Not Just for Teenage Girls: Adult Fans of One Direction

Edmund Metzold, Oberlin College

Location

Science Center, A262

Document Type

Presentation

Start Date

4-24-2015 2:45 PM

End Date

4-24-2015 5:30 PM

Abstract

Since 2010, British boy band One Direction has been singing for huge crowds of fans all over the world, but despite media perception, not all One Direction fans (Directioners) are teenage girls. Using interviews I conducted with adult Directioners, I explore why some adults like “teenage girl music,” how adult Directioners engage in the fandom, and how these fans deal with being a (perceived) minority subset of an already-scorned fandom. Using these findings and secondary sources from fan studies and ethnomusicology, I argue that adult Directioners have many reasons to enjoy the band and engage in the fandom in complex ways.

Notes

Session 2, Panel 14 - From Ritual to Regulation: Policing Boundaries in Musical Expression
Moderator: David Heetderks, Assistant Professor of Music Theory

Major

Musical Studies

Advisor(s)

Jennifer Fraser, Ethnomusicology; Anthropology

Project Mentor(s)

Ian MacMillen, OCREECAS

April 2015

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Apr 24th, 2:45 PM Apr 24th, 5:30 PM

Not Just for Teenage Girls: Adult Fans of One Direction

Science Center, A262

Since 2010, British boy band One Direction has been singing for huge crowds of fans all over the world, but despite media perception, not all One Direction fans (Directioners) are teenage girls. Using interviews I conducted with adult Directioners, I explore why some adults like “teenage girl music,” how adult Directioners engage in the fandom, and how these fans deal with being a (perceived) minority subset of an already-scorned fandom. Using these findings and secondary sources from fan studies and ethnomusicology, I argue that adult Directioners have many reasons to enjoy the band and engage in the fandom in complex ways.