How Fangirls Drove the Music Industries Profitability to Another Dimension

"How can you say young girls don't get it? They're our future" - Harry Styles

From ages 12 to 15 I dedicated my time to ‘stan twitter’. Every evening after school I would engage in group chats with strangers from the other side of the world, discussing all things Ariana Grande. Finding a community of individuals with that shared interest (that boys at school would relentlessly ridicule me for) gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe I wasn’t as uncool as I thought I was. I never went to parties growing up; instead, I would spend my nights tweeting and weighing in on online discourse, arguing with people twice my age, and placing pre-orders on overpriced merch to add to my growing collection of Ariana memorabilia. To the average person that might sound like a waste of adolescence, but to me, it was an honour to celebrate such a strong interest and watch my idol reach icon status. Ariana’s 2019 chart domination was truly a pat on the back to each and every fan who had streamed her two most recent album releases at the time (Sweetener and Thank You, Next). Without an army of fans devoting their life to her, Ariana would not have the success she has today, and this goes for any performer with the charisma to charm and seduce a global fanbase.

Being a fan is a full time job for young girls. As internalised misogyny riddles through the male brain it’s inevitable to hear remarks about the para-social nature of being a fan - but contributing to the immense scale of success an artist like Ariana has acquired is nothing to be ashamed of. Why should we look down on fangirls if they’re such an integral driving force of the music industry?

Between 1963 and 1966, The Beatles stood at the centre of the universe, cultivating an ecstatic, female-led fanbase, driving the fanaticism to such extreme lengths and generating the term ‘Beatlemania’. Throughout the peak of their career, there’d been reports of teenage girls screaming, crying, and fainting with excitement at their concerts. Their performance on ITV’s ‘Sunday Night at the Palladium’ was broadcasted to over 15 million viewers, leading to the phenomenon we know as ‘Beatlemania’. The visceral screams of the audience made headlines, and this sensation still remains the most intense instance of fan-girling to date. Current fandoms in support of artists such as Taylor Swift and BTS have had their own occurrences of extreme behaviour during moments where they have felt a connection to the artist - wether that be at a concert or listening to their highly anticipated new single for the first time.

Arguably the largest and most notable fandom of the past decade would be the ‘Swfities’. Whilst Taylor Swift’s demographic has hardly shifted throughout her career, her chart success throughout 2022-2025 had catapulted her to immeasurable heights of stardom, and propelled her to reach billionaire status. By late 2024, her Eras Tour had surpassed $2 billion in ticket sales, and $200 million in merch sales. Her tour (as well as the release of a concert film under the same title) generated a surge of online content mocking the para-social nature within her fanbase. Provoking online discourse is nothing new to Swift, but the ‘Beatlemania’ level of infatuation from her fans has led to a wider conversation considering the ethics of claiming such connection to a celebrity. In February 2024, a fan filmed her guttural cries outside the stadium as Swift performed the song which she claimed had saved her life, unaware the video would amass millions of views. Her theatrics stirred mixed opinions on where the boundary should lay between the fan and their fixation - with most viewers in agreement that she was overreacting and no song should incite such overwhelming emotions. This passion soars way beyond being a fan, and more so feeling an intimate connection between yourself and the artist, who is unaware of your existence. Whilst this level of obsession is misunderstood amongst the majority of people who watched the video, it is predominantly men who slander the concept of fan culture as a whole.

Despite the normalisation of football hooliganism leading to an alarming spike in domestic abuse from men across Britain, the more significant societal epidemic appears to be the growing number of women devoting their lives to a celebrity. It’s nearly impossible to avoid embarrassment associating yourself with a group of fans, but where is the judgement for the men who choose to spend their afternoons screaming at the tv over football? To slander young women for crying at concerts, and collecting band tees, whilst encouraging men to scream profanities and launch beer cups during a football match, is purely hypocritical. Reports of injury during football matches typically occur due to ‘football hooliganism’ whereas venue management (poor ventilation, over-selling tickets etc) is the primary reason for incidents during gigs. If male fan culture is resulting in more violence, why is this not being investigated? I can also confirm that any aggression or terror imposed at a concert I have been to has been provoked by a man, not the teenage girl screaming hysterically during her favourite song.

The demonisation of fangirls is nothing short of sexism and misogyny. Centuries have seen women being penalised for having emotions and labelled as ‘crazy’ and ‘hormonal’. Women are assumed to be misled by their feelings and this is where the judgement spawns. Crying at a concert is not deemed as socially acceptable because we assume that women are unable to react rationally. Strong emotions, understandably heightened during our menstrual cycle, are presumed to be an ‘overreaction’ no matter the circumstance. Most women will find themselves guilty of validating their emotions under the exception of their period, despite women objectively measuring higher on emotional intelligence. Forming an all-consuming connection to your favourite artist is thought to be linked to female naivety and delusion. Fangirls are assumed to kiss posters of their favourite artist sat on their bedroom wall, and while I know a few girls who admitted to doing this when they were far from pubescent, this is a stereotype formed by the element of sexual attraction between young girls and the artist.

One Direction sold over 70 million records to a devoted fanbase of women, primarily. During the height of their career as a group, 115 security blocks were prepared for their stadium tours, with only 12 of them assigned to the male audience members. The indication of their fanbase being made up of women to a large majority suggests that eye candy is an underlying factor to the attention they charmed as a group. This would explain why the chart-dominating male pop groups have always constituted of conventionally attractive, often white, straight men. Examples include 5SOS, Jonas Brothers, BTS, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. Further evidence to prove the allure of a group of quintessentially masculine singers, would be the Samaritans helpline created in support of devastated Take That fans in wake of their split in 1996. Understandably, attraction towards the performer will only encourage profits, so when Simon Cowell used the physical appeal of One Direction as a marketing tool, it was inevitable that young girls would be responsible for their success. Additionally, the perfected image of the male star provides a safe space for young girls to embrace and understand their own romantic desires. Passionately singing along to songs about heartbreak and sex in the back of our dads car was a universal experience for any girl growing up, providing us with a false sense of maturity and experience of life, as well as comprehension of our own emotions.

Pop music is a catalyst to finding confidence within yourself. The poetic lyricism of ballads allow us to process conflicting emotions, whereas the more upbeat, witty tunes play as a soundtrack to your first girls night out. Between 1960 and 2010, studies show that 67% of songs in the charts referenced relationships and love. With chart music being an unescapable force of entertainment, love is reinforced as an expectation for young women. Although another study analysing lyrics from 1960-2008 clarifies that men typically sing about dating and sex more often than women, this displays the ideology that women are an object of male desire. The generations of young girls who grew up listening to The Beatles or One Direction would have both gained the subconscious belief that straight relationships are an integral part of human adolescence, hence why so many girls only come out as queer when they’re older and have a sense of individualism, and why girls chase male validation from such a young age. Obviously there are various factors contributing to this, but you can not deny the impact that lyrics have on our subconscious. Love is fascinating for young girls. We would hold pretend wedding ceremonies for our Barbies, and play ‘Mums and Dads’ during playtime at school. The enforced straight family dynamic runs through our brains throughout our childhoods, further elevating the longing we had for popular male artists.

The pop industry is the most profitable in music due to its broad appeal making it suitable for mainstream listen. Music managers have to curate their artists image based on what will sell the most records, whether that be looks or personality. The rise of boy bands in the 1990’s-2010’s is a direct reflection of women dominating annual consumer spending. Since women are more likely to spend their money on apparel and leisure activities, most pop artists, and even actors, rely on having a united, and loyal female fanbase. This ensures that any business endeavours or ticket sales will make profit. When Sam Smith came out as non-binary in 2019, they began altering their image to reflect their sexuality and gender identity. Although they came out as gay in 2014 when their career was at it’s peak, their image was straight-appearing - hence why their music remained mainstream. When Sam Smith embraced their sexuality and abandoned their previous image, their music was misunderstood by critics and now they are performing to a much smaller fanbase. Although women are typically more supportive of the queer community than men are, it wasn’t a lack of tolerance that caused a decline in Smith’s listeners. It was the lack of appeal to women, young girls especially. There was an emphasis on making music for the queer fans, but this wasn’t profitable like their previous work. Bruno Mars on the other hand, is still reaching chart success because he uses his conventional look to ensure women can listen to his music and picture themselves in his lyrics - hence why bands like 5SOS and the Jonas Brothers still have a devoted female fanbase.

The shame driven towards fangirls has only grown since ‘Beatlemania’. With social media providing women with a platform to express their love for their favourite artist, it is apparent that young girls seem to be inserting themselves in an online community as a modern way of proving their fan status. This allows for them to escape the ridicule and torment of their peers, and find a community of people online with that shared musical interest. Social media has driven fan culture to another dimension. Not only is merchandise far more accessible, but stan twitter is still a goldmine for pop culture and memes, proving that fandoms are responsible for far more than just ticket sales. Fangirls lay at the root of the music industry, piling their money into new and upcoming artists like it’s an investment. Men can criticise fan behaviour, labelling it as extreme and using it as an example of female delusion and wavering hormones, but your dad’s favourite band would be nothing without the abundance of support from teenage girls. Fangirls simply rule the world.