The Importance Of Being A Fangirl

Posted On August 20, 2020

Samantha Colleran, August 2020

In my communications class last semester, we had to write a persuasive speech on a topic of our choosing. A million things filled my mind, but I kept going back to the idea of convincing my audience that fangirls make the world go ‘round. So, I wrote a speech about fangirls and their importance in launching the careers of stars, with a focus on boy bands. (I got a 100, so obviously it made an impact on my professor!). Below is that speech, slightly modified to sound more like a blog post. I drew some inspirations from a TED Talk by Yve Blake, so please do check out her speech, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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‘Crazy’, ‘psychotic’, ‘over the top’, ‘hysterical’. These are some of the many terms people use to describe fangirls. The official definition of a fangirl is “a female fan, especially one who is obsessive about comics, movies, music, or science fiction”. Taking a closer look at the inner workings of what it takes to be fangirl, you will notice there is more to it than ‘hysteria’. Fangirls are a vital part of the success of bands and artists, their emotional reactions and extreme passion for the thing they love is what drives the commercial success of these artists and shapes the taste for the rest of the world.

Picture it. It’s the early 1960s in America. Thousands of girls are waiting at the airport for a plane carrying none other than the Beatles as they arrive in the country for the first time in their careers. These girls are screaming, crying, and some even pass out due to the overwhelming emotion they feel. The news reporters on the scene interview some of these girls; the girls say they’re in love with the band and that they want to marry the members. People think they’re crazy for saying such things. Not many people know it because of the Beatles’ current fanbase,  but it was generally young teenage girls who were attracted to their music at the early stage of their career. The Beatles were originally looked down upon since they were a ‘boy band’ ( those who are fans today refuse to admit this fact) who didn’t write their own music or play their own instruments. Due to their loyal fanbase, the Beatles were able to gain more confidence in their songwriting and playing abilities. They began to experiment with their sound and ultimately became the Beatles we’re more familiar with. Older men of today try to take the credit for appreciating the Beatles because they’re a “real band”, yet nobody listened to the young female fans all those years ago when they expressed their appreciation and love for the music of the Beatles. 

Fast forward to nearly fifty years later when the world is introduced to One Direction, the boyband who were put together on The X Factor UK and placed third on the show. They debuted with a hit single that took over radio stations around the world and they grew in popularity, going on to create five incredible albums in five years. Similar to the beloved Beatles, One Direction started out singing songs that were written by other people, and they didn’t play their own instruments. People put them down; they made fun of the band for not writing their own music, and claimed that girls who were obsessed with them only cared about their looks because they were ‘just’ a boy band. History tends to repeat itself, which is no different in the case of One Direction. They began to write more of their own music once it was proven that their loyal fanbase wasn’t going anywhere (Louis [Tomlinson] is credited as a writer on more than half the songs from their third album Midnight Memories), and they blossomed into an incredible pop rock band. It should also be noted that Niall [Horan] began to play the guitar during their tours a bit later into their touring days. 

With the continuous support from their fans, One Direction sold out stadiums across the world, including MetLife Stadium (home of the Jets and Giants football teams) three separate times. A lot of their success is thanks to developments in technology, but that makes being a fangirl both more fun and so much easier. Fans are able to express their love for their favorite artist, like their posts, share their favorite songs on social media, create fan projects with other people across the globe in hours, and so much more. I mentioned two of these fan projects for One Direction in my ten year anniversary post if you want to check that out, but projects allowed for two songs that weren’t official singles to be played on radio, and one of them even won a Teen Choice Award in 2016. Fan projects have gone so much farther than the music now; fandoms work together to organize birthday charity drives for members of One Direction (and other bands and artists) in order to raise funds for charities or foundations they’ve spoken about, as well as create fan projects for concerts to show support for marginalized groups such as the LBGTQ+ community (click here and here to read about Rainbow Direction, just one of the many incredible fan run groups who help make shows feel like an even safer space).

Now, I’d like to propose a question that I’ve been trying to find the answer to for as long as I’ve been a fangirl. Why is it that when boys scream their lungs out over a sporting event they get praised for it, but if a girl lets out an excited scream at a concern for an artist she loves, she’s labeled ‘psychotic’ and ‘insane’, among other things? Young children, but especially young girls, should not be taught that their ‘overreactions’ are because girls are seen as more hysterical and crazy than boys are. They use skills like communication, logistics, geography, art, and so many others, to show their love for their favorite bands and artists. Instead of putting girls down and criticizing their reactions, they should be praised on the same level their male counterparts are, if not even more. Fangirls are incredibly badass and they deserve praise for everything they do to show their support for their favorite artists. 

Overall, fangirls are a force to be reckoned with. They hold so much power in their hands and are essential to shaping the taste of the world around them. They sparked the Beatles revolution, they made One Direction the biggest boyband in the world to date, and so much more. Instead of comparing them so negatively to fanboys, it’s time fangirls are acknowledged as a bright and powerful group of people. I’d like to leave you all with a lovely quote by none other than Mr. Harry Styles, who spoke so beautifully about those who helped boost him into stardom in his 2017 Rolling Stone interview: “How can you say young girls don’t get it? They’re our future. Our future doctors, lawyers, mothers, presidents, they kind of keep the world going. Teenage-girl fans – they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.”