Australia is bracing for a storm with a forecast of glitter and stadium-shaking screams, but not everyone is ready to dance in the rain. <\/p>\n
Next month, Harry Styles-mania will arrive in Sydney and Melbourne with massive shows; however, alongside the excitement, some Aussie fans are preparing to confront a familiar double standard. <\/p>\n
While young women screaming every lyric will inevitably be dismissed as \u201ccringe\u201d, grown men wearing sweaty football jerseys hurling abuse at refs in the very same stadium seats are hailed as passionate. <\/p>\n
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However, for fans like Manekha Balgobin, the negativity has never managed to dull her passion.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people sometimes struggle to understand how much something can mean to you when they\u2019ve never experienced it themselves,\u201d Ms Balgobin told news.com.au. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been a Harry fan for years, and some of my happiest memories, biggest adventures and closest friendships have come from loving his music. But when you\u2019re a woman who is passionate about an artist, there\u2019s often this assumption that you\u2019re obsessed rather than people recognising that it\u2019s something that genuinely brings you happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through her love of the British singer, she\u2019s found lifelong friendships, travelled the world and experienced moments she otherwise wouldn\u2019t have.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s been in the crowd at over 70 of Styles\u2019 gigs, including his current residency stop in New York\u2019s Madison Square Garden this week. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think women should be allowed to love things loudly and unapologetically. We spend so much time worrying about how we\u2019re perceived that we sometimes forget we\u2019re allowed to be excited about life,\u201d Ms Balgobin said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf something brings you happiness and connects you with people who make your life better, why should you ever be ashamed of that?\u201d <\/p>\n
Unfortunately, people have tried to make her, and other fans she is close with, feel that way in the past. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think the comments that stick with you are the ones that make you feel silly for caring so much. Whether it\u2019s being told you\u2019re wasting your money, that you\u2019re obsessed or that you need to get a life, it can make you feel like you should be embarrassed about something that brings you genuine happiness,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
She also believes gender plays a significant role in deeming what is or isn\u2019t considered cringe.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think anything associated with women has historically been dismissed as superficial or irrational. When men are passionate about football, for example, they\u2019re seen as dedicated and loyal, but when women travel around the world for concerts, they\u2019re often labelled obsessive or crazy,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs someone who loves both music and football, the double standard is hard to ignore.\u201d <\/p>\n
According to new data commissioned by Kingpin, 41 per cent of Aussies have been teased, judged or made fun of for being a fan of their favourite artist. <\/p>\n
The study also found 53 per cent have formed a meaningful connection through a shared love of an artist or fandom, and one in five have made lifelong friends, proving it to be the antidote to modern loneliness. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe need more safe spaces where women can share what they love without being judged. That could be online or in-person communities, fan meet-ups, book clubs or just a group chat with friends who get it,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Several Aussie businesses have found unique ways to embrace the fandom fever, particularly when big names arrive on our shores to tour.<\/p>\n