“OMG One Direction has a new video out. I have to watch it!”

 “Someone hold me; we have to wait another two years for the next Sherlock season.”

 “Great, now I have to get used to a new Doctor.”

 “I can’t believe they killed another person off of Supernatural. I am never watching this show again.”

“You can’t be serious.  How did the Seahawks, of all teams, make it into the Super Bowl?!”

 I have heard all of these, plus more, in the last couple of months, and it only intensifies with each passing day. Certain “fangirls”, girls who obsessive fans, get written off for being overly emotional about what they are passionate about.  This is mainly directed toward the fangirls who find themselves on social medias, preaching about their idol as if they’re on a pedestal or sobbing profusely whenever said idol is cast in a negative light, which later leads to more preaching.

 I find it a bit aggravating that not everyone realizes that this isn’t the entire fandom’s perspective.  There are perfectly normal fangirls who are able to go about their daily lives without having an emotional breakdown every time they hear about the fandom they are associated with.  Unfortunately, that side of the fandom is almost always overshadowed by the extreme and reckless side.

 The average fangirl isn’t as “lethal” as everyone makes her out to be.  Despite being occasionally emotional whenever the fandom or idol is brought up, the average fangirl is capable of functioning like a normal human being unlike the crazed fangirl that acts like a high functioning sociopath.  That’s not always how it’s seen though; all or the majority of fangirling is abnormal and extreme.

 There are many pros to fangirling, even if the majority of people don’t see it.  The main thing that I see coming out of fangirling is the fact that once the fangirl starts talking about their fandom out loud, they end up finding more fangirls to talk to about the fandom–friends who can relate to you on the season finale of Pretty Little Liars or have get-togethers with when the next Hunger Games movie comes out. Friends you make out of a fandom don’t judge you on as many things as other friends would because they most likely have the same opinions as you, so it’s okay to finally admit you have a crush on Benedict Cumberbatch and Robert Downey Jr.

 People in a specific fandom also tend to be busy with things like writing and reading fanfiction, creating fanart, listening to albums on repeat, or simply watching the episodes or movies several times over.  The main point is that they’re usually not waiting for something to kill time with.  They are preoccupied with things that make them happy, which leads to them possibly knowing what they want to do in the future.  I know people who have a deep love for music, art, writing, etc., and have only realized that through their fandom.  Having realized this, they are busying themselves with courses that actually interest them versus the standard filler course that might or might not interest them.

 No matter what, a fandom is always going to be filled with passionate people who don’t like hearing anything bad about their fandom. There are going to be psychotic, screaming girls (and sometimes boys) who assemble to defend their idol; however, there will also be people who are not quite as passionate as the extreme fangirls, but will still defend their idol, granted said idol hasn’t done anything warranting authoritative action.