Being a 1D fan isn't always the easiest. There's the rampant sexism, the stereotypes, the look you get when you call yourself a fan. The branded word "fangirl." All 1D fans are compartmentalized into a small box and left to be ridiculed and mocked. Like I said, it's not the easiest route to choose, but thinking back on it, I am so glad that I chose to be a fan of One Direction.
Rewind to five years ago when no one really knew who they were, and I was a freshman in high school with no friends and an active imagination . . . with a Tumblr. I was 14, pimply, annoying, and I streamed the X Factor UK every single weekend in my living room on the computer.
Fast forward to five years later, and I am a college student with a few friends and an even more active imagination . . . without a Tumblr. I've done a lot of growing, losing, keeping, and loving in the five year time span. I've had the privilege of making it out of high school alive, with minimal bumps and bruises, and have significantly grown as a person.
In some ways, I have One Direction to thank.
See, it's not really about whether they're cute or not. People outside of fandom have this active thought that we all stick around because they're hot. That's not the case.
For a lot of fans, they've grown with the five dudes who sat on some stairs and made stupid video diaries. For some, it helped them through four years of awful high school where no one liked them and they liked no one else (Me).
For me, this is what being a fan of One Direction taught me:
Embrace your love of pop music.
No matter if a creepy old person tells you it's "not real music," they're wrong, simple minded, and have no place in your life. Pop music is a fantastic genre that makes millions of people feel happy, sing, and laugh. I used to be so ashamed of my karaoke car rides to One Direction, but I've learned it's not really all that worth it. Embrace the love of dub step and auto tune and sing along . . . loudly.
Never take life too seriously.
Really. There are always moments that deserve a quiet moment of recognition, but for the most part? Life is meant to be fun; take chances, go on adventures, and live for the moment. It's not too late to start living life to the fullest.
Friendships don't have to be made in person.
Fandoms are a goldmine of friendships made through social media. The idea of not having an internet friend in the fandom is unfathomable because it's so rare. It's an open, loving community of fans who love 1D just as much as the next person, and it opened my eyes to the beauty of camaraderie through social media.
Quit stereotyping people.
Life is too large and great to succumb to stereotyping. Everyone is unique and has different types of humor, nose, laugh, and cry. It's what makes it so great to learn about new people.
You can find happiness through yourself, because of someone else.
They always say that you can never find your own happiness because of someone else. It's true, I will admit. But you can find out things about yourself in a new way, that you might not have thought of through the actions of someone else. Take me for example: I never knew how much I loved writing about music until I wrote an album review for One Direction's first album. Now I'm pursuing it as a career and I might never have found something that made me so happy without that first step.
Stay true to yourself.
No matter the outcome, no matter what happens. No matter who you become. No matter the backlash or what anyone else may think.
Like a former boy band member once said: I had a sick time mate, so keep laughing.
