From a some-what young age, I was introduced and exposed to the wonderful music of One Direction. With the rise of various other pop stars such as Justin Bieber, social media spared no time in keeping this fandom strictly for "tweens." So what does that mean for someone who is in college that just simply doesn't follow this category? If you love One Direction as much as I do, you may have noticed or even experienced some of these tragic occurrences throughout your years at college.
1.) You fear telling people who your favorite band is.
It's one of the simplest questions someone could ask to break the ice in college, yet it fills you with fear of being judged for enjoying this music. It is a moment of intense fear and confusion as you fight with yourself over how much you should reveal about yourself or if you are willing to reveal it and add in "but I listen to pretty much anything too".
2.) You hear one of their songs in public and you have to contain yourself.
It may have been common for you to freak out when you were home in your room, but now that room is shared and unless your roommate feels that same love that you do, you have to physically contain yourself.
3.) You have to keep your mouth shut as other people talk about the "facts" they know.
Yes. They are wrong, but when you love One Direction and you don't want others to figure it out, you learn to cry internally about the facts they have wrong. Just the thought of it makes me cringe.
4.) You are able to identity immediately who the One Direction fans are.
It's almost like fate. Whether you are just jamming out to your favorite song, or fangirling about the latest thing Niall did, you are able to quickly identify those who have the same love you do. Find these people, they will be your best friends because they understand what you are going through. Trust me, you cannot imagine the rush of looking across the room and finding a fellow fandom follower.
5.) You learn to ignore the above incidents (except #4).
You do you. College is all about getting to know who you are being accepted for the person you either were or have become. Do what you love (I guess in this case it is more of a listen to what you love). People will either accept and maybe even share in it with you, or they will reject it. The reality is that you need people who will support you in all that you love and not hate on it. Don't let anyone drag you down, you'll find that more often than not, #4 does actually happen. It is a beautiful moment.
