Do you get super duper excited at the mere thought of seeing any music live? Even if it's not your favorite band, the thought of feeling the bass in your chest and the electric atmosphere buzzing around in the crowd still gets your adrenaline rushing. Do you throw a legitimate attitude around when you don't have your headphones to calm you down?
THEN FANGIRL (or boy, whichever you prefer) JUST MIGHT BE YOUR TITLE!
In all honesty, girls seem to not be able to enjoy ANY type of music without being ridiculed or doubted. Girls that like T.Swift and the Top 40 songs of 2016 are labeled as "basic." Girls that like indie rock are labeled as "hipsters." (Granted guys that like it are labeled as the same.) And, girls that like heavy metal are labeled as "posers." I like all kinds of music and, for that, I'm labeled as "fake" quite often. I'm told I'm just trying to "fit in" and "please everyone."
No.
If I get really excited for any band or giggle because, hey, band members are adorable sometimes, I'm labeled as a "fangirl." Fine, I'll wear it proudly. I'm supporting these bands because they've supported me. There have been and probably will be so many moments when simply putting in my headphones calms me down. Driving isn't as stressful when I blare my music and sing at the top of my lungs. (Even if there might be a bit of road rage mixed in with it.)
"Fangirl" shouldn't have a negative meaning.
Sometimes, I laugh a little too hard watching awkward little Tyler and Josh makes jokes...because that shows me that best friends might have dry humor, but they have it together and that's all that matters. These band members show girls and guys alike that it's gonna be okay. They show us that anyone can do whatever they set their sights on.
These bands tell us "you're not alone" and they prove it.
I cried quite a bit when I found out Austin Carlile is leaving my all time favorite band, Of Mice & Men. Why did I cry? I cried because I know he is in constant physical pain with the illness he has. I cried because now, on top of everything else that has happened in his lifetime, like losing his mother at a young age, he's now having to stop doing something that he truly loves. I cried because there's a chance that the smallest thing could go wrong and take him out of this world forever. Why does it matter? It matters, at least to me, because not only is he a very talented musician, he's also super sweet and down to earth. I met him at Warped Tour 2014 and, even though I was basically at the back of the line, he still had a grin on his face. He still cared for each and every one of those guys and gals that stood in the blistering heat just to get an autograph. I cried because he has told the band's fans a little bit about his past and how he understands a rough life. I cried because he has a very strong relationship with God, even with death staring him in the face, he doesn't ask, "Why me?".
I cried because he screamed, at the top of his lungs, "You're not alone. You're with me."
As cliche as it sounds, bands are the ones that people can always depend on to be there. Bands are the ones that tell us we can make it. Bands and every. single. one. of. their. members. mean something to every single one of us, and we mean something to them.
Call me a fangirl. Use a mocking tone. I don't care. If this is what fangirls are, I'm proud to be one.
