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In Defense of Fangirls

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Zayn Malik’s departure from popular boyband One Direction last week unleashed a torrent of scorn and mockery; news anchors, bloggers and the Twittersphere groaned and made jokes at the expense of One Direction fans' feelings of loss. But isn’t it natural to be upset when your favorite band breaks up or loses a member? One Direction, after all, isn’t any more lampoonable just because they make perfectly digestible pop music that a fuck ton of people really, really, really like, because the world-at-large is not the real target: their young, female fans are.

By brushing these girls aside and laughing at how stupid whatever they like is, we tell these young women that their interests are less important than what men like. That their feelings somehow become discredited and are not "real" by virtue of who is having them. But what’s not real about a 13-year-old girl who’s still figuring out how to express herself about things she cares about? This is troubling, given that idolization has proven to be a healthy form of growth for girls who want a safe, insular way to explore new romantic feelings and interpersonal relationships. And when you’re attempting to make sense of this, it’s only natural that the group who sings about safe, unconditional love will be an appealing option.

The continual derision of the "fangirl" is damaging, it perpetuates the idea that girls act one way, and boys another. Within all of this, there are intrinsically sexist and ageist tropes at play, an all-too-derisive view of teenage females who are usually reduced to a pair of Ugg boots and a Starbucks Frappuccino with extra whip. She’s a veritable hodgepodge of misdirected, hormone-driven excitement that plays into the very Victorian idea of a "hysterical" female: the impulsive, borderline-psychotic one who lacks rationale and thinks only with her emotions. It's the root of an insulting stereotype that is still used against female senators, lawyers and presidential candidates as a way of barring them entry to positions of power and prestige. After all, "crazy" has and will always be the go-to adjective for the "fangirl," to the point where the two have become almost synonymous. It’s something that has allowed others in the past to dismiss valid passions and disappointments with a hint of sexism. It is a way of telling young girls that they should be embarrassed about what matters to them.

Coloring most of this sentiment also is the idea that the only draw for these girls are the physical attributes of these male pop idols, that they can’t appreciate the actual talent or body of work. Instead, "fangirl" is an idea that has been compounded with the idea of irrational, silly and hysteric excitement, which is reductive at least and misogynistic at worst. It makes it all too easy for people to dismiss women as false enthusiasts with no real critical perspective or stake in the music itself, despite that women are the #1 purchasers and consumers of music.

So let’s stop using the word "fangirl" to marginalize women, let's not use "fangirl" to force them into enjoying what has been vetted as a suitable interest. Let’s free "fangirl" from the relegation of silly and see it for what it is: a serious music fan in the making.