The lights blackout over the bustling crowd, and excited, frantic screams erupt as the star of the show rises from below.
Throughout history, the power of love for an artist has shaped the way teenage girls and young women express themselves. “Elvis fever”, “Beatlemania”, and the long-lasting love for Michael Jackson convey how long fangirls have been around. As years pass this evolution has only evolved with artists such as The Backstreet Boys, ‘NSYNC, Justin Bieber, and One Direction. All these fandoms are known for their strong dedication but get criticized for the way they act. While these teenage girls and young women get bashed for their passionate support, young boys and men are praised for their dedication to their favorite sports teams. There is a distinct difference in how women and men are talked about when discussing how they express their love for something.
Boyband fangirls are the most prominent in the music industry. The most recent example of fangirls’ strong passion for boy bands is One Direction. Back when the band was together, they took over the world and music industry thanks to their following of young girls and women. The media at the time shamed these girls for simply enjoying something that brought them happiness. The way the media speaks about young women hasn’t changed; one point they try to make is that girls only listen to pop music, which makes their passion and opinions unimportant. Former One Direction member Harry Styles defended fangirls in an interview with Rolling Stones by noting that girls liking pop music doesn’t mean they have bad taste because “music is something that’s always changing, there’s no goal posts. Young girls like the Beatles. You’re gonna tell me they’re not serious?”
Style’s point about young girls like the Beatles brings to light that one of the biggest bands in the industry are known because of the love they received from young women.
During the 1960s, the Beatles rocketed to fame thanks to their female fans, yet people still tend to criticize women when they are part of the reason such great music blew up in the first place. People ignored this fact and only focused on how crazy they thought the female Beatles fans were. The term “Beatlemania” was used in the media to describe women, which was a way of degrading them for simply loving music.
Everyone is quick to jump to conclusions about fangirls’ behaviors, but then choose to ignore the way young boys and men act toward their favorite sports teams.
Many incidents have exposed the hostile behaviors of sports fans after experiencing grief over their teams’ loss. One of the most destructive actions involved with team identification is rioting after a game. They express their frustration and even joy by setting fires, destroying prosperity, and sometimes harming others. Many argue that all of it comes from the passion for the sport, but then go on to say women are insane for the passion they have for their favorite artist. It’s crazy to see so many women get told they’re insane for crying at a concert because they are happy, while men go around destroying their environment because of a loss and get praised for being a true man who understands the game.
The blatant sexism that women experience for what they love needs to be reevaluated because this judgment only makes enjoying life hard. Young girls and women should be allowed to express their emotions without shame.
