I do hope my post above managed to give you all a few chuckles. Belimoth's post was the last one I read as I was going to bed last night, so I was getting all sorts of crazy ideas as I explored the concepts in my head while I was getting to sleep. I basically wrote some of the better ones I'd thought of up in the morning.
but it's commonly seen as not feminine, despite what the propaganda film claimed
I didn't get the same impression, however, my impression is pretty-much still forming. I think the interpretation I mentioned might be the intended one though. I know I'd read an opinion post talking along the same lines (ie. talking up how the show redefined certain gender roles), and I was pretty sure there was a line *somewhere* that added significant weight to this. I just found the lines a few minutes ago: From the first episode there is some background chatter in the cafeteria, along these lines:
- "Well, it's true that I've never heard of men doing Tankery"
- "Guys and tanks seem kinda mismatched to me".
I think with this extra info it's actually possible to look at the same scenarios you list, and reach the opposite conclusion. For example, the boyfriends may be put off by the talk of tankery because in their world it is a girly thing, and they are more interested in boyish things.
Of course, I'm guessing a lot at this point. I haven't got a full, coherent picture yet. I might think the exact opposite after watching the episodes properly, who knows.
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