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Fangirl Culture. Can Fans care too much?






 Fangirling. 
We're all guilty of it. The on-line jungle that is social networking has made it excessively easy to do so. Twitter can send you notifications every time your favourite star spiels on in 140 or less characters. Tumblr is a platform for 'fandoms', where the novel of choice is 'fan fiction' and the hot gossip is who's the latest 'shipped' sweethearts. Instagram plays host to countless 'fan accounts', which immortalises celebrities through an array of photographic shrines.
Then there's the stars themselves. One of the most distinctive methods of evaluating a star's popularity is how many 'followers' or 'likes' they have. Justin Bieber has more twitter followers than there are people in Canada. Lady Gaga has 4 million more twitter followers than Obama (mind you - Barack  never made an appearance in a skimpy meat number).The United Nations scrapes a minuscule 1.7 million followers, whilst Harry Styles (one fifth of the world's largest franchise, One Direction) has 24.3 million followers. 
The colossal quantity of influence these boys have is awe-worthy. In five years these former X-Factor contestants have earned Simon Cowell more money than he could spend on high-waist trousers and dull as dishwater grey t-shirts. 1D entered the scene when sexy was ritualised as an attribute of the average pop star. Psycho and Columbia records marketed these boys perfectly, coupling there happy-go-lucky attitude and generic ear worm pop with a colour coordinated wardrobe that matched their range of back to school merchandise.  The Telegraph's Neil McCormick labelled the boys as:"clean cut, wholesome, whiter-than-white, middle class parent friendly pop", later stating that they were 'safe sex for dangerous times' in the music industry. 
However, in recent weeks, the fearsome force that is the  army have been reduced to tears - or worse. When heart throb Zayn Malik announced his resignation from the band, a wildfire of worrying hash-tags emerged. 
#cutforzayn was perhaps the most alarming of the bunch. Harrowing displays of self harm from young fans flooded the internet. Multiple images of lacerations spelling 'Zayn', 'prey for Zayn' or 'cut for Zayn' 
 Childline has a designated section for mourning 'fangirls', sending out messages to not 'undermine how distressing Zayn news could be for fans'. Has 'fangirling' gone too far?
Indulge in and appreciate music. It's necessary for stars to become 'mainstream' acts or for the more bespoke alternative acts to survive and make ends meet. The fangirl culture drives the music industry forward. There is more money in merchandise and live performances than album sales, due to the transformation of the convenient (massacre) that is streaming. They provide bands with a constant form of attention, thus allowing them to remain loved or fashionable (even if it is ironic indie culture format). We've all worn a band merch shirt to make a point - don't deny it...
However, by physically harming yourself, you are not promoting any positive outcomes to arise. It's ludicrously dangerous. Furthermore, how do you think Zayn would feel about you hurting yourself. If he is as mentally ill as the papers claim, this is the last thing the lad needs. He's only 22, most people have no clue what they want to do with their lives at that point. The majority of teens today will be up to our eyeballs in debt, contemplating a gap year in Thailand or getting a 'make-ends-meet' job at Wagamamas  by the time they reach 22. Give the kid a break. Respect his privacy.
Have your fandoms (my personal favourite is Van McCann), just don't let them define you. Be your own person, let them influence you, just twist them to fit aspects of yourself. You can wear all black and listen to One Direction or wear pink and listen to SlipKnot. It's your choice.




http://stargazingfromnowhere.com/2014/03/15/understanding-the-fangirl-phenomenon/

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-03-25/childline-dont-undermine-how-distressing-zayn-news-could-be-for-fans/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Direction


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopmusic/9111003/The-Wanted-and-One-Direction-why-British-boybands-are-conquering-America.html
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