Most people would not categorise fangirling as feminist.

They look at the huge marketing machine behind pop acts, set up to make as much money as possible off non-discerning young girls. They look at the less-than female-friendly lyrics of some pop songs, and the less-than female-friendly behaviour of some pop stars. And they conclude that fangirls are powerless players in all of this.

That’s not the way I see them.

These teenage girls have created safe environments for each other at shows and have built activist communities online. They do exactly what they feel like, without explaining themselves or apologising. 

Instead of worrying about whether the boys in school approve of their appearance, fangirls take agency and become the ones choosing. They figure out what qualities they would like and dislike in a future partner. They express their sexuality freely, and as a community. 

Fangirls follow their own taste and judgement of what constitutes good and fun music, in spite of the patriarchal stigma attached to the musical and/or visual style of pop bands. 

They build powerful and sometimes decades-spanning connections with other girls who feel what they feel, validating each other’s normalcy and humanity.

To me, fangirls are utterly feminist.