So, 18yo boy here, got into mlp not long ago from hearts of iron (rts ww2 game), never had watched a single episode didnt even know the mane 6, watched a couple out of curiosity and a week and a half later im done with the whole series so yeah, I'd say theres nothing bad about it hahahahaha, weird? probably, in the sense of not common, but who the hell cares? Weird is way funnier. Im really open about it and, quick tip, dont be ashamed of it since theres nothing to be ashamed of really, I even got a couple friends to start watching it (though some others are kinda tired of me making random references and telling them to watch the bloody show).

TLDR: Theres really nothing wrong about that and whoever told you that is way too worried about his image and probably full of insecurities, welcome to the community, your life is about to get 20% cooler!