The Brief: A brony is a fan of My Little Pony that's outside of its traditional demographic of young girls.

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Bronies make up a devoted fandom, specifically to the TV series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The term is a combination of the words “bro” and “pony.” Some bronies create fan art, participate in My Little Pony Cosplay, and even attend brony conventions.

The concept of the brony fandom has been widely memed because it is so eccentric and in relation to the backlash, bronies have received. Bronies have received significant criticism and ridicule for their out of the mainstream interests. These criticisms include accusations that bronies are interested in My Little Pony for perverted sexual reasons involving bestiality. The term “clopping” refers to when someone masturbates to My Little Pony content.

A website called whatisabrony.com is made by proud bronies in an attempt to debunk the negative stereotypes about themselves. On this site, self-proclaimed bronies embrace the term and explain that their interest in the franchise is based on its complex characters and fun aesthetic – not on perverted sexual fantasies.