Taylor Swift. Harry Styles. BTS. Beyoncé. Nicki Minaj. Ariana Grande. Each of these artists, while uniquely big in their own right, have one thing in common — their fan bases, or, as social media dubs them, their fangirls.

Fangirl is often used to describe a typical fan who behaves in an obsessive or overexcited way, with the connotation that comes with being a fangirl being mostly negative. Unlike their masculine counterparts, fangirls are seen as frenzied, overemotional or even weird. This is an idea that is diminishing at best and misogynistic at worst. As Taylor Swift said in a 2019 CBS interview, “a man is allowed to react, a woman can only overreact.” 

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The term is not new — it predates even the most mainstream of artists. It dates all the way back to 1844 and “Lisztomania,” a term referring to the mass hysteria of the public’s obsession with Franz Liszt, a Hungarian composer and virtuoso pianist. 

Art of the “Lisztomania” depicts women fanning themselves and fainting while Liszt takes the stage. Medical professionals of this century dubbed women to be in a manic mental state and believed this Liszt-fever to be contagious. It’s wild, and a little disheartening to see, that even since the 19th century, women-dominated interests have been the subject of public scrutiny and irrational backlash. 

The concept of fangirling began to evolve in the 1960s with the rise of the boy band The Beatles. Throughout 1963, reports of female fans — often reported as teenagers specifically — were said to be screaming, crying, fainting and chasing The Beatles down the street. This phenomenon was unlike anything the modern music industry had seen before, and thus the term Beatlemania was coined. From Beatlemania came the mass excitement toward Justin Bieber, which led to terms like Bieber Fever in 2010.

Fan culture has a vastly different vocabulary when discussing something seen as typically masculine versus typically feminine. Matisse DuPont, an educator and gender-based consultant explains in her interview with Vogue, “Masculine fandoms are figured to be historical and universal, whereas feminine fandoms are seen as nothing more than a fad.” 

Referring to the definition of a fangirl, the words obsessive or overexcited are jarring and stick out like a sore thumb. However, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a fan as an enthusiastic devotee of a sport or a performing art, usually as a spectator. 

Sports fans are incredibly enthusiastic and loyal to the teams they support. From decking themselves out in merchandise to painting their favorite player’s number on their body, sports culture is similar in passion and excitement to fangirl culture. Take the 2014 World Cup, for example, when Germany defeated Argentina 1-0, and fans took to the streets, causing commotion by rioting, kicking shop entrances and taunting the police. At least 15 police officers were injured and at least 50 people were detained following the riots.

Focusing more on sports, there is also a double standard with the way women are treated within sports culture. I’m no sports connoisseur, but I still tune in every week for basketball, wrestling and the occasional football Sunday. Around a few of my peers, I’ve been quizzed and questioned on anything from the names of all the athletes to the rules of each game, as if being a woman interested in sports disqualifies me from engaging in game talk. 

This isn’t a bash on sports fans, but comparing sports and fangirl culture is a prime example of the differences between men and women. Raging after a team loss is seen as passionate and eager, but a teenage girl’s bedroom filled with posters of her favorite artists or band is overzealous.

Despite the double standards, being a fangirl is a wonderful experience and there are more to fangirls than meets the eye. They aren’t just enjoyers of media; they’re also philanthropists. BTS’s fandom, labeled “ARMY,” is one of the biggest fandom powerhouses in the world. 

With this title and notoriety, they’ve created programs such as One in an ARMY, which aims to collect donations for several charities and those in need, foster and support relief efforts, and raise awareness for several social causes on social media. In April 2020, One in an ARMY created the hashtag #OurRemedyIsARMY and, with the help of 690 donors, raised over $11,000 in COVID-19 relief support.

There is no shame in being a fan of media or sports. Still, the ridicule directed at fangirls aims to bring them down for being unapologetic and enthusiastic. In his Billboard interview, Harry Styles said it best: “Teenage-girl fans — they don’t lie. If they like you, they’re there. They don’t act ‘too cool.’ They like you, and they tell you. Which is sick.”