Whatever life throws at you

Discussion Time: Fangirling

Kat Impossible36 Comments

This is a very random and very rambly post. Ever since I moved to Vancouver, I’ve been to several film/TV sets and it has mostly been fun. I always enjoy just hanging out there, because I love the atmosphere and let’s face it – I have literally nothing better to do. Other than most people, I don’t go there for the actors/actresses though, but rather because I want to make friends among the crew members. I am semi-successful at that so far, but there’s a thin line between being that fun random girl that shows up or the crazy fan who’s just everywhere. So, I have to be careful, but that’s a different topic.

I am a fangirl. That’s no secret and it’s nothing I am ashamed to admit either. However, I do have a complicated relationship with the whole fangirling experience sometimes. I am very passionate when it comes to TV shows and books. In fact, I think that exactly that passion makes this blog so very me. I will gladly scream about all my faves on Twitter or discuss ships for hours with my friends, whether they be online or non-virtual (see how I am not using the word “real” on purpose – online friends are just as real as the people you are physically able to see, folks!). That behaviour and love for fictional content is a big part of my personality and I would never try to hide or suppress it.

Having said all that, I act very differently when I am not online or in the presence of friends. For those of you who don’t know, I studied film and TV and I have worked in that area and would like to do so in the future as well. It’s great if you are enthusiastic about your work and passionate about the projects that are filmed in your area, which I obviously am, but there is just no room to be starstruck. There is a certain leeway if you are still young or just starting out, but in the end it always comes down to the fact that the superfans will most likely never get hired again. You sort of have to adjust how you act around these people and I’ve learned a lot about that in my previous jobs.

Does that mean I am not totally in awe of some actors/actresses/authors/bloggers/celebrities? No, of course not! There are so many people I would love to meet and be friends with, but that’s just not how it works. (Aside from the fact that meeting your idols can be really disappointing) Unless you are very fortunate and you meet one of your heroes in a bar or some other casual venue, befriending them is a very unlikely outcome. There are always exceptions and especially with some authors and bloggers, it is really easy to connect online. But when you are at a filming location, that’s a different story. You can make all the posters and write all the letters you want, but what kind of outcome do you expect from screaming their name across the street and snatching a blurry photo from afar?

I don’t want to say that it’s wrong to fangirl, whether it’s to the extreme or on the inside. The entire entertainment industry is based on these passionate people. They are the ones that make things happen, but sometimes I feel like there should be boundaries. I went to a set today (not saying which one, but it’s a popular teen show) and there were so many young girls following the actor every step of the way, he had to take a car to get across the street. That feels more than excessive to me and it’s sad, because when they don’t make such a big fuzz, the cast is far more likely to interact with them. My first instinct was to immediately distance myself from them, that I couldn’t be seen with a bunch of fangirls. They were really nice, but I could see how the crew got annoyed by them or felt like they made their job harder. I didn’t want to be that kind of person. So, all I did was take literally one step back from that group of girls and suddenly people thought I worked on set as security or as a PA. It was crazy to me how easily the perception of someone can change, depending on where on the street they are standing. Pedestrians came up and asked questions about the set, what was filming, if they were allowed to take pictures and claimed that they never had seen groupies like that in real life.

My heart is breaking when it comes to this topic, because I don’t want to distance myself from being a fangirl. I get how important a show/book/song/whatever-you-are-a-fan-of can be. I get that urge to share it with the world and to tell that person how much you love and appreciate their work, but in some cases it just gets out of hand and achieves the opposite of what was originally intended. They will close up and share less of their life. So, if you ever see someone you are a fan of, go and say “hi”, ask them for a picture and be flustered. By all means, that’s way better than following them on their every step and documenting their life one grainy picture  at a time.

I am not sure there was a real point to this post, but let me know how you feel about this topic in the comments below!

36 thoughts on “Discussion Time: Fangirling”

  2. I loved this post so much! I agree so much as well! I do love being a fangirl but there are boundaries and unfortunately a lot of people out there don’t remember that these people they admire and look up to are humans as well. They have feelings and they make mistakes.

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    • Thank you for getting it! I was really worried I would offend someone and there wasn’t really a point to it all that much, but it was something I had to get off my chest.
      This whole thing is one of the reasons why I don’t think I would like being famous, or even just dating someone famous. Some people just go crazy.

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  5. hehe so in general I always used to think that I’d be so cool if I met someone famous… but in reality my general response is to stand and gape, while in my brain I’m going “eek they were on tv/in a movie/wrote something famous!!” I totally couldn’t deal with being around people like that all day- so all the respect that you can switch off the fangirling to do a job in this field!! And that was my really long winded (and possibly super weird) way of saying I can totally relate to fangirling. I’m terrified of actually meeting people I consider my heroes- I just think I’d die from shock. So at least the only thing that famous people have to fear from me is my running away at the sight of them (come to think of it, this has happened too). Again, sorry for rambling!

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    • My whole post was just a big ramble of words, so please don’t apologize! I love these types of comments!! ❤
      I totally get the freezing up in front of famous people. I am lucky if I get out more than "hi". You made me curious, who did you run away from??

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      • hehe I’m glad!!
        hahaha well they’re lucky if they can get more than a few exaggerated facial expressions out of me 😉 Only Michael McIntire (who I think is only famous in the UK so not too exciting)- I did the whole “whoops *famous person* better change direction, oh no wait, I don’t want to go this way…” I think the temptation is always there, but normally it’s rude to run away from people, even if they’re famous 😉

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      • I know who Michael McIntyre is!!! Did you watch his text all feature on his show! I was in tears with laughter every single time. I once had Jack Dee as a customer when I worked at the airport. I know quite a lot of British comedians to be honest. I have books written by John Richardson and David Mitchell and I go to see Daniel Sloss every year. I have some hilarious pictures with him and his best friend … but I’ll miss his tour stop in Vienna this year. I am so devastated.

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  6. I love how you have worded your thoughts here on this topic. You’re so right. There are so many incidents where fans just take their obsession to an extreme. I mean there’s nothing wrong with it but one should also think about their idols. What’s the point of all that love if it’s disturbing the person you love you know.. So thankyou for sharing this post with us. I hope more people learn from this.

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    • Thank you so much for your comment! I wasn’t sure what the reaction to the post would be, because I didn’t want it to look like I was hating on fangirls. I am really not, but sometimes you just have to think about what you are about to do for a bit longer.

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  7. I have seen so many incidents where fans just take their obsession too far and to an extreme. I just don’t understand that kind of behaviour. So I completely understand what you mean about distancing yourself from fangirls.
    Personally I’m a fangirl when it comes to fictional things, like characters and stories (books, movies, tv shows, no matter what medium). BUT I never fangirl when it comes to real people, I never cared that much about the actors behind the characters that I love – honestly I don’t know most of their names. It’s the same for other artists (musicians etc) as well, I don’t even fangirl when it comes to authors. I don’t why that is, I think I just don’t care about celebrities in general.
    Great post Kat! 😀 (And sorry for rambling a bit there!)

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    • Never apologize for rambling. That’s what I do pretty much all the time.
      I do get the fascination with these people. When I was little I used to write letters to stars asking for autographs, but there need to be limits to that kind of behaviour, especially when you meet them in person.
      Good for you for not getting caught up in that sort of stuff. I am sure it makes things easier 😉

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      • I do get the fascination that other people have as well. I agree that there definitely needs to be limits when meeting them in person. Hahaha, yeah it definitely makes things easier for me in that sense! 😉

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