Fangirl Phenomena
Urban Dictionary defines the term “fangirl” as a fan of something who is obsessed with a said subject (often times a musician or band) to a certain degree (normally unhealthy).
Most people hear the term and immediately their minds think of the fans that wait in line for days before a concert, wear the homemade merchandise, scream at the top of their lungs, and spend too much time talking about their obsession.
But something that distinguishes the typical fan from a fangirl is the display of devotion, and willingness to spend an incalculable amount of hours and dollars, dedicating themselves to making sure their favourite artist is successful.
The media and digital technology have had a huge role in transforming the negative connotation of being a fangirl. Recently it has moved more into a position of praise for its ability to allow Internet fangirls to transform an artist’s career.
R.M Milner conducted a study to apply his model that fangirling has become a business model for artists and their management teams. Milner explains that fangirls are willingly participating in “gift economy”, where fan labour is given without financial compensation, but instead, they receive “pleasurable productivity”.
He finds that for fans, the reward for their work and dedication comes from seeing the artist become more and more successful. This is why the Internet and social media have become such an important part of fangirl culture. It gives them the chance to have social interactions with their artist, and see their fan efforts paying off.
With the rise of fangirls on social media platforms, many corporations are seeing online fan communities that discuss anything and everything relating to their favourite artists, as free promotion and advertising. With the easy ability to share links, videos, songs, artwork, or anything else of nature, it is easy for fangirls to be used as promotion for content.
Social media has also, however, strengthened fangirl communication. Twitter especially, allows for an immediate reaction, communication, and discussion about any new information or work from a new artist; and within seconds, fangirls can have it trending on a worldwide discussion.
Despite the positive impacts of social media playing on fangirl culture, with the easy promotion and fan dedication with the constant updating, many people still believe it to have a negative connotation with borderline obsession and cult-like behaviour.
It is still believed that being a fangirl is simply being over the top and taking an obsession with a person to the maximum level, including stalking, tattoos related to their favourite artists, and more.
Dr Drew Ramsey, a Columbia professor of psychiatry, believes that fangirl behaviour is sometimes borderline dangerous and beyond casual interest. He says, “I believe…we’ve sort of swapped out something that is supposed to be pleasurable and leisurely and replaced it with an intense involvement.”
However, that kind of dedication and investment is what being a fangirl and part of a fandom is all about. It gives you something to look forward to and to put your heart in. Fangirling allows you to express yourself, while having a group of people in a similar situation right behind you, and right with you. It’s something that allows you to meet new people, and connect with a similar interest.
Fandoms are a natural source of positivity and expression. Everyone has a fangirl side, whether they choose to embrace it or not. With the chance to let your love for something show, and the chance to meet new people, you should never be afraid to let your interests show.
Fangirls Take on New York City
For any casual fan, taking a spontaneous trip to another country to see their favourite artist may seem extreme; but for a fangirl, it’s something that’s done without a second thought.
When my favourite artist, Camila Cabello, announced that she was going to be putting on a free concert on the TODAY Show in New York City on Friday, September 29th, my only thought was “I need to be there”.
I immediately entered to win passes to receive early entry into the performance, for a guest and myself. After continually debating on making the trip across the border, I received an email saying, “You’ve got a Fan Pass to see Camila Cabello on TODAY!” After that, I knew there was no way I was going to miss this opportunity.
What came next was a fangirl’s biggest struggle; last minute travel plans. No hesitation was made when I called my friend Veronica Balloch, asking her if she was ready to take on New York City with me. Being a fangirl of Camila herself, her answer was obvious, “just tell me when and where.”
Without thinking about work, school, or the cost, we grabbed our passports and hopped on a Greyhound bus, preparing for the 13-hour ride ahead of us. After being awake since 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning, there was no better feeling than when the bus finally made it to New York City, 8 a.m. on Thursday.
After such a long ride, a typical response would be to find yourself something to eat, or somewhere to sleep. For us fangirls, however, our first thought was about trying to find Camila Cabello. The whole purpose of the long travel and short stay in New York was to see our favourite person. Our first destination was to head to her hotel. (Now, finding out celebrity hotels is a fangirl secret that just can’t be shared!)
After waiting outside Cabello’s hotel for 6 hours, in hopes of catching her before we had to go line-up outside of the TODAY Show, we got the opportunity to meet her. We had the opportunity to hang out with our favourite artist, have a real conversation, and take some photos. The long travels and lack of sleep were already starting to pay off, after meeting our favourite artist after only hours in the city.
With the desperate need for a shower and a place to leave our belongings, we booked a (very overpriced) hotel room; just another thing to add to the many fangirl costs of this trip.
By 3 p.m. Thursday, we were already in line for the TODAY Show. The performance, however, wasn’t until 8 a.m. the next morning. To hold our spots in line, this meant we were about to spend the next 17 hours, overnight, on a sidewalk in New York City.
Any casual fan would say sleeping in the streets is “crazy” or even “insane”, but to us, there was no place we’d rather be.
For the next 17 hours, we bonded with every single person in that line. We were all there for the same reason; we shared a love of music and the love of an artist. We spent hours blasting Cabello’s music from our portable speakers and handing out promotional flyers for her song Havana, to anyone that walked by. We formed lasting friendships while celebrating something we love.
Around 8 p.m. is when another fangirl dream came true. Camila Cabello and her team came out and brought everyone who was already waiting in line trays of food, as a ‘thank you’ for us braving the cold and willing sleeping in the streets in anticipation for her performance. She also stayed to take photos with fans in line, and even danced with us to Havana, while we still had it playing from the speakers.
That was the second time already that Veronica and I were able to meet her while on this trip.
To make things even greater, she also handed out wristbands for everyone who was in line already, to have a private meet and greet with her the next morning, following the performance.
For any fangirl, having the chance to see and actually meet someone you admire so much, is something that is indescribable. It makes the trouble of travelling, costs, and lack of sleep, so worth it. It also gave me a chance to make friends that will last a lifetime, and have memories that I’ll never forget.