Lack of Women on AJB

Barry NelsonBarry Nelson ChicagoPosts: 1,508MI6 Agent
It has been my pleasure to be a member of AJB for about two years now. My thanks to Si for letting me hang around and providing a first rate site. However, in my two years on AJB I have noticed a change in the make up of the members. Mainly the site is becoming devoid of women. MBE has left and I always thought she was one of the smartest posters on the site. Sure she put up tough arguments, but she backed her talk up with facts. Mo has now left, hopefully she will rethink her decision, but I would miss her posts and her good humor if she is in fact gone. Alessandra has disappeared, she was young, but her posts were full of life and smiley faces. Lady Rose still posts, but I haven't seen her around much lately. Several other female members have come and gone.

So my question is, why are their so few women on AKB and why have the long time female posters left?

One of the things I enjoy about AJB is getting the perspective of others from all walks of life and different parts of the globe. Yanks, Brits, Aussies, Dutch, Scots, etc all talking Bond. Really an interesting mixs and one I am thankful to be part of. I think it would be nice to see a mixs of male and female perspectives, more so then we do now. I think female members should be sought out and welcomed, not chased away. They view the world different then men and it is a view I would like to hear.
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Comments

  • PendragonPendragon ColoradoPosts: 2,640MI6 Agent
    Im a girl, and I've been here for almost 4 years now...I have a bit of an answer as to why there are no American girls...at least from my town. All the "popular" kids have become "fans" only because our graduating year is 007. It's all over their sweatshirts and tee shirts and the like. I also think that they are afraid of places like this, 'cause they try to stump me with trivia and fail miserably. They figure "wow, if she can do that, think of what the other fans she knows can do." Also, they may have JUST become a fan after Casino Royale and are unsure about how to go about expressing their fandom, afraid of rejection from people like us who have been with Bond our entire lives...that's what I see in my town, anyway...

    ~Pen -{
    Hey! Observer! You trying to get yourself Killed?

    mountainburdphotography.wordpress.com
  • JennyFlexFanJennyFlexFan Posts: 1,497MI6 Agent
    What happened to MBE and Monique? I loved them, though I barely knew Monique until we started discussing (you guessed it) AVTAK.

    Lady Rose is still around, not a lot but I always see her pro-Dalton posts, and while I don't agree, I find them intelligent and a joy to read.
  • Tee HeeTee Hee CBT Headquarters: Chicago, ILPosts: 917MI6 Agent
    Pendragon and Fish are two other female members that spring to mind. And for the longest time several members were under the impression that JennyFlexFan was female. :))

    The loss of MBE was indeed tragic. She was extremely knowledgeable and contributed much to our discussion. Monique has also been one of this site's treasures. I don't recall her leaving us officially, but if she has I hope that she reconsiders. Thankfully we still have Lady Rose, who pops in from time to time.

    Why are there so few female members on AJB? Well, I don't think it can be denied that the Bond films appeal primarily to the male audience. Fast cars, beautiful women, and action violence certainly appeal to our masculine nature. Although I cannot speak for them personally, could it be possible that they (women) consider the Bond films (particularly the early ones) to be somewhat sexist?

    Why have some of our long-term female posters left us? Perhaps we scared them away with the Izabella thread. :)) In all seriousness, it truly is hard being in the minority. Just ask JennyFlexFan, who takes a lot of punches on the board for his defense of AVTAK. Despite frequent scrutiny, JennyFlexFan takes it very well and holds his own. I can't help but admire his decisiveness in what truly is a noble effort.

    Like Barry Nelson, one of this site's qualities that really appeals to me is the diversity. We are an international community of Bond fans in which all perspectives are accounted for. Here, what one Bond fan may consider as junk is oftentimes another Bond fan's treasure. It makes for great discussion and oftentimes provides us with new insight into the world of Bond. It may even change our outlook. AJB truly is a great community of which I am also thankful to be a part! {[]

    It would really be nice to get some more female voices on the board, but although our female members are few in quantity, they certainly can be described as quality! :D
    "My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised..."

    -Roger Moore
  • JennyFlexFanJennyFlexFan Posts: 1,497MI6 Agent
    Thank you Tee Hee! It's great to be loved. ;)

    And also, if everyone HAS to and diversity needs to be kept up, people can go back to thinking I'm a girl again ;).
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
    edited March 2007
    I echo my friend Tee Hee's sentiments.

    MBE and I weren't friends---in fact, we rarely got along---but the site is undeniably the poorer for her absence, and I know she is missed by many. My biggest regret is that we never had the opportunity to smoke the 'peace pipe' together :(

    If Monique is gone...that one strikes much closer to home, because she's a dear friend---and, significantly, it is a friendship which resulted from an argument.*

    I hope Mo comes back, and have told her as much.

    As for the rest---Lady Rose, Mrs Dalloway, Pendragon, Christmas, Alessandra and the rest: Please don't go :x

    * I have a few friends around here like that...you people know who you are :v :D
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • JennyFlexFanJennyFlexFan Posts: 1,497MI6 Agent
    Well we argue all the time but friends? ;)
  • LoeffelholzLoeffelholz The United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
    Well we argue all the time but friends? ;)

    Absolutely. Your enlightenment is my personal mission... :v
    Check out my Amazon author page! Mark Loeffelholz
    "I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
    "Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
  • Tilly Masterson 007Tilly Masterson 007 UKPosts: 1,472MI6 Agent
    An interesting thread!

    On the subject of female posters, I can add that Mrs Dalloway is still a regular here.

    It's good to have some female perspective's on Bond here, just as it is for the male posters too! :)
  • s96024s96024 Posts: 1,519MI6 Agent
    I'm sure this is solely down to it being a more male type of film. I'm sure if you strolled into a pride and prejudice forum, there would be loads of women and not many men.
  • Lazenby880Lazenby880 LondonPosts: 525MI6 Agent
    edited March 2007
    A female member I remember well is Jaelle, who seems to have been absent for quite a long time now. Her posts were consistently thought-provoking, literate and informative. She had a great knowledge of Timothy Dalton and other subjects, and I always enjoyed reading her thoughtful posts. Moreover, where there were disagreements they were agreeable ones, and there was a distinct amiability in her writing.

    As for the general lack of female posters, I would assume this is due to more Bond fans being male than female, and this being particularly apparent in the core fanbase (i.e., those who care enough to post their thoughts on an internet website).
    I think female members should be sought out and welcomed, not chased away.
    I do agree Barry, as I think diversity is something to be valued in itself. However, where a disagreement occurs I do not see this as being anything to do with the gender issue on AJB; disagreements are based on what has been written regardless of gender. I only speak for myself, of course, although I should have thought this was the same for everyone. :)
  • MrsDallowayMrsDalloway Posts: 79MI6 Agent
    Perhaps some of the female posters are similar to myself: though I monitor the site regularly I rarely find subjects on which I feel the need to comment. After all, Fleming cited 'red-blooded males' as his primary target audience and although EON have lately given stronger roles to the female participants they'll never be able (nor should they) to balance what is fundamentally a male-orientated series.

    Surely this is all just ebb and flow; though some of the better-known female members seem to have drifted away, new ones will have joined. I'm not at all convinced that the male/female ratio is any different, and if it is, should that matter? But if someone is sufficiently interested I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to find the numbers from the member list.

    And boys do love their numbers...
  • Sir Hillary BraySir Hillary Bray College of ArmsPosts: 2,174MI6 Agent
    Lazenby880 wrote:
    A female member I remember well is Jaelle, who seems to have been absent for quite a long time now. Her posts were consistently thought-provoking, literate and informative. She had a great knowledge of Timothy Dalton and other subjects, and I always enjoyed reading her thoughtful posts. Moreover, where there were disagreements they were agreeable ones, and there was a distinct amiability in her writing.
    Yeah, I miss her a lot. Been over 3 years since she's posted, but her 6-month "tour of duty" was of exceptionally high quality. I think it was a fairly heated discussion of The Passion of the Christ that had her pack it in.

    I would guess that the typical demographic of both James Bond (and internet chatters in general?) skews male, so a relative lack of women is probably not surprising. I'd say we do pretty well here -- Fish, Tracy, Pen, Mrs. D, Mo, MBE, Lady Rose (even Vesperkitten -- best not to go there :D) have all carved out distinct identities on AJB, which I prefer to hordes of posters who don't seem to stand for anything. Apologies to any other women I've missed!

    Cheers, ladies! {[]
    Hilly...you old devil!
  • AlexAlex The Eastern SeaboardPosts: 2,694MI6 Agent
    Yeah, I miss her a lot. Been over 3 years since she's posted, but her 6-month "tour of duty" was of exceptionally high quality. I think it was a fairly heated discussion of The Passion of the Christ that had her pack it in.

    I would guess that the typical demographic of both James Bond (and internet chatters in general?) skews male, so a relative lack of women is probably not surprising. I'd say we do pretty well here -- Fish, Tracy, Pen, Mrs. D, Mo, MBE, Lady Rose (even Vesperkitten -- best not to go there :D) have all carved out distinct identities on AJB, which I prefer to hordes of posters who don't seem to stand for anything. Apologies to any other women I've missed!

    Cheers, ladies! {[]
    I'll echo that and Barry's comments. I'll miss anyone who I've shared times and great company with, regardless of gender. However, the door will always be open. {[]
  • emtiememtiem SurreyPosts: 5,948MI6 Agent
    And boys do love their numbers...

    Weren't you doing a load of calculations about how much Bond earns? ;)
  • MrsDallowayMrsDalloway Posts: 79MI6 Agent
    Ah, yes! But only did that to entertain the boys, of course.
  • Lady RoseLady Rose London,UKPosts: 2,667MI6 Agent
    I'm still around, I've just been a little quiet of late.I tend to pop in most days and still enjoy catching up on all the posts.

    It is a shame MBE stopped posting. Like Loeffs, I hardly ever agreed with her but her posts were all informative amd well presented. A strong character who has left a big hole.

    I agree with Mrs D. I dont think there has been any lack of females here at AJB, infact we probably have more female members posting than we usually do. I just think that we are more selective with posting than you guys, who can talk gismos and gadgets till the cows come home. Quality not quantity :))
  • emtiememtiem SurreyPosts: 5,948MI6 Agent
    Ah, yes! But only did that to entertain the boys, of course.

    Ha ha! And so it did! :D
  • jetsetwillyjetsetwilly Liverpool, UKPosts: 1,048MI6 Agent
    Lady Rose wrote:
    Quality not quantity :))

    See fellas? Straight from the horse's mouth. Size doesn't matter! :D
    Founder of the Wint & Kidd Appreciation Society.

    @merseytart
  • MrsDallowayMrsDalloway Posts: 79MI6 Agent
    Lady Rose wrote:
    I just think that we are more selective with posting than you guys, who can talk gismos and gadgets till the cows come home.

    Make that gizmos, gadgets and guns.
  • Sir Hillary BraySir Hillary Bray College of ArmsPosts: 2,174MI6 Agent
    Lady Rose wrote:
    I just think that we are more selective with posting than you guys, who can talk gismos and gadgets till the cows come home.
    Make that gizmos, gadgets and guns.
    "Boys with toys." ;)
    Hilly...you old devil!
  • Moore Not LessMoore Not Less Posts: 1,095MI6 Agent
    Lazenby880 wrote:
    A female member I remember well is Jaelle, who seems to have been absent for quite a long time now. Her posts were consistently thought-provoking, literate and informative. She had a great knowledge of Timothy Dalton and other subjects, and I always enjoyed reading her thoughtful posts. Moreover, where there were disagreements they were agreeable ones, and there was a distinct amiability in her writing.
    Yeah, I miss her a lot. Been over 3 years since she's posted, but her 6-month "tour of duty" was of exceptionally high quality. I think it was a fairly heated discussion of The Passion of the Christ that had her pack it in.

    I also miss Jaelle. Her posts were indeed thought provoking, literate, informative, and often very long (but never boring). She once posted details of her background, I can't remember if it was here or over at CBn. Regardless, I was so impressed I jotted some of it down on paper.

    Jaelle spoke Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, some Arabic, Hebrew and Persian. She was a teacher of Drama and Portuguese literature. She taught in the US, France, Beirut, Mexico, Nicaragua and Brazil. She was also a freelance journalist and human rights researcher.

    I am not sure if she left because of the heated discussion of The Passion of the Christ. I do recall her mentioning that she was going to be moving abroad with her teenage daughter.
  • superadosuperado Regent's Park West (CaliforniaPosts: 2,656MI6 Agent
    Lazenby880 wrote:
    A female member I remember well is Jaelle, who seems to have been absent for quite a long time now. Her posts were consistently thought-provoking, literate and informative. She had a great knowledge of Timothy Dalton and other subjects, and I always enjoyed reading her thoughtful posts. Moreover, where there were disagreements they were agreeable ones, and there was a distinct amiability in her writing.
    Yeah, I miss her a lot. Been over 3 years since she's posted, but her 6-month "tour of duty" was of exceptionally high quality. I think it was a fairly heated discussion of The Passion of the Christ that had her pack it in.

    I also miss Jaelle. Her posts were indeed thought provoking, literate, informative, and often very long (but never boring). She once posted details of her background, I can't remember if it was here or over at CBn. Regardless, I was so impressed I jotted some of it down on paper.

    Jaelle spoke Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, some Arabic, Hebrew and Persian. She was a teacher of Drama and Portuguese literature. She taught in the US, France, Beirut, Mexico, Nicaragua and Brazil. She was also a freelance journalist and human rights researcher.

    I am not sure if she left because of the heated discussion of The Passion of the Christ. I do recall her mentioning that she was going to be moving abroad with her teenage daughter.

    Yes, that was quite a thread, MNL. I miss Jaelle too, who did keep her heart on her sleeve and posted from sheer joy about our shared following; her posts were passionate, yet tempered with a good dose of sincerity and intelligence.
    "...the purposeful slant of his striding figure looked dangerous, as if he was making quickly for something bad that was happening further down the street." -SMERSH on 007 dossier photo, Ch. 6 FRWL.....
  • bluemanblueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent
    In the (relatively) short time I've been posting on this board, seems members of both genders--not to mention nationalities, ages, sexual persuasions, etc--have come and gone, and for a variety of reasons. Life in a cyber-nutshell, people come and people go. I'm sure that over time, this community has shifted about as different folks have made the presences/absences felt. Also, it's been one heckuva year for Bond (to put it lightly), makes sense for the fan community to go through some changes I guess.

    Did seem that right after CR was released, there was a spike in female membership, that was cool.
  • PendragonPendragon ColoradoPosts: 2,640MI6 Agent
    haha well, that is 'cause Danny-boy is well...rather pretty...;)

    ~Pen -{
    Hey! Observer! You trying to get yourself Killed?

    mountainburdphotography.wordpress.com
  • bluemanblueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent
    Could be something to that, pen.
  • ToshTogoToshTogo Rep. of South AfricaPosts: 103MI6 Agent
    edited March 2007
    Lady Rose wrote:
    Quality not quantity :))

    See fellas? Straight from the horse's mouth. Size doesn't matter! :D


    Hahhahaha thats sounds about as true as "your cheque is in the mail" and "its not you, its me"
  • jetsetwillyjetsetwilly Liverpool, UKPosts: 1,048MI6 Agent
    I don't think the proportion of female members has increased since CR; we've had an increase in members, full stop, as we did after Die Another Day.
    Founder of the Wint & Kidd Appreciation Society.

    @merseytart
  • bluemanblueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent
    Ah. Thanks for that reset, jsw. Just felt like we had a bunch of new female members geeking on Craig, post-CR release. Maybe it seemed that way because they were pretty vocal about it? I wasn't here post-DAD release, were there new female members starting threads about how hot Brosnan was in that film? Maybe it's just something that happens after every Bond release, new members both male and female coming on board, that makes sense.
  • Moonraker 5Moonraker 5 Ayrshire, ScotlandPosts: 1,821MI6 Agent
    edited March 2007
    blueman wrote:
    I wasn't here post-DAD release, were there new female members starting threads about how hot Brosnan was in that film?
    Yes.

    Makes perfect sense, being a Bond forum and all. But let's remember that's what this is, at the end of the day, and not a "my Bond actor is hotter than yours is" forum. That can stay in the playground, where it belongs.
    unitedkingdom.png
  • bluemanblueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent
    blueman wrote:
    I wasn't here post-DAD release, were there new female members starting threads about how hot Brosnan was in that film?
    Yes.

    Interesting. Yet not surprising (and I think I said that, in like the very next sentence?). I'm not a fan of old Brosnan myself, would've thought post-GE or TND, there'd be those threads then. Guess for some, he still had it. Cool.
    Makes perfect sense, being a Bond forum and all. But let's remember that's what this is, at the end of the day, and not a "my Bond actor is hotter than yours is" forum. That can stay in the playground, where it belongs.

    ??? There's post/threads about stuff like that all the time. In the Bond Films forum there's current threads on Brosnan, Dalton, Moore, Lazenby as Bond, those kinda comparisons get made by lots of folks. There's even an elimination thread(!). Not quite getting the "playground" reference in that context, I think it's a fair thing to say and a valid opinion that CR Craig was hotter than DAD Brosnan. Some might agree, some disagree, okay. And for this particular thread, contrasting degrees of hotness would seem to factor in there somewhere.
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