Every generation has one. In the 60’s, it was The Beatles.
Dominating the mid 90’s, who can forget JT’s humble beginnings with N’Sync? With that hair, it was obviously waaay before he was bringing sexy back.
These days, you simply can’t avoid #1D (How very cool and 2014 am I to use their hashtag???).
A (proud) product of the 80’s, Duran Duran were my world. My bedroom walls were plastered roof to floor in their posters. I had all their records (yes, round, black, vinyl) and god forbid you messed with them or my 15 year old dreams to become their back up singer and eventually marry John Taylor.
I saw the Fab Five 3 times – twice in Japan and once in Sydney, 6 years ago.
The Fab Five were playing a reunion concert and dragging poor Surfer Boyfriend along, there was no way I was going to miss it.
2 divorcees were seated next to us. Having bought last minute tickets because, hey, what else was there to do on a Friday night in the city for single, middle aged gals, they actually had no clue who Duran Duran were.
OMG! Sacrilege!
In 5 minutes before things kicked off, I quickly briefed them on each of the members’ names and their marital status (“But back off John Taylor, he’s mine”).
In no time, they were screaming out the boys’ names along with me (coupled with a few “Marry Me!!!”), bopping along to the music and swooning.
Surfer Boyfriend was highly amused.
Jude Rogers is a UK based music journo who explored teenage fan culture for her documentary, “About the Boy”. In her findings she said that to be a screaming, crying teenage female fan is completely healthy.
Rogers argues that at 11 or 12, young girls don’t understand the intense emotions of crushes or infatuation. What they’re feeling might not even necessarily be sexual. Acknowledging the deep admiration they have for their teen idols and releasing it all at a concert, in front of the TV or the computer is harmless and safe.
Above all, the perception that obsessed female fans are unintelligent or stupid is completely wrong:
“So many of the most intelligent women would have been a boy band fan when younger. It’s not about being stupid or thick. It’s lovely that women with PhD’s, lawyers…have gone through this stage”
Amen to that.
Oh, in case you didn’t catch it the first time – dibs on John Taylor. Kthanksbai.
Who was your favourite boy band? Has your daughter started her teenage fan phase? Were you a Duranie?
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