A Love Letter To One Direction

Dear One Direction,

I remember when I first discovered you guys. I was doing some very intense youtube browsing, and somehow, one way or another, ‘What Makes You Beautiful’ was in the related videos section. I clicked of course, noticing a thumbnail of a very attractive blonde boy, and after the three minutes and twenty-seven second video ended, the rest was history. I did my research, and went out that night to buy a teeny bopper magazine full of posters for my wall. That was five years ago.

I was younger then. And during those years I spent all my time doing something related to you guys. I had blogs. I had twitters. I had an album on my phone dedicated to pictures of you. I remembered pointless facts about you guys and kept up with all the inside jokes and fandom drama that was the highlight of my days. I stayed up until three in the morning to listen to radio premieres on school nights to hear the first ever play of your new songs. I collected posters and magazines and books and T shirts, with your faces on them, to show my support, and my folders and notebooks usually had your faces and names on them as well.

My sophomore year of high school I bought a concert ticket over a year in advance to see you live. I waited impatiently for over 600 days, and constantly talked about it. When I finally saw you guys in concert, the day after my sixteenth birthday, my world felt like it was spinning. Here I was, finally, in the same room as you, singing your songs and screaming loudly with thousands of people who felt the exact same way; it was probably one of the best days of my life.
Did people find me annoying? I’m sure. Was I categorized as just another crazy fangirl? Probably. But what people didn’t understand was that you guys were there for me when nobody else was. My early high school years weren’t the best time in my life, but you guys, without even knowing kept me going. I met some great people, some who I still talk to today while in college, and it’s one of the very best things ever. You guys kept me with something to look forward to and I cannot thank you enough.

I’m older now. Your posters on my wall have been taken down or covered with something else. My pile of magazines has been thrown away, and my blogs dedicated to you no longer exist. My school supplies no longer have your faces on them, and I don’t listen to your music much anymore. You guys don’t dominate my brain and my interests, and I don’t talk about you guys endlessly to anybody who’ll listen.

You’ve all been going your own paths now and releasing your own music. You have families, and children, and movie deals and I am beyond proud of each of you. You all have come so far. It was an honor listening to your music and being a part of a fandom, and watching you guys grow up. I feel like I watched you all turn into men and adults, not even realizing that I was doing the same thing right along with you.

I will never be ashamed of the time I spent being a fangirl of you guys. You will always have a special place in my heart, and I’ll look back on you with the fondest of memories. Catch me crying at the reunion concert, that’s a promise.

Sincerely, an old fan.