“Fangirl,” by definition, is a term used to describe someone who is particularly overexcited or overly obsessive. Though a seemingly harmless definition, the connotations of this word are undeniably negative. This word is consistently used to criticize young women for loving pop culture phenomena that society considers to be trivial, basic, or flat-out stupid. Take, for example; boy bands, fanfiction, or Taylor Swift. Odds are, you’ve either loved these things, or hated on someone for loving them. One thing about teenage girls is that they love to love. And yet, they constantly receive backlash for simply enjoying the plentiful fruit of the massive pop-culture apple tree. Why, as a society, do we contain these young women to love in moderation? As Swift once said, “The worst kind of person is someone who makes someone feel bad, dumb, or stupid for being excited about something.” 

It’s essential that we lift up fangirls, rather than tear them down. When someone feels that passion, that love, why are we suppressing it? This drive fangirls feel is something we should cultivate. This is how we create strong independent minds, creative thinkers, and the next unapologetically passionate generation. When someone has the courage to start a fire and let it burn high, we should fuel that flame, not extinguish it with water. By bringing these fangirls down, we’re pressing them back into society’s mold; you have to be this, you have to be that. Our individuality is what sets us apart from the crowd, and yet, also what brings us together. 

Take Swifties, for example, who have often been criticized for their “basic” music taste. Similar to her fanbase, Swift herself took heat for being “cringe” and for “overrepresenting girlhood,” two things that fangirls have been accused of for years. Cancel culture at its finest took out Swift in 2015. She became hated for the very same reasons fans decided to love her. She was ridiculed for representing women’s experiences, which many news sources decided was synonymous with “playing the victim.” From that point on, Swifties have been criticized for celebrating Swift’s comeback, fame, and life. They have been called “boring, cringe, basic, etc.” In reality, they’re just young women who saw themselves in a woman society decided they hated, and they held onto that.

For years society has ostracized passionate young women for creating. Those who were outcasts often found solace and comfort in writing and reading fanfiction: fiction written by a fan of, and featuring characters from, a particular TV series, movie, etc. Fanfiction allowed writers to create in a low-pressure environment. It was a creative outlet that inspired many young women to pursue a career in writing. Take After, by Anna Todd, originally a fanfiction featuring Harry Styles and the rest of One Direction, now a bestselling novel. The shame many feel for reading fanfiction comes from a fear of being judged for “loving too hard.” There is no such thing. 

So how do we fix it? How do we encourage these young women rather than bring them down? It’s simple. We leave them alone. There is no shame in loving what you love, whether you’ve been made to believe that or not. Listen to your favorite boyband’s new album, blast Taylor Swift in the car with the windows down, curl up on the couch and take a fanfiction deep-dive. You are made to love.