It's not surprising that the thought of boybands reminds me of being a 12-year-old. Exploiting the heightening sexual desires of young teen girls (heteronormative), boybands and artists alike are marketed to be desirable and affectionate towards them, driving consumerism and often times to the extremes of obsession. For my primary school graduation performance, my class danced to One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful" 🙈. I don't remember how the dancing went, but I think we can all agree that the song choice was absolutely apt for 2013. This is the kind of nostalgia I wanted to capture in this playlist!
The force behind us fangirls shouldn't be dismissed and ridiculed. We were (and are) the catalyst for the success of countless boy pop sensations. This phenomenon was increasingly apparent when we were graced with one of the biggest boyband ever, One Direction. From dominating social media platforms to inspiring books and movies, Directioners redefined what it meant to be a fandom. In another subculture of fangirls, the early years of 5 Seconds of Summer reignited the "glamour" of being a groupie. Although not technically a pop boyband, 5sos followed the quintessential heartthrob marketing formula, focusing on similar demographic.
From JLS to Why Don't We, take a listen to my Pop Princes playlist below, if you'd like to relive my graduation day with me 😜.
2000s teen babe Jesse McCartney
Boyband from Nickelodeon's
Big Time Rush
