So today I stumbled upon an article on how “Fangirling your faves on Twitter is Cheap and Childish” [DoNotLink so it’s safe to click it, they won’t get more page views via this link] over at The Telegraph. It’s an incredibly dismissive and condescending piece, which read more like someone was left out of the love fest and is bitter. It opens with this lovely whinge:

I’m not sure when fangirling became a ‘thing’, but now that it’s here, it’s growing by the second. These days, it’s almost impossible to scroll down a Twitter feed without coming across hordes of women swooning all over each other’s ‘awesomeness’.

Whether it’s ‘OMG you’re amazing’, a series of #fangirl hashtags, or a clapping hands emoji, fangirling is everywhere.

And I hate it.

Call me cynical, but there’s something rather uncomfortable about this trend where grown women act like over-excited One Direction fans – over the smallest things. At best, it’s just a bit cringey, and at worst, it’s an insincere squeal that says far more about the woman writing it than the one it’s dedicated to.

I’m not sure what corners of the internet the author lurks in but fangirling has been a thing I’ve done for AGES, and if women want to congratulate each other on small things, THAT’S FUCKING DELIGHTFUL!

Do you really want to see women at each other’s throats over some petty shit more than you want to see someone like Taylor Swift happy for a friend or a fan?

It reads like you’re not congratulating and celebrating other people the way I APPROVE OF so you’re wrong, wrong, wrong and I am here to tell you how wrong you are! (insert angry little foot stomp here)

The author also seems to have conflated networking with fangirling. The two aren’t in the same zip code, city or state. Me fangirling at someone doesn’t mean I am trying to get a job with them, or be their best buddy. It also negates all the effusiveness that people have over their faves. It’s too girly for the OP’s taste and that’s seen as a bad thing; at least how I’m reading it.

Grown ass women having happy moments on line because they are happy for a celeb they admire, or someone they’ve followed for ages doesn’t deserve the derision this “article” gives it. #Fangirl isn’t a dirty word like the author of the piece wants it to be, no matter how cynical and cranky she is about something she just now suddenly discovered online.

So in response to this and because I am that kind of asshole today, I started #FangirlYourFaves over twitter.

So go forth, #Fangirl unrepentantly, don’t be a creep though. It’s also not for women to just #Fangirl other women, #FangirlYourFave is for everyone. <3

Yours,

#Fangirl4Life,

Cypher

Published by cypheroftyr

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a non-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers attend the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make it better and more inclusive for everyone. She founded and was the EIC of Fresh Out of Tokens podcast where games culture was discussed and viewed through a lense of feminism, intersectionality and diversity. Now she’s a co-host on Spawn on Me Podcast. Along with all of that, she’s the Programming Coordinator for OrcaCon, she often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at multiple conventions throughout the year. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications.

2 thoughts on “On #Fangirling and #FangirlingYourFave…”

  2. i’m trying to understand this person’s point or purpose. are they mad that they didn’t get fanned?

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