fandom, at least, seems kinder to people older than college-age.

Adulthood's kind of scary.

Comments

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Not sure if I boggle more at librarians there making less than nannies here (our minimum wage is higher than their minimum wage perhaps?) or a 22-year-old feeling too old for anime fandom. Given that I was, like, 43 when I started watching anime. Anime *conventions* OTOH are for twelve year olds. (Those who have time and money are not usually those who have energy and youth IME.)

SF fandom is for 50-somethings. I have that on the authority of the thirty-something nojojojo who goes to SF conventions and says she's often been the youngest person in the room.

[takumashii.livejournal.com]

I'm making more than minimum wage, considerably--but, at only 20 hours per week, it's not exactly the kind of salary one can live on.

When I was in high school I spent my allowance on anime, and in recent years I've felt very anxious about spending my parents' money, so since then it's been second-hand manga for me--it feels like everyone else is up to date on all the newest things, and I am not.

I accept this, because knowing manga from before I was born seems a fair trade for not knowing the newest and coolest things--and at any rate, I learned at Shoujocon that anime conventions were for twelve-year-olds. My friend who accompanied me was a little more unnerved by it.

I did go to Worldcon, oh, two years ago, and it was quite a refreshing experience by comparison. The 50-somethings seemed so, so... sane.

Not that you can go, but...

[meaghanchan.livejournal.com]

There's an exhibit opening next week at one of Pratt's galleries, on the history of shoujo manga. I thought of you. I'll probably end up going, though I can't appreciate it the way you could.