[Ridersen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suzu

Mind you, older fans tend to accept female protagonists more easily no matter the gender. But Kamen Rider is still marketed towards children, that are mostly seeking role models of their own gender. The problem is not the fandom. The problem is the target audience. Little boys would have a much harder time to adjust with Hina as OOO as for example fans in their late teens or early 20's.

The problem with that line of thinking is that kids are at the end of the day neither that stubborn nor small-minded.

A lot of adults tend to fall into that trap, but in reality, kids can accept a lot of things if you know just how to appeal to them. The issue why boys would have the "ew cooties" mentality isn't just born out of nothing, but entirely from how they are raised and the ideas the adults fill them with.
Wouldn't it be more believable to think that adults of previous generations who aren't as understanding of gender issues are the cause of lacking female representation showing up in kids' fiction than because of the kids?
It will always be the adults who write stories for kids, so ultimately doesn't all those attitudes still come from adults in the first place? Adults, who are comparatively, much more stubborn than actual kids would be?

I don't know about you guys, but I still do remember exactly what kind of kid I was, and when it comes to female characters I only had one baseline: whether or not they were cool in some way and not annoying or a surplus baggage.
Keep in mind, I also had the "ew cooties" thing going on as a kid too, but how I interacted as a kid with real girls and how I interacted with stories I was enjoying is completely different realms.
Kids are simple that way, and kids are very flexible. Its practically to be expected.

Lets not forget that we know that boys liked Korra, and Steven Universe is last time I've heard one of the most popular cartoons currently running on CN, and both had prominent female characters in them.
You think kids are going to permanently boycott the Rider shows they've watched and Rider toys they played?