Professional Fangirl

The "professional fangirl." Tyler Oakley, considered one of the vlogger elite, has been a sassy content creator for Youtube since 2007.  His devotion to pop culture, his fandoms and taco bell are part of what makes him my favourite youtuber.

Tyler Oakley first starting blogging while studying at Michigan State University. He started making videos to keep in touch with his friends that had moved away. He would have never thought that he would become such a big name on Youtube, with over 850,00 subscribers to date. He says he doesn't really have a formula for how he makes his videos - they just happen. His videos vary from opening fan mail, to talking about the latest gossip about Darren Criss and One Direction, to many different challenges he does with other youtubers, such as the chubby bunny challenge, the baby food challenge, and many others. He does many collaborations with some of my other favourite youtubers, such as Kingsley, Joey Graceffa, Jack and Finn Harries, Marcus Butler, and many others. Tyler is even part of one of my OTPs (One True Pairs) - Tyler and Darren Criss.

From being a Youtuber, Tyler has gotten many oppurtinites. He often shows up on Youtube's "What's Trending," and  work for the Trevor Project - a non-profit organization that focuses on sucidie prevention among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. Tyler is gay himself, so this organization has been very close to his heart.

People often wonder why I love Tyler Oakley so much. Part of why I love Tyler and his videos is because he is so open and honest. He doesn't hide his sexuality, and is okay with people knowing about who he is. He doesn't hold anything back, and is committed to who he is. Another reason why I adore Tyler is his connection with this fans. He is connected to all the main social media networks - Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. He loves to communicate with his fans and even responded to one of my questions on Tumblr! He is very current and talks about the things all the rest of us fangirls want to hear about. Many people who aren't on these social networking sites, mainly Tumblr, will sometimes not understand the words and sentences he is saying. Such as "omg I can't even stop it with your face," "asdfghjkl," "can I sit on your face," "I can't even," and many more. Because I consider myself a fellow professional fangirl, I understand Tyler and his videos. Of course, he does recieve hate, because not everyone in the world are as accepting as we hope. In an interview, Tyler was asked about how he stays 100% himself and committed to who he is. He responded: "I've seen people claim that I'm putting on a lisp to seem gayer or that I talk about One Direction because it might get more views—I just don't have time for that."

Tyler is a great role model for all of those people who are having trouble completely being themselves like Tyler has been throughout his Youtube journey. I hope he continues to make more of these hilarious, entertaining and amazing videos. Some are more serious, some more goofy and silly, but all one hundred percent Tyler.

The 'Ordinary' Celebrities

Mike "Boogie" Malin, Parvati Shallow, Herbert "Flight Time" Land and Nathaniel "Big Easy" Lofton, and Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas. They were all normal people, like all of us, who wanted to make some money and acquire a little bit of fame. From Big Brother, Survivor, The Amazing Race, and many other 'game shows,' they've become celebrities in their own way. Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas become 'famous' after their Big Brother debut and showmance, and then went on to the Amazing Race. They were ordinary people beforehand, living their normal lives. So why go on one of these shows? Maybe even a bigger question, why do the producers and people who create these reality TV shows want ordinary people?


Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas

 We all want our 15 minutes of fame, whether it be good or bad. I think I speak for most people when I say we all want a taste of what the celebrity life could be, the glitz and the glam. We feel as if these reality TV shows will give us this taste of fame, and potentially make us celebrities. Some say it's for the experience, to satisfy their love of competition and adventure, or for all the prize money. But we all have an egotistical side to us. Wouldn't it be great to have your name out there and be known, while still acquiring all this money and experience? Or even pursuing your dream on a show like "American Idol?" I think this would be amazing - I am admitting to my egotistical side. I'd love to be famous - but I'd realize the cons that come with it as well. I think part of being on TV and becoming your own celebrity is not giving in to what others want or giving up part of your morality to please the viewers. There is baggage that comes along with signing up and joining one of these types of shows, and I think people have to realize this before deciding already - I want to, and will, become famous.

Seeing a celebrity in public is exhilirating and amazing - you can go take your picture with this celebrity, talk to them for a bit, and this humanizes the celebrity. They are people too. Seeing any average person walking on the street is not exciting. You don't stop every person you see on the street to take a picture. So why do producers and creators of reality TV shows want ordinary people on their shows, when reality TV with celebrities creates more interest and publication for the celebrity? One reason is we can relate to the people on these shows.They could be us! This is one of the reasons why casting directors get a variety of different people on these reality TV shows - black, white, gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, etc. The more variety of people their are, the more variety of audience members will be able to relate to these characters.

But how do these producers create an interest in ordinary people? The producers create interesting, unusual or unexpected situations using many different tools. One main tool is alcohol. When under the influence, the alcohol alters the way you react in a certain situation - whether it be a better or worse reaction (a worse or more dramatic reaction is what the producers want). The producers creatively edit these situations, so they become more dramatic, tragic, comedic, or whatever other kind of mood they want to set. Often reality TV is junk food for the brain, so we don't pay attention and really think about if the situation that we see is the situation that actually happened. Another way the producers create an entertaining show is by doing something called niggling. The entertainment business explains this as simply giving 'guided questions' to the participants. What niggling really is, is a producer or camera person who subtly coaches contestants, and asks leading questions to try and induce drama. They make small comments about what is hapenning and about the other participants, that more often than not rile up the other participants. This creates a false situation for the audience to see, and the participants often complain about this way of creating an entertaining show. Sorry, but it's part of the business.

I don't know if I would want to become famous from one of these shows, that many people do win by luck and a bit of strategy. I would want to become famous for something I'm proud of, like my music. But my egotistical part of me says well, I would really want to become famous for doing anything, really. Which side to give into if ever given the oppurtinity? Still not quite sure.

"Directioners are the deadliest of all fandoms" - The Retired Directioner

I am a retired directioner. Obsession is one word that comes to mind when I think of that time in my life. Passionate, crazy, wonderful, and irrational are also others. Being part of the "Directioner" fandom was interesting and entertaining. I learned a lot about myself, about other Directioners, and the most about these five boys that made up the band "One Direction." I don't regret this time period, but simply reflect on the times I had. The laughs, the tears, mostly the tears, and the uncontrollable love I felt for these five british and one irish boys.

Fandom, according to Urban dictionary - "The community that surrounds a tv show/movie/book etc. Fanfiction writers, artists, poets, and cosplayers are all members of that fandom. Fandoms often consist of message boards, livejournal communities, and people." I think there is a lot more to fandom then this definition. We are a community that becomes a family at one point. In these community, we build relationships with others based on one main fact about each other - are undenying love of this celebrity, tv show, etc. It's a way to make friends, have a different social life than that in your family and school, and have a sense of belonging. Us fangirls and fanboys are what fuel the celebrity system. The Star System creates an image, fan magazines circulate the image and create general interest, the fan clubs react to these images by expressing their interest and supporting the Star System, then the Star System creates what the fangirls* want. This triangle of media creates a system that works, and has been working for quite a while now. We all need each other to function. Directioners are definitely part of one of the most dedicated fandoms in the world right now - I don't even know how I got out. I consider myself a retired Directioner because of my obsession reducing to a very subtle interest on what's going on in their life now. Directioners are often considered some of the most deadly, obsessive, and most passionate fans out there.

The activities that I would engage in were much more parasocial then I led myself to believe. I honestly felt like the boys knew me and understood me, and I definitely understood them - it got to the point where I could recognize the boys by just seeing their chins. I knew deep down that this was in fact a parasocial relationship, but I really felt like the boys knew me and understood their fans, just like how I thought I understood them. I liked tons of pages on facebook about the boys with pictures and the latest gossip, followed multiple tumblrs dedicated to One Direction, and followed all five of them and their crew on Twitter. I would talk to these twitter, facebook and tumblr users, obsessing and 'fangirling' about Niall, Harry, Zayn, Liam and Louis. Who had the whitest teeth, the best hair, the hottest girlfriends, etc. I bought a One Direction pillow case, One Direction jewellery, posters, magazines, and so many other things that I thought at the time were great ways to spend my money. One activity that my other fangirl friends would  like to participate in was to hate on The Wanted fans - the known enemy of One Direction. All the fans would get involved in these Twitter brawls between members of both bands, not something I personally participated in, and things could get quite heated. The directioners always seemed to win. This is one of the main reasons why we are considered the deadliest of all fandoms.

It was great being a fan. It introduced me to a whole new social circle and new music. I would have never heard of the band Little Mix if it weren't for Zayn Malik's girlfriend, Perrie, being a member of the group. I felt a sense of belonging, and that no matter what happened in reality, I would always have this parasocial relationship that nobody else could control. I had never been so devoted to something or someone, except for my own music that I create. There were downsides to being a fan. I often felt excluded from the fandom and felt like a 'bad fan' if I hadn't seen the latest interview, hadn't watched their latest music video, or hadn't heard their latest song. Sometimes, I would get sad for no reason, realizing for a moment that really, these boys will never notice me. They will never know who I am. Never really appreciate how much I supported them. I knew this was healthy for me and my parents encouraged it, but not long ago I realized I had to stop. I was spending too much time on these boys and needed to get back to reality. So, this is why I am a retired directioner. It was fun while it lasted, and I will still always love them (especially Niall), but time to get back to reality. One thing though - reality is not as much fun.

*I am using solely fangirl to describe the people in these fandoms because I, myself, am a fangirl.

Double Standard?

After watching the movie "Teenage Paparrazo," I have a new perspective on the relationship between celebrities and paparazzi, especially the one between Adrien's crew and Austin's paparazzi friends. The paparazzi were angry and most did not want to be photographed or on camera, yet ridiculed the celebrities who did that not more than two minutes later...double standard? Expected response? Justified anger?

This is, in my opinion, absolutely a double standard. The paparazzi are quite defensive when it comes to their job. They believe that they are not 'stalking' these celebrities, only doing their job. They are risk-takers, enjoy the adrenaline rush they get when realizing they have just snapped a thousands of dollar worthy photograph, and know they need to get a scandalous photo of this celebrity. The 'paps' are devoted to their job, and are willing to go to extreme lengths in order to get the shot they need. Some celebrities put up with the paparazzi and their constant bright lights, and others can get very angry and aggressive - just look at Ron Galella and his experience with Marlon Brando. The celebrities often talk about how annoying, aggressive and invasing these paparazzi become. But don't the paparazzi do the same thing in this documentary, "Teenage Paparazzi?"

Adrien and his crew attempt to film Austin's paparazzi friends in order to get footage for the documentary. The paparazzi get very angry with Adrien, saying that they don't want their whereabouts to be known, and that they would not like to be in this documentary. Austin even goes to the length of telling the camera crew to move over a bit while filming him in a van, so that a couple of his friends further away won't know that the crew is 'with' Austin. The paparazzi felt like this was invading their privacy and a few started to become angry with Austin. Yet the paparazzi were standing on the property of celebrities houses, in THEIR privacy. Ironic much?

I believe that this is completely a double standard and ironic. The celebrities don't like their privacy being invaded by the paparazzi, and the paparazzi don't like their privacy being invaded by the documentary crew. The paparazzi were getting angry while also invading someone else's privacy, so the documentary crew was correct in believing at first they would have no problem being photographed and being put on video, because they were doing the exact same thing at the same time. This footage put the paparazzi in their place. At public event, show premieres, etc., it is fine for celebrities to be photographed by the paparazzi - that is one of the main reasons why they are at this PUBLIC event. That's much different then the celebrities leaving their house for pizza with their family, or driving their children to school. The paparazzi often called the celebrities hypocrites for not posing for the cameras and getting angry at the 'paps.' So aren't the paparazzi also hypocrites for calling other hypocrites for what they are doing? The paparazzi were not justified in being angry and yelling at Adrien's crew, if they were not okay with the celebrities doing the same to them. The paparazzi see this as justifiable, but Adrien sees it as a double standard. If the paparazzi defended their right as journalists to take pictures of these celebrities, then they should have respected the documentary crew as journalists to video them.

LIE STRONG

Lance Armstrong - not long ago, the words that would come to mind were strong, winner, survivor. Now, our descriptions of Armstrong have completely changed - liar, disgrace, dishonest. Lance Armstrong, seven time Tour de Franc winner, lost his endorsement deal with Nike Inc. after admitting to using performance enhancing drugs through all seven of his wins in the Tours de France.

Lance Armstrong was one of the main faces for this sports brand - they were also huge supporters of his charity, Livestrong. Nike even created the Livestrong wristband, with about 80 million being sold and worn by many important people. It was intended to raise money for the Livestrong Foundation which supports cancer research, because Armstrong is a cancer survivor himself. I believe that Armstrong, at the time, was a great match to have an endorsement deal with Nike - he had won the Tour de France, and was obviously fit and strong, which is what Nike represents, since they do sell lots of sportswear. Armstrong was the perfect fit for this brand.

How Armstrong lost this deal, it went agains the idea of Nike Inc. Lance Armstrong was accused of taking performance enhancing drugs during his wins in the Tour de France. Nike stated that, with great sadness, they would terminate their contract with Armstrong after these accusations. Armstrong claims that only minutes before, he stepped down as chairman for the Livestrong Foundation to seperate it from the whirlwind of what was going on in Lance Armstrongs personal life.

I believe this was the right choice for Nike to make. Their brand is about sports, and living a healthy life, where Armstrong cheated and didn't participate honestly, while living an unhealthy life. I believe that many agree with me that this was the right decision for Nike - after this scandal, those who had purchased Livestrong bracelets to support the foundation crossed out the V on the bracelets, so they now said "LIE STRONG." Nike would have definitely lost many, many buyers and fans of the brand if they had kept their contract with Armstrong, including myself. I also believe that Armstrong's decision to step down as the chairman of the Livestrong Foundation was the best thing to do. I believe this because all of this drama would get in the way of what was really important about the foundation - helping those who are sick and in need.

Nike, smart move.

How Did He Get Here?

He's had a number one album on the Itunes US Charts, he has performed on many shows such as Ellen Degeneres and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and all while being an independent artist. This is Ben Haggerty, better known as Macklemore.

Haggerty was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and always had a love for music. His first stage name was Professor Macklemore, but later on changed it to solely Macklemore. He started to make his own music when he was 17, and recorded his first album in 2005, "The Language of My World." He only became recognized by his first full length album, "The Heist." He doesn't hide much in his songs throughout "The Heist" - in "Same Love," he talks about gay marriage and the rights that we all have. In "Jimmy Lovine," he ridicules record contract politics, reassuring his independancy in the music busniess.

Haggerty is fairly new to the hip hop world, and his image is very strong. For those who only know Macklemore as the thrift-shop, silly rapper who wears fur coats and sings about Goodwill, his image is one who does not take rap seriously and enjoys to have fun within the music business. To those, like me, who have taken the time to listen to both of his albums, his image is independant and that of a warrior. In one of his songs, "Starting Over," he speaks openly about his battle with drug and alcohol abuse. In my opinion, his image is strong and really reflects on who he is; someone who has been through a lot, has the scars to show it, but has gotten his life back together.

Haggerty has performed multiple times on many popular TV shows, as mentioned above, such as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Saturday Night Live, and many awards shows. He is very interactive with his fans during these public apperances, and even has an annual fan appreciation pizza party, with chances to meet and see a Macklemore concert. I believe that Macklemore is a great role model - he has made a name for himself in the music business without giving in to any major record label, has many inspirational songs with such emotional lyrics, and will continue to make great music in the future.