Things That Make Me Go Ughhhh

I am a 1D fan

In honour of the six year anniversary, I have decided to share my experiences of being a boyband fan.

I have many nights (especially since March last year) lied awake and wondered why the hell I am a 1D fan. I have composed a list:
1) These are four- is anyone else struggling what noun to prescribe to them right now? I'd normally say boys but they're not really boys anymore. But men sounds way too... Intense-four... People with dicks who deserve all the attention and love in the world.
2) Their music is really friggin good. Honestly, pre 2013 is an era of bops, and post Midnight Memories has been an era of really good, meaningful music.
3) Their personalities are second to none.
4) They saved my life.

Now, none of these reasons are particularly unusual, I don't think. For example, I have also composed a list of reasons I love CHVRCHES:
1) Lauren Mayberry is a little ray of sunshine and quite possibly the cutest person alive- I just wanna give her a massive cuddle
2) HAVE YOU HEARD LEAVE A TRACE?! Jesus CHRIST what a bop!
3) Once you decipher the heavy Scottish accent and work out what she's actually saying, Lauren is fucking hilarious.

See, when adults ask me who I'm listening to, and I reply with CHVRCHES, I either see total confusion in their eyes as they surely think I'm listening to a gospel choir OR, more often, I get a little nod of approval.

"Hmmm, yes. I've heard of them." They may say then leave me to wallow in Scottish realness. But when they ask who I'm listening to, and I say One Direction, they'll laugh. No matter who it is.

"I'd have thought you'd have outgrown them by now, Mattie." They might say as they piss off to listen to an 80's radio station.

The question is, WHY does this happen?! I like this boyband for the same, normal reasons I like any other band so why is it met with such ridicule?

There's a great misconception among adults about the target audience of One Direction. People genuinely believe that because this is a boyband, only 5 year olds like them. To demonstrate how utterly wrong this is, I have statistics: on Midnight Memories, 55% songs are either explicitly about sex or hint at sex. On Four, this is about 42% and on Take Me Home, it's about 58%. Also, every time I've seen the boys live, there were repeated references to sex. This is not what boybands for 5 year olds are like!! Even in our sexualised society bands do not sing to 5 year olds about sex!! I'm not saying there aren't some fans of One Direction below the age of 15, because there blatantly are, but that is a small minority and if you bothered to look before you made your judgement, you'd find most One Direction fans are between about 15 and 20 years old. 

Another misconception is that they are a 'bubblegum' boyband. Here is a definition of that term:
"A band that does not play instruments, just sings. Also known as a pop group. Most of the time these type of bands dance as well as sing."

Now slow down there hot stuff because by this definition, One Direction is absolutely not 'bubblegum' pop. Yes they are a pop group. But, HELL YES they play instruments and they sure as shit cannot dance.  One Direction is just pop. Nothing more, nothing less.

ANOTHER misconception about One Direction is one stemming from the fanbase. Many believe that the small minority of us who are bat-shit crazy account for all of us. Let me clear it up for you: I have NEVER sent a death threat to anyone seriously over anything but especially over this boyband and neither have most people, I also DO NOT send hate to every girl they are seen with- in fact I frequently defend them, I DO NOT know every detail about the boys- I don't know their addresses or their families' addresses or where they're going to be tomorrow and neither do a lot of people.

I have made countless friends through One Direction- countless numbers of genuine, lovely people from all over the world. Do those cynical adults who criticise us for talking to fans we've never even met of a silly boyband we both like even understand the barriers this has broken down? One Direction have given me connections in the States, in every country in Europe, in the Middle East... In every continent inhabited by humans, I have someone on Twitter who lives there that I talk to. This wouldn't have happened without this band. And yes, I won't deny there are some truly terrible people in this fandom. There are people who I see commenting on Instagram photos and starting hashtags who make my blood boil because they're so vile. But this is also the case for every fanbase on the planet and should not define millions of people as a whole.

The final misconception people have of us as fans is that we are all blindly in love with the boys and convinced that one day we'll marry them. No. I mean, does anyone actually think that? I want to find myself someone LIKE them, but I'm not under the blind impression it's going to BE Harry Styles who I meet at the altar! Just like the members of McFly did, Busted did, Take That did and every other boyband did, all four of my boys will find someone who they will be with for a very long time. That isn't going to be me, or anyone I know. EVERYONE knows that. When we joke, we're not being serious, Jesus Christ!

The next point I wish to highlight is something I have heard SO often. It's that we're all stupid to like 'One Erection' (genuine nickname how creative) because they're all gay. I mean what the actual fuck? Please take your homophobia away from the music industry and stay away you little prick. I DON'T CARE if Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson lie with men, or indeed each other (Always in my heart, eh?) I DON'T CARE if Niall Horan lies with a man. And I DON'T CARE if Liam Payne does! Because unlike you, I don't believe that someone's sexual orientation is a factor to even be remotely considered in whether they produce good music or not!

But the worst part of being a fan of this band is the ridicule we get. Raise your hands if when Zayn left the band you were teased (*everyone raises hand*) WHY? WHY DID PEOPLE DO THAT?! WHY IS IT OKAY FOR ADULTS TO CRY WHEN JEREMY CLARKSON GETS SACKED OFF TOP GEAR FOR BEING A BIGGOT OR ENGLAND LOSES YET ANOTHER FOOTBALL MATCH BECAUSE WE CAN'T PLAY FOR SHIT AND ITS ABOUT TIME EVERYONE REALISED, BUT WE CANT BE SAD OVER ZAYN?! We are humans. We feel what we feel. And as Harry once said, "Not everyone can understand it but to that girl or that boy it might be the most important thing in the world. Just because you don't understand it, doesn't mean you can say it's crazy."

As well as implying we're not allowed to feel emotions because we're just silly hormonal girls who dedicate too much of their lives to boybands, there's another thing people say to me that makes my blood boil: that they haven't saved my life and the lives of millions of others. My family is particularly bad for this.

"Mattie don't be stupid, someone you never met can't save your life."

Yes. They fucking can. I may not have been alive for long, but I have hit some rock bottoms in my sixteen years. I have felt loneliness that hopefully you can never imagine. I have felt sadness so intense that it feels like it's crushing every single bone of your body. I know what it's like to shatter into a million and one pieces on the floor and have to put yourself back together again. No one was there to help me when I cried every morning because I'd actually woken up. Not my family and not my friends. No one, apart from One Direction. No, I've never met them. And no, I'm probably never going to. But they were there for me when it seemed the whole world had turned their backs and without them, I absolutely wouldn't be like I am today. Why is that something I feel like I should be embarrassed about?

Before I go, I have a message for all my fellow, amazing One Direction fans. We are strong. No matter what happens next, we are strong and we will get through it. The boys will be back. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next year, maybe not for ten years. But they will be back. And I can't wait to see us all at Wembley together, dancing along. Maybe we'll have husbands or wives that we'll drag along? Maybe we'll have children? The point is, I'll be there and I can't wait to see you all there too.

Stay cool pals.