This October, the British pop boy band known as One Direction is coming to Miami. The audience at the sold-out show will be the same type as the ones at every other One Direction concert: it will be packed with fangirls.
These are the girls who follow update accounts on Twitter so they never miss a move “their boys” make. They’re the ones who scroll through endless Tumblr feeds of pictures and GIFs (Graphics Interchange Formats) of the band, and “literally die” while doing it. They not only know every lyric to every song, but they could also tell you each band member’s birthday, favorite color, and how he likes his eggs.
The behavior of a fangirl can be obsessive and borderline neurotic. As I sit propped up against my One Direction pillow, staring at my Harry Styles poster, listening to their latest single, “Fireproof,” for the millionth time, I think to myself, “I’m crazy.”
But that’s okay.
Yes, I’m obsessed with a boy band, and I’m definitely a fangirl. But why should I hide my fangirling when it showcases one of my best qualities – passion for things I love. Nobody craves just “all right” love. They want crazy, passionate, head-over-heels love. Those who follow their dreams and are the most successful are that way because they pursued their passion.
Fangirls are experts in devotion. They’ll do anything and everything for their object of affection, and will stick with the fandom, or subculture of fans, through thick and thin, through highs and lows. And while a fangirl may be absurdly passionate about a certain band, movie or book, it can transform into a passion for a profession or charity later in life.
YouTuber Tyler Oakley, who has a fandom himself, sells a shirt on his website that says “professional fangirl.” While fangirling isn’t an actual profession, though I wish it were, its redeeming qualities can help in the workplace and in real life. Who wouldn’t want to hire, or date, a person who is relentlessly passionate, devoted and dedicated in all that they do? Maybe a shirt that says, “Kiss me, I’m a fangirl” would be more appropriate.
Kelly Brody is a sophomore majoring in journalism.
Featured image courtesy of Flickr user fofie57.