Hello everyone and welcome back to another edition of the Gamerman Weekly. This week, I take you all into the Fringe. Prepare yourselves, for what you may find, stronger minds have been destroyed by. This week’s topic is… Waifu Pillows.
I’m sure the more anime minded of nerd culture understands what a Waifu is. Generally, they are anime characters that are depicted as femininely as possible; basically every stereotype that is attributed to women in modern media. But from this character creation practice, an obsession arose. There were those of us that wanted more, to make our dreams of meeting a Waifu be realized incarnate. And from those hazily drifting, yet intoxicating dreams arose a creation forged by sewing and cotton cloth, the Waifu Pillow.
Given the example in the headline picture, some fan art of Lucy Heartfilia from the anime FairyTail, the goal of the design is obvious. The character on the pillow is meant to be easy on the eyes, cheerful looking, and a figure that is recognizable from some sort of story universe, so that your attachment to your pillow is stronger. Needless to say, this kind of product is not the most proliferated in the market.
However, before any of you jump up and claim any long held beliefs of nerds being creepy perverts have been proven true, let me explain the logic behind this cultural piece of art.
Have you ever had a time where you felt lonely, sad, depressed, disillusioned with life? Well, I’m sure there was some way to cheer you up, an activity or a specific item that was tailored for your personally specific tastes of enjoyment, being relatively harmless, to alleviate your negative feelings. Well, that’s what these Waifu Pillows are for.
Now, to reiterate, Waifu Pillows are in the mid-level range of fringe nerd culture. No nerd absolutely needs to have a Waifu Pillow to feel fulfilled as a nerd. For that you need an Android phone (I really hope I didn’t start a flame war with that). But joking with a hint of the truth aside, Waifu Pillows are for people that have a hard time socializing. It’s not meant to be a replacement, but figuratively and literally, a comforter.
So next time you see one of these Waifu Pillows, which I highly doubt, don’t immediately jump to the conclusion that whoever would have one is a creep. Perhaps assume and accept the fact that possibly the Waifu Pillow helps someone through the day. Regardless of the unorthodoxy of human connection this piece of Fringe Nerd Culture represents, it is nonetheless a harmless practice that is beneficial to many people. And if you’re offended by it, let me remind you, Fringe Nerd Culture is meant to be a place where people with non-mainstream passions follow their hearts, not to actively harm people’s emotions and principles. That has never been the goal of Fringe Nerd Culture… ever.
Alright, well, that ends the first ever rotation of the Gamerman Weekly! This is a very proud moment for me and I’m sure for the readers of the Weekly. Next week we start anew with a fresh Game Review! Very exciting times ahead, with adventure and learning abound, and I’m happy to be with all of you. Thanks again for reading.
-G
