The term 'fangirl' has become exceedingly popular over the past few years with the rise of social media (and boyband One Direction). Urban Dictionary defines a fangirl as "a rabid breed of human female who is obsessed with either a fictional character or actor". This definition, while being rather sexist, is basically everyone's interpretation of what a fangirl should be. Fangirl's have gotten a bad rap over the years, given sexist hatred (which is a WHOLE other annoying story) and made fun of for the things they enjoy. Yes, some fangirls (and fanboys) out there definitely go too hard in the idolization paint, but a lot of people can casually love their favorite characters/actors/whatever and enjoy dedicating some time to it. What's so wrong with that? The answer is: nothing. There is nothing wrong with being passionate about things you like.

Let's bring it all the way back to the first 'breed' of fangirl: Beatlemania. I obviously did not live through this phase of global culture, but the fangirls of this era are definitely some of the most memorable people of the time; besides John, Paul, George, and Ringo, of course. There's hundreds of video clips of women in the '60s absolutely losing their s*** whenever the four boys were in their visible sight. When we see these black and white videos of women in tears, fainting, or downright screaming their heads off for Paul, we laugh. We can't believe how 'pathetic' and 'desperate' these women are to get the attention of men they have never even met. But I don't see these women as embarrassing. I think it's sweet that one human could care so much about another that they become emotionally overwhelmed by their presence. Yes, it can definitely get scary and unhealthy if taken too far, but if you have never cried tears of joy when something wonderful happened to you, then obviously you can not understand these women.

Another important point is that, whether you want to admit it or not, Beatlemania contributed to the extreme success the Beatles had. Without passionate fangirls, who would be at their sold out concerts? Who would be buying every single and album? Who would buy all the wacky merchandise? Sure, casual fans would be at the concerts awkwardly bobbing their heads and they would probably buy albums if they really wanted to. But the fangirls of Beatlemania are what kept the Beatles relevant, exciting, and commercially successful. Even though a bunch of screaming and crying people can be unnerving and upsetting to those getting the attention--especially if one gets chased or physically touched--they can't just toss aside the concept that these people contribute largely to their success. (It's also just pretty cool that people care about you, too. That's always nice).

Now let's flash forward to today. With the rise of social media, fangirlling is widespread and extremely diverse. There are fangirls for One Direction, Justin Bieber, Marvel/DC, video games, Vine stars, Twitter famous people, professional athletes, and reality stars, along with the other traditional musicians, actors, and fictional characters. These fans can become passionate about basically anything that interests them, and they will find other people to connect with even if they don't know anybody personally. With Tumblr and Twitter, people can connect their interests together through memes and excitement over a certain topic. Though this kind of behavior is made fun of by those not involved, I don't think there is anything wrong with it. Of course, behavior like this can definitely get to the obsessive and unhealthy level, but what is so bad about dedicating some time to sit back and enjoy the things you enjoy? Memes bring people together, y'all.

So, in conclusion, if you are a fangirl/boy and you get a lot of crap for it: don't mind what others think. There is nothing wrong with the things you love and how you choose to express it. The people who take time out of their day to make you feel embarrassed or 'less cool' because their interests reflect that of a can of paint aren't people you need in your life. It doesn't matter if you are fifteen years old or thirty, it's great to care about something. Loving sports or Marvel or video games, basically anything beyond your immediate world, is healthy and can take you away from the stressors of your everyday life. It can serve as a happy place for you to be yourself and have a laugh. Let your hair down and the happy tears flow. Own your passion, people; you're all good.