The Stigma Of Being A One Direction Fan — And Why It Sucks

You may have clicked this article for two reasons; you hate One Direction and is here to potentially make fun of a One Direction fan who’s ranting or you’re like me and you’re tired of the negative stigma wrapped around being a fan of this boy band. If it’s the latter then welcome, but if you came here to hope to see another teenage girl who will gush about these boys and hate on them then either way, welcome. Make yourself comfortable and let me teach you a thing or two about respect.

If you want to be labeled as a deranged and psychotic fan incapable of thinking rational thoughts and is only talent is memorizing lyrics to bubblegum pop songs and screaming their lungs out in concerts, then just say you like One Direction. Nowadays, it’s such a big deal in becoming a fan of this boy band and a lot of negativity and hate stems from it. I have had people question my taste in music, my intellectual capabilities, my maturity, and even my mental state. It’s quite exhausting to be honest.

It’s disheartening to see the social stigma that has stuck to certain individuals who like One Direction. Commonly labeled as brainwashed teenagers, dumb fangirls or even going as far as using the word gay as an insult just because they are a fan of their music. It’s so frustrating to have middle-aged individuals question me and my achievements or my strengths and capabilities for liking a certain boy band. I was not aware that liking One Direction or their music makes you dumber or immature. I was not aware that knowing their songs or finding them at least mildly amusing allows people to target you with degrading names. I was not aware that if you are not in the teenage audience anymore and you are a fan that it makes you less of an experienced adult. I was not aware that knowing the words to What Makes You Beautiful or liking Harry Styles subjects me to such underestimation and shame as a human being. I was not aware that if I have their discography on my iTunes that it makes me ineligible to have the discography of Kodaline, James Bay, Fall Out Boy or Coldplay. I was not aware that liking One Direction made me a person deserving of less respect for my preference in music.

If you think for one second that liking One Direction dictates someone’s mental capacity, maturity, taste in music, relationship or future, please take a step back and have a piece of humble pie for your inflated ego. How unfortunate that you promote in creating a stigma and false label on teenagers or One Direction fans in general that because of their preference in music and hero worship that it defines their worth or that they deserve less respect. How unfortunate that you would rather bring down the spirits of a dedicated fan just because of their choice of music or role models that doesn’t fit your own brainwashed image of what liking a boy band is. How unfortunate that you think these fans are the ones lacking in maturity when you’re the one who is discouraging a person to like something just because you do not. Liking One Direction does not make my music taste pathetic or girly and similarly, liking The Rolling Stone does not make you a music elitist.

One Direction fans can be dedicated to those four boys and be big fans of The Weeknd and The Killers. They can go to their concerts and scream their lungs out and still go home and top their exams at school. They can memorize all the songs in their discography and also formulate chemical equations in a snap. They can gush over Harry Styles’ curls and lead in their student council. They can have Liam Payne and Niall Horan on their wallpapers and resume their hard-earned jobs come Monday morning. They can have Louis Tomlinson on their t-shirt and go right ahead into the production team a tv show. They can have posters of these four boys plastered all over their rooms and graduate with honors in university. Liking them or their music should not undermine an individual’s capabilities. One Direction is just their own preference, not their defining value.