I’m pretty sure I’m genetically predispositioned to be a fangirl. I’ve been like this for 10+ years and I have no plans of changing anytime soon. Life’s just more fun when I have a boy band to get excited about: Jonas Brothers, One Direction, Fall Out Boy and for the past several years, an assortment of K-pop groups.
After many years of being a boy band superfan, I’m no stranger to subtle side-eyes and critical comments from outsiders. People couldn’t understand why I flew out of state to see BTS (might I add, for two concerts in a row) or why I’d spend money on physical albums.
My personal experiences aside, we all know the connotations of boy band fanbases. Fandoms are generalized to being “just teenage girls,” often paired with adjectives like “crazy” or “obsessed.” I counter this with two points. First, what’s wrong with being a teenage girl? Why is this used in a way to demean or discredit? Additionally, at BTS concerts at least, I’ve seen such incredible diversity. Their fans (known as ARMYs) are anyone, from little kids to grandmas, from college students to doctors.
Second, I question the sexist motivations behind criticisms of boy band fans. How many dudes would give anything to fly to the Super Bowl, World Cup, etc.? How often do you see guys wearing sports jerseys with the last names of other guys displayed? How often do we hear of violence and destruction incited, all because a particular sports team lost a game? I have to ask, how is my hobby any less tolerable than this?
It feels like sometimes, any hobby a female can have will be subjected to scrutiny (and I have felt this from both men and women). Men are allowed to lose it over athletes, gamers and podcast dudes — just let me have this one thing.
That being said, there’s so much good that comes from being a boy band fan. I’ve made some of my closest friends through loving groups like BTS and NCT. The sense of community these fanbases foster is unmatched.
One of my favorite memories of this kind happened this past summer, during my trip to South Korea. I went to an album release event for one of my favorite groups, NCT Dream. Typically, K-pop albums come with a photocard (aka, a small random picture of one of the members). At this event, I was approached by several girls wanting to trade with me so we could each get our biases (aka, favorite group member). Though we didn’t speak the same language, we didn’t need to. There’s such a strong sense of community in these fandoms, everyone just kind of gets it.
Whether it’s waiting until midnight with my sister to watch a new music video, or meticulously coordinating concert fits, I love being a boyband fan. While some may say it’s “just a phase,” I don’t anticipate growing out of it anytime soon.