You camp for days outside of a venue waiting for your barricade walk. You take extra shifts months in advance because your favorite artist is going on tour soon and you have to go to more than one show. You tattoo your body with their lyrics so they live on with you forever. You argue with strangers on the internet to defend them, and you’ll befriend the ones on your side. You put their face all over your bedroom walls and wake up in the middle of the night to watch a grainy livestream to see what surprise song is getting sung tonight. This is the life of a fangirl.
To most, we are crazy and obsessive. To us, it’s often the reason we can keep going. I live the life of a fangirl happily, and you should too. The truth is, you may already live this lifestyle, and you don’t even know it. You know those guys who paint their faces in team colors and scream at football games? They’re living the life of fangirls too, whether they’d like to admit it or not.
So, what does it take to live the life of a fangirl? Let’s dive into it.
- Your niche
To be a fangirl you have to be a fan of something. For me, it’s mainly popstars, but I dabble in having favorite actors and athletes as well. It can be literally anything; video games, book series, tv shows, sports teams, influencers. And the best part of being a fangirl? You can be 100% YOU.
- Supporting your faves
Supporting your interest, whatever it may be, is fangirl 101. Do you watch edits on TikTok? Love. You bought merchandise and wore it to class? Perfect!. You run a secret fan account that none of your IRL friends know about?…Same. Having a special fund to go to as many of their shows as possible? PERIOD. One of my parts of fangirlism is there is no wrong way to go about it. At the end of the day it is about expressing your love for something, and love is boundless.
- Finding the fandom
Now about that fan account…I’m not telling you to talk to strangers on the internet, but honestly, talking to strangers on the internet about our shared interest is how I met some of my best friends. Your account can be on any social media platform, my personal favorite is X (formerly known as Twitter). From there, you follow/like posts/pages pertaining to your interest, maybe leave a comment and see if the person replies. As always, use your discretion. If they seem weird and creepy, it’s because they are in fact weird and creepy. Block and move on. Group chats are my FAVORITE part of the fangirl culture. There is something so validating about creating a space where everyone has one thing in common and they are able to form friendships based on it. I’ve been in my fair share of Twitter groupchats; Lovers, Swifties, Minders, Booners, you name it. What I’ve found in every single one of these communities is a group of people who never make you feel stupid for having a special interest, which unfortunately is a con to being a fangirl. Finding people who share your interest is so special and outweighs the naysayers.
- Running your account
If you choose the fan account route, there are some things you need to know. Firstly, what kind of account do you want to run? There are update accounts, who work overtime in keeping the whole fandom up to date with what their fave is doing. There’s also the edit accounts (a personal favorite) who make the videos you like to repost on TikTok. And then there’s promotional accounts that show unwavering support to the interest through various content. There is also an unwritten “stan twitter” vocabulary you should know before starting your account. It includes terms such as:
OOMF– One of my followers. This is used to refer to your friends or a follower.
Moot– Mutual. This is someone you follow that follows you back.
IJBOL– I just burst out laughing. A new, longer version of LOL.
Khia/Khia Asylum- Refers to someone who is unknown/does not have a lot of followers
SB- Soft block. A soft block is when you block someone’s account then unblock immediately, just so you remove them as a follower without them knowing.
HB- Hard Block. A hard block is when you block someone and you want them to know. Either after a stan war, beef, or you just don’t like their vibe.
Fan Cam- A compilation of clips of your fave. These are often commented on other posts with a lot of likes/views to gain views on your own video and are NOT edits. Often seen in celebrity beef wars.
Ratioed- When a reply to a comment/post gets more likes than the original post.
The life of a fangirl is so much fun, and so rewarding in numerous ways. The rush I get when my fave drops new music, announces a tour, drops signed CDs (guess what I’m in the queue for right now..). Most of all, I love that I can be my true self. My life as a fangirl makes me happy and doesn’t harm anyone. I’ve met some of my favorite people because of it, and I will never be apologetic for it. That’s the life of a fangirl.
And as always, stream The Life of a Showgirl out on October 3rd!