The fangirl culture is one that is definitely undermined, we all have an inner fangirl/fanboy inside of us. Whether you hate to admit it, you cannot deny that whenever your ‘fave’ uploads a new selfie on Instagram a little bit of you dies inside.
Among the students at Royal Holloway, there lies a few fangirls and I guiltily consider myself one. Even though I have learnt to keep my cool at university, I cannot speak for when one of my faves play at TOAST on a Monday evening, and my inner fourteen-year old self comes out and I lose all my chill.
When someone mentions fangirl, a 12-year-old Directoner comes to most minds. However, experience has told me, waiting outside a hotel for 19 hours, you’ll find a 33-year-old now and then. I’ve even seen mums bring along their children to ‘stalk’ and try and convince the rest of us that their 4-year-old-daughter is the one that begged to sit outside a hotel for more hours than they can count.
One of the best things about being a fangirl is the people you meet, typically online you meet people across the world. Waiting outside hotels or concerts, you need the company, and your uni friends might not cut it. If your friends cannot handle you fangirling for more than 5 minutes, you need to go someplace else so you can rant about that tweet that happened 4 years ago.
For me, I ‘stan’ (STalker+fAN) Demi Lovato, and yes she is that one from Disney as well as Fifth Harmony, they sing ‘Worth It’ – which you will hear every time you head to the SU. Whilst I still look about 14, I hate to admit it, when Demi Lovato walks over to me after the 5 times it has happened, I’m back to the 14-year-old me I once was.
If I had to give any advice for ‘stalking’ your chosen celebrity it would be to chill. As hard as it sounds you have to understand no celeb wants to address a crying manic fan when you can’t even say hi… It’s easier said than done (been there, done that, got the t-shirt) Another tip is to bring a blanket and a portable charger, trust me, 12+ hours outside will make anyone reconsider all of life choices, sitting outside for that long may give you hypothermia. Also your phone will not handle you tweeting/snapchatting your adventure to meeting your ‘fave,’ so a portable charger is a must.
In my experience, meeting your fave is one of the best experiences, being able to talk to someone who has such an impact on your life is ineffable. For me, meeting Demi Lovato after ‘stanning’ her for 4+ years was indescribable. The transition from seeing her on screen to being able to see her in person is life changing. If you’re lucky like I was back in November, and you can afford Meet&Greet it’s an experience, it should be called ‘pay and hey’ because the you literally get no time, especially for the £100+ you pay. I was very lucky with fifth harmony because I got around 2 minutes when most got 30 seconds. You have to talk and make them interested in what you have to say and don’t let security drag you away!
But if you cannot afford the £330 it costs to meet Justin Bieber, queuing outside their hotel may be the way to go. But be nice to everyone and don’t be selfish. Befriend paparazi unless they’re rude, then call the police on them. Be safe and don’t be ashamed of your inner fangirl, embrace your excitement and make sure you put your phone on aeroplane mode, you don’t want your mum calling you whilst you’re trying to get a selfie, trust me.