The Backstreet Boys perform in Charlotte, N.C. on Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2017. / TFL – Karah-Leigh Hancock
You know what I’m talking about – the misconception that Backstreet Boys fans are nothing but a bunch of crazy fangirls who think they are going to end up marrying Nick Carter or Brian Littrell, have their babies and live happily ever after.
[AdSense-A] That might have been true in 1997, but it’s 2017 – almost 2018 – and we are a long way from the daydreams of fangirls/fanboys.
The Backstreet Boys fandom is made up of at least 95 percent adult women and yes, even some men. We are professionals who have jobs, families, husbands, wives, children, pets and, well, maybe too much free time on our hands, but everybody has a hobby, right?
Do we think these five guys have been perfect their entire lives? We know that’s not the case and they will be the first ones to tell anybody that they aren’t perfect (although Howie’s hair… but that’s another story). They have had their demons, their pitfalls and drama throughout their lives and have shared most of it with us.
We don’t love these guys and take up for them because they are cute or handsome and can dance good.
We love and respect these guys for the men that they are and the men that they have become over the past almost 25 years. We have met them, talked with them and some have been lucky enough to see and talk with them outside of their “Backstreet” time. Some fans have gotten to know the guys on a one on one basis so well that some of the guys know our names, our hometowns, our occupations and even remember to wish us happy birthday, even if it is on Twitter.
[AdSense-A] The Backstreet Army is just that – an army. When someone comes after one our soldiers, we join forces and do what we think is right. We’re not a fandom, it’s a family.
And we can be called crazy, or BSBzombies or whatever nickname that can be used against us, but we stand stronger for what we and the boys have done. (Yes, that’s a pun on “Everyone.”) We have been there in the down days, where people made fun of us for being Backstreet Boys fans. (“They’re still together? Come on, grow up!”). We’ve been there through all the trials and tribulations (thanks Brian for those terms).
So when someone tries to make us believe something that we know in our hearts isn’t true, we might question it for a minute, then look at the facts and make our decision. We make our decisions not because OMG, Nick is like so hawt, but because of the man we know him to be. We make the decision because we are adults who know right from wrong, truth from deception.
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.
– Buddah
