The FanFair

How The 5SOS Fandom Taught Me About Girl Power

How The 5SOS Fandom Taught Me About Girl Power
by AudreyEve

When four, talented, goofy boys hailing from Sydney, Australia emerged onto my radar, I instantly connected to their infectious smiles. Cute boys in skinny jeans and guitars seemed harmless, but the more I listened to their music, the harder I fell. When I started watching music videos, interviews, and witnessed their live performance as an opener for One Direction, I knew the boys of 5 Seconds of Summer were about to ruin my life.

In a good way, of course.

5SOS soon became one of my favorite bands. I fell in love with their music, and found myself being emotionally bonded to the lyrics. This type of deep nexus is a rare feature about me, and because of it, the silly boys of 5SOS developed into something more.

Calum, Ashton, Michael, and Luke were people I grew protective of. I only wanted them to be happy, because they were the source of happiness in a life that harbored so much angst. However, being part of the 5SOS Family meant being defensive of our boys over EVERYTHING. Which, sadly, meant criticizing their girlfriends too.

In 2013, I was a young teenaged girl when I first joined the 5SOS fandom. I was very shy, awkward, I had no self-confidence, and I constantly compared myself to every girl who'd show up on my Tumblr feed. Instead of filling my brain with ambition to change the world, it became a tomb for skin-deep desires.

At the time, I disliked any girl romantically linked to 5SOS. It also didn't help that many people in the fandom also despised their girlfriends. Without regard for the human behind the paparazzi photos, I instantly judged these girls. I purposely looked for evidence and reinforcement from the fandom to validate my feelings.

Then one day it clicked.

Two years later, I was snooping around on Bryana Holly's Instagram page when something in me shifted. At the time she was dating drummer Ashton Irwin, and was receiving so much backlash for her seductive photos. She's a successful model if you don't know, and has done advertisements for brands across the spectrum.

Slutty.

Bimbo.

Ugly.

These were words describing Bryana— words that I shamefully used too. I don't personally know her. I thought I knew this beautiful model based on her Instagram photos, but the truth is, anything I knew about Bryana was only skin deep. I wrongfully judged her without ever meeting her. I was so caught up in my own self-deprecating mind, that I expressed my jealousy with hate.

I didn't hate Bryana Holly.

I hated me, and I hated how I didn't have that same confidence as she. When I finally admitted this to myself, I was able to open my heart wider, and accept 5SOS and their love interests too. I had to bring it back to my roots— the reason why I fell in love with these four, derpy boys in the first place. They created my favorite songs; created a safe space for me to feel like I mattered in this world. And now, it was time to make sure 5SOS had a safe space for their girlfriends too.

If I could openly accept a stranger on the other side of my campus who got bullied by people who didn't know her heart and story, then how could I deny that same respect for Bryana, or Crystal, or Arzaylea? Social media seems to run our lives. We wish and wish for things we don't have, that we forget about what we do have— power.

During this harrowing climate of violence, mass shootings, racial injustice, and female inequality, more than ever we have to stand together. In light of the #MeToo movement that dominated the media, as women we need to stick up for one another. There are people trying to take away our power; that #MeToo is just an excuse to seek attention, or to victim shame. WOMEN run this planet, and how can we show the world our tenacious strength, if we can't lift up one another?

It starts with acceptance. No matter your racial background, religion, sexual orientation, gender identification, or social status, EVERY WOMAN IS IMPORTANT. They are wanted, they are valuable, and they are just as influential (if not more), than any other privileged man.

I will continue to support the girlfriends of 5SOS now, and in the future because those girls deserve that acceptance. They deserve love and welcome in this fandom. I've met great friends, and it really is a wonderful community. We are a family— The 5SOS Fam. And whomever the boys decide to share their heart with, deserves to be part of this family too.

We have to lift each other up, otherwise we lose our power as girls. And if we lose our power, we might as well obliterate all the hard work of the iconic women before us.

What has your fandoms taught to you?

P r o f i l e S p o t l i g h t:

ChickLit
The official Chicklit category profile. Celebrating the literary homages to all the women who get stuff done, make mistakes, follow their hearts, crush dreams, soar to new heights, and all the hot messes in between. For more Girl Power, check out the anthology "Girls Do it Better"!