Fangirls Deserve More Credit Than You're Giving Them | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Fangirls Deserve More Credit Than You're Giving Them

Spoiler Alert: Not all of us are the dramatized obnoxious fans you see in the media.

34
Fangirls Deserve More Credit Than You're Giving Them
Nia Edwards

Throughout music history, there have always been fangirls. From the early roots of Jazz to the music we have today in the 21st century, fangirls have been around. Even the author of this article you are reading, yes me, am a major fangirl, but you know what? This kind of life that I live has not only inspired me to find what I want to do with my college degree but it is also a part of my quirky personality. I will tell you this, I am not one of those over the top, obnoxious fans who go out of their way to find where celebrities live, or stalk their every move or even crash their family weddings. It just does not say good things about you if you are one of those fans. Those kinds of fangirls give the rest of us a really bad name, and it is very frustrating living a life being blamed for things that the majority of us do. It only takes one person to ruin something and give it a bad name.

I have been a fangirl for as long as I can remember. It has always been apart of my life ever since I found out what music was. I grew up on R&B music with a mixture of the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and NSYNC. I remember in my room I had a massive poster of young Britney Spears from her Baby One More Time era. Time went on and I went to fangirl over other kinds of music and artists, like Justin Bieber and Twilight. I went through those phases for probably way too long but it's what I loved to do. I loved researching facts and knowing what they were up to, or looking up fun facts about their lives. To me looking these things up and following them on twitter made me feel closer to their personality. More time passed and the era of One Direction came. I am 20 years old almost 21, and I am still so in love with One Direction. I have two tattoos for them, one for the band as a whole and the other for Harry Styles, a former member of the band.

All that said, I am beyond frustrated and annoyed with the way people like me are being treated. Ever since One Direction started getting bigger I noticed I was being treated differently by my friends and people who didn't like One Direction. I pretty much get treated as if I have no brain cells and that I will never amount to anything successful because I love this band so much. I get treated differently because I am a woman who pretty much worships this band and appeared to people who are outside of this fandom that isn't something good.

I just really do not understand why it is okay for males to obsess, get loud and rowdy over sports like football or hockey, yet when I get excited about a new single One Direction put out, it's seen as "crazy" "insane" "psychotic" and we are downgraded to the term "crazy teenage girls". We get told this band is for "5-year-old girls" when the demographic is 16 to around 23-year-old individuals. As fangirls, we get told all we do is lust over the males we come to love and obsess over meaning all we want to do is have sex with them or have a romantic relationship with them. Verified accounts on twitter praise One Direction all the time and they get positive attention because they are verified and well we don't because we're just "teenage girls". We are seen as unintelligent because apparently, all we speak about is how much we want to date Harry Styles or to find where Liam Payne keeps his socks in his room or whatever the case may be. Apparently loving someone so much results in people telling us that we have nothing better to do or that it is not important, that we need to grow up. Being a fangirl for some reason is looked at as if it's a crime, and that we are not allowed to be excited about a band. It is as if you are not allowed to like things females like because what females like is not credible. Interesting right? Well, that is the life you are given, pure sexism, great right? One last thing, You cannot, ever in a million years judge a band or artist based on the fans. If the fans are mostly girls that DOES NOT mean they are a bad band. That is totally unfair.

You wouldn't think these kinds of things add up, but they do and it gets very frustrating trying to defend yourself when we live in a society where being a fangirl is looked down upon. Honestly, if you really want to think about it, if there were no fangirls in the world, these artists would not only become chart toppers, they would not have the massive amounts of money they have now, their songs would not be streaming at the rates that they do, they would not be having concerts or selling tickets and they would not be making any money from their merchandise. I cannot tell you how much money I have invested in merch and concert tickets, I will just say it has been a lot because I love these people I've seen.

I have One Direction tattoos because they came around when I was going through a very hard time in my life. They remind me that I can get through the hard times and remember that in the end, everything will be alright. I am currently going through a very rough time in my life and seeing my 'Girl Almighty' and my 'Everything will be alright' tattoo inspires me to wake up every morning, go to class and create art and just really enjoy what I am doing with my life. So I really encourage you to think about the next time you make fun or degrade people who are huge fans of people in the music industry. They save lives, they have saved mine.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
girl
Pexels

In case you're unaware, "resting bitch face" is the term used to describe when a person's natural, expressionless face makes it look like they are mad at the world. Whether they are walking down the street or simply spacing out thinking about what to eat for dinner, it's very easy for others to assume that this person is either upset or mad at them. Because of this, those of us with Resting Bitch Face (RBF), and especially us women, have all experienced many of the same situations and conversations, including:

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

The Stages Of A Crush As Told By The Cast of "Bob's Burgers"

We all go through certain stages when we have a crush, Tina just explains it better.

1057
my heart just pooped its pants
Google

We've all had a crush before. Whether it leads to something or nothing, the process has all been the same. The awkward feelings, the stalking, and the stress of trying to keep this huge secret. The feeling of becoming a total spazz is something that cannot be avoided, and the most spazzy family that can relate to this feeling is the Belcher's.

Keep Reading...Show less
you didnt come this far to only come this far lighted text
Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash

At the tender age of 18, we are bestowed with the title of “adult.” For 17 years, we live under the rules and guidelines of our parents, school, and government, and to stray from any of those rules or guidelines marks us as a rebel. At 18, though, we must choose which college we want to go to or what career we want. We are allowed and encouraged to vote. We can buy lottery tickets and cigarettes. We can drop out of school, leave our household, and do other "adult" things. At 18, we start down a path of thinking for ourselves, when for the entirety of our lives other institutions have been mandated to think and do for us.

Keep Reading...Show less
university
University of Nebraska at Omaha

Creating your schedule for the upcoming semester can be an exciting process. You have the control to decide if you want to have class two-days a week or five-days a week. You get to check things off of your requirement checklist. It's an opportunity for a fresh start with new classes (which you tell yourself you'll never skip.) This process, which always starts out so optimistic, can get frustrating really quickly. Here are 25 thoughts you have when registering for classes.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

10 Thoughts Of A 5th Year Senior

What about those of us who don't do it all in four years?

1932
college shirt
pointsincase.com

"College will be the best four years of your life" is a phrase that we have all heard growing up. College is painted as a magical place to us while we are in high school. A place you go to learn, meet your best friends and probably have the time of your life while all of this is going down. Four whirlwind years, where everything that you've known changes and you start to learn what it means to live on your own, have a job, etc. But what about those of us who don't do this all in four years? Major changes, hard courses, switching schools, career paths changing, these are just a handful of factors that could extend your four years to five, six or seven. There is nothing wrong with taking extra time to graduate, but returning as a fifth-year is a little different. Most of your best friends have most likely graduated and moved and while you may be one of the oldest undergraduates on campus, you might feel as awkward as a freshmen. A world that became home and comfortable to you is still there but it's slightly different than you've known it to be and you have to find a groove to fall into. These are thoughts you'll have as you look ahead to returning to your college campus, with a victory lap planned.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments