Fangirls completely shaped fan culture. While the term “fangirls” has been relevant for a while now, in the early 2010s, teenage girls changed fan culture with the help of the internet and social media. There was something about being able to keep up with your favorite celebrities online that made people feel more connected. By seeing their everyday lives, people thought that meant they got to see the “realistic” side of these celebrities. Celebrities like the group One Direction and Justin Bieber were so well known because of their support from fangirls. While they obviously did have talent, it helps to have a whole generation obsessed with you.
One of the most famous boy bands to this day is One Direction. Their group sold out stadiums and traveled the world because of how popular they were. It’s important to talk about how they became so successful: fangirls. The main audience for One Direction was teenage girls. With poster-covered rooms and the song “What Makes You Beautiful” on repeat, these girls changed the way fans were viewed. Many fans gained the reputation of a “crazy fangirl” just because of how obsessed they were with this boy band. During this time, it was popular to make your own music video to some of their most popular songs, and many went viral. It just goes to show how much the internet influenced fan culture, but also how fangirls influenced the internet.
Another popular artist that inspired the fangirls was Justin Bieber. As someone who was a huge fan of Justin Bieber, I can remember that he was all me and my friends would talk about. For birthdays, it was almost expected that the gift would be somewhat related to Justin Bieber or One Direction. While Justin Bieber is still relevant and making music, his initial rise to fame was his most notable time. During this time, Justin Bieber was constantly in the spotlight, making concert appearances in almost two hundred countries. While he had many supportive fans, there were groups of fans who were considered dangerous as well. Some fans would track where he would be performing and try to figure out which hotel he would be staying at, and many times they were successful. There has even been rumors that his now wife was a fan of his and was considered a “crazy fangirl,” though there is no confirmation of these claims. This just shows that while having fans is great, it can sometimes go too far.
Today we see something a bit different. While we still have what we used to consider “fangirls,” it’s not the same as it once was. Taylor Swift is a popular example. She is known to have one of the biggest groups of fans today. The difference is that her predominantly female fan base is mostly made up of fans of her music rather than people romanticizing her in the same way they did to One Direction and Justin Bieber. A more similar and relevant example would be K-pop, specifically the group BTS. While they did become popular in the 2010s, they still hold a very large audience, unlike the unfortunately broken up group of One Direction. BTS is one of the biggest boy bands ever and their music is listened to around the world. BTS is similar to One Direction as they are also known for their fangirls with sometimes “obsessive” behavior. With that being said, I think we all know that fan culture is extremely impactful. While it’s fun to be a fan of something, it’s important that it done in a way that wouldn’t negatively impact anyone.