I watched the first 3 seasons, loved it, and definitely got into the whole "brony" fandom. Went to a few in person meetups, listened to all the fan music. Read and tried writing fanfiction. It was definitely something that I hid from my parents for a while, then bought some merch. I remember my mom being concerned.

In retrospect, I think it was a way of indulging in gender/feminity in a way that I felt was somewhat acceptable, since it was ironic/post-ironic. I was also really into F/F shipping, which I conceptualized as "male horniness" at the time, but looking back on it certainly has gender implications. It definitely helped me come to terms with my own bisexuality at the least: I had that figured out a long time before I realized I was trans. I definitely identified strongly with the female cast, especially Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna. I wanted a Princess Luna plushie for years, and only now with my egg cracking that I was able to overcome those hangups and finally buy one.

I fell off the show in season 4. I had other interests, and I kinda felt that the fandom had fallen off. There was this vein of alt-right infiltration and weirdness with fandom drama that made me less comfortable with the fandom, or at least with figures that I used to respect.

I watched the first 2 season, still have season one on dvd on my shelf, but dropped it during the 3rd season. Didn't really feel any shame the songs where good and the characters were fun but 3 season didn't hook me as much. Idk if I'd go back to watching it or not my attention is too split for now to sit down and watch.

Fanart of human Fluttershy is still my steam pfp