Fan Expo Canada is back and more than ever, it’s driven by a ‘fandom led by women’

With Canada’s biggest comic and entertainment convention set to make its return to Toronto, some say more women are becoming part of what was previously seen as a male-dominated industry.

Fan Expo Canada, a space for comic enthusiasts, TV and film superfans and cosplayers to meet, says it expects to draw more than 125,000 fans to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre over four days from Aug. 24 to 27. 

Cosplayer Brooke Colley has been attending fan conventions in Toronto since 2001.

Colley says over the years, she has seen more women taking part in all aspects of fan culture — from authors and actors to attendees. 

“It’s definitely shifted from more of a male-focused fandom and such, to being broader based to any gender, whether it’s female, male, non-binary,” Colley said.

Canada’s first Fan Expo launched in 1995 and was attended by just 1,500 people. Over the years, like other fan conventions such as Toronto Comicon or Anime North, it has grown substantially.

WATCH | Thousands flock to 2022 Fan Expo in Toronto after pandemic restrictions:

Women made up 49% of attendees last year

Abby Yew, head of marketing at Canadian online storytelling platform Wattpad, says the rise in fandom culture has also expanded the genres people are interested in.

“Women are really influencing and potentially driving these fans and asserting their passions into these types of conventions,” Yew said.

Last year, Fan Expo reported that 49 per cent of attendees identified as women. 

Andrew Moyes, the expo’s vice president said in a statement he’s excited to welcome a diverse and enthusiastic crowd. 

“Given that female-identifying audiences have historically been engaged with the many facets of pop culture, our programming continues to mirror the diverse tapestry of our audience’s interests,” said Andrew Moyes.

“Our commitment to fostering inclusiveness gives each and every fan an opportunity to spark their excitement at our event.”

Moyes said Wattpad is providing some of the content that audiences are excited about. 

Romance, sci-fi, fantasy genres growing

The Toronto-based self-publishing platform says it has seen first-hand a growing demand for romance novels alongside other genres like sci-fi or fantasy. More than 80 per cent of Wattpad users identify as women, Yew said, adding that the most popular genre is romance. 

“We don’t dictate what’s popular on the platform. The users do, our community does,” Yew told CBC Toronto. 

Yew says the growing interest can also be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“People had to stay home, so more writers were creating stories, more escapism [and] more reading was also happening on the platform.”

As a result, Yew says women are taking a growing role in fan conventions.

“That really shows that there’s this massive appetite for this type of content and this type of genre.” 

Driven by need for representation

Romi Moondi, Toronto-based author of romantic comedies 24 Hours in Paris and 24 Hours in Italy, will be holding a signing at Fan Expo.

Moondi says when she was first drawn to rom-coms, there was a lack of diversity and representation of different ethnicities in characters. Moondi decided she wanted to change that.

“I really wanted to see a romcom with the main lead that looked like me with a South Asian background, so that really motivated me,” Moondi said.

Moondi said she appreciates being able to interact with readers at fan conventions and allow them to share that passion in person.

“I definitely have seen the emergence of the fandom led by women … It was just great to see women [being] passionate about romance books, about tropes, happy endings, and sometimes we even have lively debates and discussions about it.”