How To Fangirl As An Adult
Because the fangirl life truly chose me.
Hey girl, I’m JM – a 27-year-old corporate marketer and over the last year, I’ve stepped back into fangirl life, and it has brought so much enjoyment I didn’t realise my adult years had been missing! It’s kind of like a piece of myself was inserted back into my brain, and across the internet, it feels like there are many people out there who’ve experienced or are experiencing something similar. So I thought I’d share my little pocket-sized guide of what I’ve learnt about how to start fangirling as an adult.
Maybe you’re new to fangirl life or you’re a retired fangirl looking to get back into it as an adult. Perhaps you’re confused about where to even start. I’ve got you, girl – let’s stop crashing out and get locked in.
Step 1: Understand There Is No Age Limit to Fangirling
Your adult life goes on for a pretty long period of time, so really there’s no age limit to how old you can be to be a fangirl. If anything, I think it keeps you young at heart. We live in a society where certain age brackets expect you to act a certain ‘adult way’ and being a fangirl seems to be something savoured for the youth. But this is a complete misconception of how fangirl life can be enjoyed! So now that’s clear, let’s move onto the next step.
Step 2: Be Prepared for Fangirl Life to Take Over
Fangirl life is more than just an obsession, and sometimes it takes over everything. When you’re an adult with probably a job and responsibilities, it feels like everything is a side quest taking you away from your full-time fangirl-hood! You daydream about how great it would be if your favourite band came to town whilst mindlessly booking your next meeting, or practise an internal monologue you hear from your favourite episode spoken by your favourite character whilst you cook. It’s like balancing a ‘Hannah Montana’ lifestyle of who you want to be versus who society expects you to be. But, the good thing is – there is a way to balance both! Which actually is the next step.
Step 3: Be Ready to Commit, Whether Publicly or as Your Own Dirty Little Secret
Fangirl-hood isn’t a lifestyle, it’s a mindset. Whether you’re public about your fangirling or more on the down-low about it, your level of commitment is purely up to you. No pressure because everyone’s got their own thing going on. There are a few practical solutions to do this:
Join a community! Whether IRL or online:
There might be local meetups near you or Discord servers for like-minded fangirls. It’s an opportunity to openly (and safely, at your own caution) be able to fangirl with those who just get it!
Make your own content:
You may have heard of a show or book series that’s inspired fans to create some incredible fan edits and artwork! Not only does this encourage others to get involved with the narrative but some people have even used this as a way of creating portfolio work to land a new job (usually in the creative field). Kudos!
Get your friends involved and see if it’s something you can also bond over:
Adult life often comes with rare opportunities to meet up or coordinate with your busy adult friends, but this could be a good way to make your next meetup a themed activity or event. Think ‘Brat Night In’ or ‘Pink Pony Club Pottery’ or even ‘Cottagecore Brunch’.
Step 4: Embrace the Cringe
Like I said, it’s a mindset and not a lot of people will get it (boring). But what matters is, you enjoy it and you feel part of something. Fangirl life feels like a big part of my identity, and chances are if you’re also reading this – it might be similar for you. Don’t let other people yuck your yum. As long as you set your own healthy boundaries by being safe on the servers and at meetups, or not digging into your expenses to purchase the entire fandom merch, and not over-prescribing the lifestyle to people who may not be open to it, you’re setting yourself up for a good balance in being an adult fangirl – without letting it consume you.
Step 5: Just Have Fun with It!
There’s really no limit to how to live your best fangirl life as an adult, but if it’s something meaningful to you – then at least give it a try! From one ex-retired fangirl to another, may you enjoy fangirl life for a long time to come.
