FANGIRLS

An appreciative assessment of how “girls and young queer people create modern mainstream music and fan cultures with their outlooks and actions.”

VICE features editor Ewens probes the phenomenon of fan bases comprised primarily of girls and women, an important subculture within the music industry that she believes is misunderstood. Often, writes the author, the experience of fandom feels like the gathering of a like-minded collective with the unique ability to empower and identify with each other and to “scream alone together.” Ewens covers a wide swath of territory: holding down a sleeping bag in a ticket line at a London venue at 3 a.m.; interviewing older devotees of Courtney Love and Amy Winehouse as well as sexagenarian Beatles groupies; and watching the allegiant “emotional assembly line of girls” after a solo Frank Iero (My Chemical Romance) concert. The author expertly brings out the reality of their passion and devotion, and she reveals the often underappreciated interdependent relationship between musicians and fans. Adding a personal layer to the narrative, Ewens writes about her teenage years spent longing to “self-define” with connections to artistic cultures, specifically music, which seemed to buffer “everything hideous that was happening to me as a teenage girl.” The author also explores how fandom can blur sexual boundaries, and she zeroes in on the celebrated fan bases of certain megastars—e.g., Lady Gaga and her cherished “little monsters” and Beyoncé and her “Beyhive” collective. Refreshingly, Ewens shows readers that it’s not all wristbands and official merchandise. Somberly, she discusses the fervent fears of parents for their obsessive daughters, particularly in light of events such as the 2017 terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, which killed 23 people. Offering a welcome new perspective on music fandom, the author effectively captures the solidarity of fans bound by their love of music.

An illuminating, sympathetic, and cautionary celebration of superfans, young and old.