Since their debut on the X Factor in 2010, One Direction has risen to an unprecedented level of fame that some say rivals Beatle-mania. For a lot of college students, the five heartthrobs have forever been labeled as a cliché boy band only appropriate for their little sisters — they’re the boy band everyone loves to hate. Sure, their music isn’t highlighted with heavy bass drops or heart-wrenching lyrics, but they still deserve a chance. Here are my reasons why it’s perfectly fine to be in college and like One Direction.
1. I’d like to start with the basics. We are the generation that grew up living, breathing and adoring boy bands. Five guys harmonizing while on stage should be nothing new to us. In fact, we should embrace it, because there is nothing like a good boy band. Team N*SYNC, am I right?
2. I don’t know them (obviously), but these boys seem like they actually have good heads on their shoulders. They’ve been the center of media attention for a couple of years now but there hasn’t been one public mishap. Unless their publicist is a miracle worker, that speaks to their character.
3. Zayn, Louis, Niall, Harry and Liam are college-aged, which means it is perfectly legal to like them. It also means they’re probably similar to us in more ways than we think. Just because their music appeals to younger girls doesn’t mean that young girls are their sole target audience.
4. Their music is catchy, infectious and easy to sing along to. You might personally think boy bands are stupid but that doesn’t mean you can’t like their music. A good song should be determined by the way it makes you feel, not by the artist.
5. If you take a closer listen to some of their lyrics, you’ll realize they’re not as PG as you think.
6. One Direction falls in the pop genre, which will always be criticized as being music that serves its purpose to entertain without much thought or effort. These boys have built a brand and reputation for themselves from scratch, which is just what every other pop artist is doing. Their music obviously appeals to a certain crowd and they’ve made the smart decision to stick with it.
7. They actually seem like they’d just be fun to hang out with. They’re laid back, funny and the type of guys I could see being good guy friends.
8. They care about their fans and reach out to them more often than not.
9. I hate to be that girl, but hello? Have you seen them? Five gorgeous boys with British and Irish accents singing to you. Need I say more?
10. Being in college is about having fun. Let loose to a One Direction song and I promise you, you a) won’t die and b) will have fun doing it.