The term “fangirl” is one that has existed for decades. It evokes happy, sad, angry, annoyed, elated, and all of the other emotions that you can think of. People love fangirls, but people also hate fangirls, and the culture surrounding them is one that for some reason is hotly debated. Sure some fangirls are over the top and that may poison the minds of the general sentiment surrounding exactly what a fangirl is. So we wanted to provide a brief history of fangirls and honor the ones that came before us.
The very first case of fangirls was documented in the late 1800s with pianist Franz Liszt and his female fans hysteria that was coined “Lisztomania.” This movement is often forgotten about since he wasn’t particularly mainstream across the world, but we felt it was important to include since it is the first documented case of “hysterical fangirls.” It was reported that these fans would try and steal his personal effects–including strands of his hair.
The Bobbysoxers, though, are considered to be the original fangirls. Bobbysoxers was a nickname for fans of Frank Sinatra in the 40s and 50s. They were young women who were breaking the stereotypical fashion trends at the time by wearing shorter skirts (right above ankle length) and bobby socks–which is where they got their name. Frank was the it-boy of the 40s and his fans catapulted him to stardom. Many men and adults were harshly critical of the female fans during this time and dismissed their behavior as “immature” and “childish” and were angry that there was a focus on Sinatra when they thought everyone should have been focused on World War II. Despite this criticism, when you ask anyone who the most famous singer of the 40s is, chances are Frank Sinatra will be their answer. Spurring off of the Bobbysoxer movement came the Elvis Presley pandamonium in the mid-late 50s. His gyrating hips on live television caused a mass hysteria in households all over the world and caused many of his songs and performances to be censored and banned. Women lost their minds over him and his music and wherever he went, they followed. His newfound fame came at the same time as James Dean’s introduction and sudden death in Hollywood. Dean stood for teenage rebellion after starring in films like Rebel Without A Cause and even though he was only in Hollywood for 18 months, teenage girls swooned over him. Presley even credits Dean with inspiring him to get into acting and that he aspired to be just like him and was devastated following his car accident death in 1955.
Then came the British Invasion with the introduction of the Beatles in the early 60s. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr made up the band and girls went wild. They started in England but when they’re music hit the American scene, girls all over the world could not get enough and the pandemonium was effectively called “Beatlemania.” Then soon after came the Rolling Stones–another British band–with girls fawning over Mick Jagger and his dance moves. Both brought Rock N Roll into the forefront.
Going into the 1980s, Michael Jackson ruled the music scene, gaining the title “The King of Pop.” Everything he released turned to gold and he garnered one of the most fervent fan bases that is still as passionate today as they were 40 years ago. With hits like “Thriller,” “Billie Jean,” and “Smooth Criminal” I would argue that every American knows at least one Michael Jackson song. The boyband movement also continued through the 80s as did the British Invasion. British based new-wave band Duran Duran burst onto the scene and charmed girls everywhere, including Princess Diana. With members John Taylor, Andy Taylor, Roger Taylor (no relation to one another), Simon Le Bon, and Nick Rhodes, they released hits like “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Girls on Film,” and “Rio.”
Moving on to the 1990s and 2000s we have the iconic Britney Spears and *NSYNC who both released hits that are so catchy they’re still stuck in our heads 20+ years later. Britney was the it-girl of pop in the late 90s/early 2000s with hits like “Toxic,” “…Baby One More Time,” and “Oops!…I Did It Again.” Her fans affectionately named her “Britney Bitch” a nickname that remains to this day. Britney also dated noe of *NSYNC’s members, Justin Timberlake, who is a pop icon in his own right. With fellow members Lance Bass, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, and Chris Kirkpatrick, the group released iconic songs like “Bye Bye Bye,” “It’s Gonna Be Me,” and more. At the height of Britney’s success came a pop star suited for young girls and tweens…Hannah Montana. Hannah Montana was a fictional pop star played by Miley Cyrus on the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana. She defined a generation and her songs are part of Gen-Z’s childhood.
As we shift into the 2010s, main returns with the emergence of One Direction and Justin Bieber. Many have drawn comparisons between the crazed fangirls as seen in the Beatlemania era to the fan girls, or Directioners as they call themselves, at the peak of One Direction’s success. The boy band emerged from a U.K. talent competition show, “The X Factor,” and consisted of members Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne. Their debut single “What Makes You Beautiful” became an instant classic, expanding their fanbase from the small group that followed them throughout their time on “The X Factor” where they came in third place. The band later broke up in 2015 with the departure of Zayn Malik, a devastating day online for fans of the band. Following the announcement of his departure the band finished their stadium tour and announced an indefinite hiatus to allow them time to rest and focus on solo projects. All five members made music on their own with no sign to reband. In October 2024, Liam Payne unfortunately passed away leaving behind the legacy of One Direction. Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube by music manager Scooter Braun and rose to fame after the release of his first handful of singles like “One Time,” “One Less Lonely Girl” and “Baby.” Both Directioners and Beliebers, Justin Bieber’s fanbase, consisted of young girls with a large online presence. The online presence of both fandoms was so impactful that many believe that they were the fandoms who popularized “stan Twitter.” This online community allowed people to come together and share their common love for their favorite singers. This shared social media space has only grown since the 2010s and has become increasingly popular amongst many fanbases.
The BTS Army and Beyonce Beyhive are two of the most powerful online fandoms. The South Korean boy band, BTS, took the world by storm, members Jungkook, V, Jim, Suga, Jin, RM and j-hope quickly becoming heartthrobs, loved by millions. The Army is known to be a powerful fandom, they are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure their favorites remain on top. From mass streaming their latest singles to encouraging people to mass vote for them for fan-voted awards, there is almost nothing this fandom would not do for BTS. Beyoncé’s decades-long career has cemented her as one of the greats in music history. With 99 Grammy nominations and 32 wins, she is the most nominated and awarded artist in Grammy history. Her fanbase has been nothing but loyal to her over the course of her career, defending her through thick and thin. With older songs like “Halo” and “Crazy in Love” and newer hits like “ALIEN SUPERSTAR” and “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,” people are bound to love some of her hits.
Holding spots one and six on the highest-grossing tours of all time list are Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. Crafting concert experiences like no other, both The Eras Tour and Love On Tour redefined the concert experience for fans. The trend of dressing up for a concert is not new, but was amplified with Harry’s Love On Tour. Following a performance at the Grammy’s where he donned a feather boa, fans sold out feather boas around the world to look their best at Love On Tour. After just concluding her critically acclaimed tour, The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift had fans dressing in creative costumes and forming new friendships as a result of the line “so make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it” in her song “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from her tenth studio album “Midnights.” The Eras Tour was not only watched by the ten million attendees over the course of 149 shows, but by hundreds of thousands of fans who watched the concert via a livestream on social media every night. Both tours allowed fangirls and all those in attendance to feel safe for the couple hours they were at the concert.
DETAILS:
Styling: Cameron Crews and Ava Stewart
Photography: Cameron Crews
Location: Hillsborough St.
Models: Kelsey Griswold, Malak Hassanein, Sarah Inscore, Sophia Masters, Laura Roman Rantz, Rachel Belue, Ushma Pathak, Estrella Naumuk-Segovia, Ishita Rao, Eleanor Slyman, Caitlyn Muniz, Paige Hill, and Ava Armstrong.