As a teenager in the 90s, a lot of shame was attached to loving a boy band. It was the most uncool thing you could do. Britpop was cool, grunge was cool and in other circles R&B was cool — pop music was decidedly not. 

I loved Blur, Oasis and The Cranberries. I loved Brandy, Aaliyah and TLC. But I Ioved Take That*, too. I tried my best to hide that part, but when I inevitably failed I got teased to no end. 

So I became a closeted fangirl. But it has always remained fascinating to me just how agitated people get about girls who like pop bands. This project aims to show what being part of a fandom has meant to me personally, how it can empower young girls and how it runs a lot deeper than you might think.

*In case you’re American or young: they were the biggest and best British boy band of the 90’s!