I don’t really know how to begin this article because I have a feeling many people are just going to brush past it because they think One Direction is so mainstream. And while, yes, they do get a lot of media attention, I don’t think it’s a crime to enjoy a band that has a large fan base but also gets a lot of negative views from people.

I started liking One Direction my freshman year of high school in 2011 (I know, it’s been a long time), and I’ve been following them since they started becoming really famous. It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions.

It’s so hard to put my feelings for this band into words because I’ve spent a solid five years of my life listening to their music, tweeting at them, and seeing them in concert. Though coming to college I’ve slowed down on keeping up with them, I nonetheless still love this band. It might sound so dumb to some people who don’t like them. “They’re so unattractive and their music sucks. Why do you still listen to them?” I’ve heard this comment so many times directed at me and, honestly, it really hurts.

This is the one band that I feel I’ve been truly devoted to, and when people tell me that the five (now four) guys that have made me smile uncontrollably, laugh, and cry are disgusting and can’t sing, I get offended. I feel like I want to defend them because, honestly, they can sing; I’ve heard them sing in concert three times, and I think they’re all extraordinarily handsome. My boys are incredible, and I’d love to see them in concert again.

I also feel like I have a special connection to Harry Styles just because he has been my “favorite” from the very beginning. Favorite is in quotes because I really love all of them, but Harry just makes me smile a tiny bit more. He gets the most media attention of all the boys, and when I tell people he’s my favorite, I usually hear, “Oh, of course he is.”

What most people who don’t bother learning about this band don’t know is that the boys donate a lot of money to a variety of different charities. Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne created a charity event, Believe in Magic Cinderella Ball, for all of their young fans who are terminally ill. Louis, who hosted the event, donated 2 million pounds to the Believe in Magic charity, and Liam donated 50,000 pounds to get his face painted at the event. Other bandmate, Niall Horan, is known for donating to various different charities as well.

Harry even took time out of his touring to visit a 3-year-old girl named Campbell Hoyt battling spine and brain cancer, at her home in Warren, New Jersey, whose only wish was to meet him. Harry didn’t even tell anyone about this meeting and did not want it to go public. Of course, though, this story did not surface in the media, and instead, the only story about him was what girl he was pictured leaving a club with.

I know saying that One Direction donating to charities doesn't automatically make them angels on earth, but the media attention that is constantly drawn to them does not always put them in a good light. This band has even saved the lives of some teenage girls struggling with depression, and they have created so many friendships between girls on Twitter and other social media sites. I myself have made some great friends on Twitter who happened to live 30 minutes away from my house. We ended up meeting at one of their concerts, and then numerous times after that.

I’m sitting here in my bed writing this article and looking up at my wall with my few One Direction posters that I still have and refuse to take down. So no, I don’t feel bad that I’m an 18-year-old girl and still enjoy listening to One Direction’s music and being a fan of theirs. This band, no matter what anyone says to me, will always be my favorite and hold a huge part of my life.