The FanFair

How I Became a Directioner

Oh, Baby Look What You've Done To Me: How I Became a Directioner
by styles_orama

I never intended to become a directioner.  I am a grown woman who teaches middle-school and currently working on a masters' degree. I own a house, for chrissakes. I live in the United States and didn't witness the formation of the band on X Factor or their sudden rise to stardom. I often ask myself, "How did this happen? How did I get sucked into the band, the social media, and the fandom? Why am I writing smutty fanfiction on Wattpad? And most importantly, why do I have a full-size cardboard Harry Styles in my bedroom?"

    My initial exposure to 1D was limited. I knew the song "What Makes You Beautiful," and it was MY JAM. I knew who sang it – some British boy band – but I'd never seen them, or the video. To me, they were a one-hit wonder much like Hanson with "MMMBop" or Vanilla Ice with "Ice Ice Baby." When WMYB came on the radio, I'd yell out "ONE DIRECTION" and belt out the lyrics from the top of my lungs, not only cause I loved the song, but it also annoyed my peers, which in turn brought me extreme pleasure.

    In November of 2013, I was on the school bus with my students for our annual trip to the theatre. The kids were singing random pop songs, or whatever kids listen to these days. At this point, I wasn't listening to much radio because they tended to play the same seven songs over and over until I thought my head would explode.  The kids are singing, "Tonight let's get some, and live while we're young!" Apparently they really enjoyed that one, cause they sang it multiple times, prompting me get up and say, "Alright! Enough of that Bieber crap! Sing something else!"

    "Miss! That's not Bieber! OMG, Miss!" The protests were hurled from all directions.

    "It's not? Well, who is it?"

    A chorus of adolescent voices chimed, "One Direction!" Oh, those kids that sing the "beautiful" song I like.

    Back at school, some of the girls were still in awe over my lack of One Direction awareness. "We'll show you, Miss!" They pulled up the "Live While We're Young" video, and we watched it on the ActivBoard. There were "the boys" (as I would learn they were called later) in all their goofiness, being cute and doing their thing.

    My initial response was, "That one with the curly hair is sorta cute. He's not bad." Amazingly no light from the heavens shone down at this particular point. IKR? I was informed that curly one's name was Harry. Harry Styles. My students giggled and filled me in on the names of the other boys, all of which were immediately forgotten.

    On 11/21/2013, after a day of shopping with my aunt, we were enjoying an adult beverage and channel surfing. We happened across the X Factor USA just as they were announcing One Direction's performance. "Oh, that's those British kids my students like," I mentioned to my aunt. (Poor Niall! British! LOL)

    Then they sang. Since that performance, I refer to "Story of My Life" as my "gateway song," citing it as the beginning of the end. I still struggled afterward, but resistance was futile. The boys walked in their little circle, each taking their turn front and center. Those aren't boys anymore. They're men. Harry was serious, a little awkward, pointing his index finger down between his thighs whenever he sang the chorus. The audience squealed each time a different member took the front spot. The song was beautiful, as were the boys surrounded by vintage bulbs strung for ambiance. I definitely felt a pitter-pat for Louis as well, though at that point Harry's was the only name I knew! My aunt singled out Niall as her favorite.

    Days later, the boys performed the same song at the American Music Awards. There it was again.  There was Harry doing his finger-pointy thigh thing. OMG. They are kinda hot and I like a couple songs...maybe I should get a CD? I hinted that I was curious about them in hopes of scoring a CD for Christmas. I mean, I wasn't going to buy it myself. One Direction?!  Absolutely not.