“A rabid breed of human female who is obsessed with either a fictional character or an actor. A female fan, obsessed with something (or someone) to a frightening or sickening degree. Often considered ditzy, annoying and shallow.”
Urban Dictionary does not have a high opinion of so-called fangirls. And neither does the rest of the world. The term fangirl is thrown around on the Internet, especially on sites like Tumblr, in an often derogatory fashion. If a female fan is excited, enthusiastic, or extremely knowledgeable about a particular fandom, she’s often labeled a fangirl. But because of its connotations, the word calls to mind a screaming and obnoxious preteen.
However, fangirls contribute just as much as the male fans. But when they are labeled fangirls, their contributions are diminished in the eyes of the males of the community and the rest of the world. Females in mostly male-dominated fan communities are subjugated even further. If a female community member offers a theory on John Hurt’s Doctor or wears a Deadpool shirt, she’s often interrogated on her knowledge of the thing she is enthusiastic about. Women are considered lesser members of fan communities.
First-year Emerson student Emily Solomon shares these concerns.
“I actually really dislike the word. I always hesitate to say, ‘I fangirl over this,’ because to me it implies freaking out in an over-the-top, way-too-extreme, could-actually-be-called-insane way,” Solomon says. “And, admittedly, sometimes I am over the top when it comes to certain moments, but at the end of the day my appreciation goes deeper than screaming, squealing, or flailing. I can talk about a show, book, or movie in a logical, analytical capacity and I don't think ‘fangirling’ does that justice.”
Solomon hits the nail on the head. The term fangirl reduces a woman to someone who just squeals about whatever they’re excited about. It doesn’t allow for women to be intellectual or analytical about their passions. The fact that the term makes female fans “girls” rather than women reinforces that idea. It takes away the maturity many female fans possess, rendering them childish and uncultured.
And that’s a total load of bullshit. The genderedness of our society and pop culture media makes it so difficult for a woman to be passionate about what she loves. It forces women to remain within the narrow and insulting society constraint that females can’t be smart without being bitchy or unlikeable. Passion and intelligence often go hand in hand. People who are passionate, regardless of their gender, often spend countless hours researching, thinking about, and discussing their passions.
Telling a woman she can’t have smart ideas about her passion just perpetuates the notion that women are lesser than men. Fanbases are often comprised of a young demographic, and by labeling teen and young adult women fangirls, we are telling them they can’t be smart at a crucial age. If a so-called fangirl feels her ideas aren’t valid in subculture, how can she feel like her ideas are valid in the real world? When a fangirl is shut down over and over again online, she will never have the confidence to speak up about a passion in the classroom, workplace, or anywhere else.
The term fangirl, however innocuous it may sound, is sowing the seeds of sexism further for our generation. The term gets tossed around so casually, and those who use it fail to see its derogatory nature. Language is an extremely powerful tool that cultivates subconscious notions and ideas. If it’s okay for a male in a fandom community to disregard a fangirl because of her gender, that male may find himself disregarding a female coworker’s ideas just as easily. By associating the female gender with overemotional reactions in less formal cultures, the more it seeps into formal cultures like the office and school. It’s time we take back the term, and reeducate the males in our subcultures that just because we are females, doesn’t mean our ideas, theories, or reactions are any less valid.
Image: GuardianLV.com
Ava is a freshman Writer, Literature, and Publishing major. She is a tea and coffee addict, cupcake lover, and all-around nerd. Feel free to ask her about her fandoms. Follow her on Twitter or add her on Facebook.