The type of pop culture that I am most drawn to is the one that I have been living for around ten years, and that is fandom life, or the life of a fangirl. When I first started reading Harry Potter I started to live life dedicated to the Harry Potter fandom without even realizing it. I would go to events, I would read books about the books, go to websites, and start reading all about different ideas and thoughts online, and it started to become an obsession of mine. Around middle school I started to realize that there are so many other people out there that also dedicate a large portion of their lives to the series, and I inadvertently became a Harry Potter fangirl. Then I learned about other fandoms. And more and more fandoms as time went on. I started a couple of blogs about my interests, and I suddenly could communicate with fans from around the world that love the shows, books, and movies just as much as I do. In my junior year of high school (2010) I traveled to London by myself to go to the World Premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1", and the experience was one of the best times of my life even though I stood outside for 18 hours in the cold and rain, because the feeling of togetherness that happened between the almost 1000 people standing around was amazing. There were random bursts of sing-alongs, lots of discussing about who is going to show up and what is going to happen and all sorts of Harry Potter discussions. To be a part of a fandom is to be a part of something bigger than yourself, and the feeling of togetherness between strangers is a feeling that can't really be described.
Why is it important to you and what value do you get from engaging in it?
Fandoms are important to me because as someone that has dealt with a lot of personal problems, being a fan has always been something I can rely on, and no matter how alone I felt, there are always other fans to talk to about different aspects of fandom. I use fiction as a form of escapism in order to cope, and having places to go and people to talk to so that the magic doesn't have to end when the book or episode does has been a life-saver. I actually have a few fandom tattoos!
Fangirls get such a bad reputation, and I am determined to help improve that throughout this semester, because being a fangirl and part of a fandom is not just about loving a person or piece of fiction to the point of obsession, though that does play a part, but it is so much more than that.
What do you anticipate you will learn about that particular form of popular culture in this course?
I am excited to look at Fangirls and Fandom from an outsiders perspective! I have never not been a Fangirl, and it will be interesting to try and see things from the point of view of someone that psychoanalyzes every episode of a tv show and cosplaying at conventions!
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