The Pros and Cons of Being a Fan
Celebrities all around the world have fangirls/fanboys following and supporting them in their career. Fangirls/fanboys are curious to know what their favorite celebrity is doing in their daily life and when they will have new merchandises to purchase. Some fans can be more reserved and simply follow the celebrity, but others can get a bit out of hand.
The pros of being a fanboy/fangirl is that you can keep up to date with what the celebrities do in their lives via Twitter, Instagram, or other social media. You get to know first when they star in a movie, music video, or appear in concerts or shows. In return, fans can help spread awareness about their upcoming performances or events. Fans create their own social media dedicated to their favorite celebrities and have other fans share their artwork, stories, memes,etc. Another pro is that fans come together to create special projects to create a wonderful experience for the fans and celebrities appreciate their work. The fandom defends their favorite celebrities to the end.
However, some fanatics become obsessed with their favorite celebrities. One negative aspect of fangirls/fanboys is that they start to invade a celebrity’s’ private life. They go into their homes and stalk them everywhere they go in public. For example, Jennifer Lopez had an uninvited guest staying in her house for six days until security found him. He claimed that he was her husband and that he was the father of her kids. There are fans that try to hug or touch a celebrity inappropriately when they’re performing or walking around in public. A case such as this happened at the Panic at Disco, “Pray for the Wicked”, tour. Brendon Urie, the lead singer of PATD, does the “Death Walk”, where he goes to the ground floor where the VIP fans are to greet them. He had an encounter with a fan touch his half of his face to the point that he felt violated and that he will have more security to prevent that from happening it again.
I am not saying that being a fangirl/fanboy is unpleasant but there needs to be more decorum in the way we support and follow celebrities. Celebrities are just like us and should be respected just like how we respect our friends and family members. Overbearing fans are why celebrities have to have more security so that fanatics don’t invade in their personal space. I am fangirl myself. I know that I can get crazed when I see my favorite celebrities in front of my face and I can say insane, corny things about them, but I know that I need to compose myself. They are just normal human beings.
Despite that, I enjoy being a fangirl. I love when fans present amazing projects with heart and soul into it to show how much love and support they have for their favorite celebrities. It’s not easy being able to find people who share our love for our favorite celebrities, but there are communities out there where we can talk with other fans. I know many fans who are on Youtube and Instagram who do a spectacular job supporting their favorite celebrities. Being a fan can be a great experience, but we all need to set some boundaries and let celebrities enjoy their private life.
