Boy bands have been pretty established throughout recent history. They can be defined as a group of male singers who create music together. The definition is pretty loose because boy bands can be formed in many ways: whether that’s organically through local singing groups or bands being put together by record labels. The one thing that can be agreed upon about boy bands is the absolute vitriol that they are subjected to because of their primarily female audiences.
Let’s start with The Beatles.
The Beatles were pretty much the original boy band. They were formed in 1960 and consisted of four members: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. The group made it big in 1964 with their breakthrough into the US market and are currently the best-selling music group of all time.
When The Beatles first broke through and started the phase of the 1960s known as Beatlemania, their primary fanbase was made up of women. It was women who bought the albums, played the songs, and changed the channel on the radio to listen to their favorite artists. At the time, older people and men of their age characterized this behavior as childish, asking: why are they so obsessed with The Beatles? These women weren’t obsessed because the members of the band were attractive. They were obsessed because the music was really good.
And now everyone has to concede, whether you like their music or not, that The Beatles were extremely influential in the pop music genre.
Flashing forward to the 1990s and early 2000s, let’s talk about the Backstreet Boys.
The group of five was formed in 1993 in Orlando, Florida USA and quickly rose to international stardom. They are the first group since Led Zeppelin to have their first 10 albums reach the top ten of the Billboard Hot 200 and are one of the best-selling boy bands of all time. But they are like The Beatles in that their primary fanbase consisted of women at the start of their career. There were similar reactions from older people and men of their age: ‘they’re obsessed with them because they’re attractive.’ But that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Now, my dad listens to the Backstreet Boys because they’re “classic ‘90s.”
We can see the same effect with One Direction. There was a craze where young women were criticized for their genuine love of the band. And now, after One Direction has disbanded, Harry Styles has risen to a crazy amount of fame and respect in the industry. His music has gone on to impact the wider genre.
So, what is the boy band effect?
It can best be summarized as the writing off of particular music groups because their fanbase is made up primarily of women. It is the disrespect shown to genuinely good music because people assume that young women are shallow and only care about the appearance of the artists. And it is the disrespect shown to young women because of the music that they like to listen to.