Can i sing the Doctor Who theme song even if there are no words? the answer is yes. Do I know the very few episodes of Sherlock scene to yes? the answer is also yes. I am what most would call a ‘fangirl’. My 19 year old self is a confident fangirl but my 13 year old self was not. Society views fans as delusional girls who pine after fictional characters and have too much time on their hands. I beg to differ. Last year I took a pop culture class and my tutor at the time asked us how people evolve to fans. Funnily enough, that evening my friends and I attended a concert for our favourite band there. To say we were passionate would be an understatement. We were singing along and genuinely having a good time, compared to the other people in the pit with us. Many just stood around occasionally nodding their heads along to the song and usually glancing back to my friends and I like we were crazy. After the long night and a quick run to McDonalds I asked my friends the same question. The next day I went to class and confidently told my tutor the distinction between a fan and a regular audience member. I told her that I was a fan because whats the point of spending my time and watching or listening to something without any emotional attachment. So I’m not just a girl pining after a celebrity, I’m a fangirl who is enthralled by a character and wants to see more. Apathetic souls might say we have too much time on our hands but I like to think we create time for the things we value. Having friends who are equally obsessive helps. We have so many fond memories being a fangirl, we would call each other crying when our favourite book character dies or when a major plot twist is revealed.

Sites like tumblr have enabled fandoms to grow and have obviously affected the outcome of shows or books. Petitions have been made to support shows or even bring back characters. So us fans are powerful and in a way we control the market. Our presence equals to subsequent seasons or films and sometimes directors and writers look at what the audience and fandom desire. When the metaphorical ships are made, writers add in extra scenes with those couples just to please the fandom and keep the audience engaged. Are fandoms harmful in any way? I may be a biased fan girl but objectively I do not see the harm in being passionate about tv shows, books, movies, comics…

Perhaps its your time to embrace your inner fangirl and watch an episode of Sherlock, its addictive, you have been warned!