As I get ready to go to Disney World, I’ve been thinking about my path to becoming a professional fangirl. I’ve gone to the most meet and greets in Disney theme parks, so I have no doubt that’s where my interest in posing with famous characters and people came from. It goes back for so many years that my first meet and greets were not captured on a digital camera. After all, it was the early 90s!
I’ve also spent more than a year talking to super fans of Kim Kardashian and more recently, Taylor Swift, daily. This made me want to reflect on my personal history of relationships with pop culture icons. Let’s go back, shall we?
Barney
Before I built a personal brand as the girl in the red jeans, I loved all things purple. Between the clothes, videos and stuffed animals, I basically collected Barney products.
In middle school, I took on a new Barney project: re-selling new VHS tapes. I bought them at a phenomenal bargain price and sold them on sites likes Amazon and eBay. It was a challenging time to do this because VHS tapes were being phased out. I’m not sure how much $$$ I made, but it was a good way to learn about e-commerce.
Disney
The magical world of Disney was something I embraced early on and never moved away from. As a kid, I loved classic Disney movies like Cinderella and The Lion King, and I had Disney themed birthday parties. I bought Disney clothes and that hasn’t stopped! I can’t resist walking into The Disney Store whenever I’m nearby and I’m not afraid to admit it.
In the MIT program, we critically discussed how Disney influences kids. It made me rethink some of the concepts and characters of my former favourite movies, but I’m still a big fan and continue to be impressed by the company.
I’ve always been super keen to spend time at Disney theme parks. In February, I’m taking time off work to go back to Disney World rather than explore Europe. I think that says a lot, but how could you not like walking around places inspired by fairytales? Seeing the shows and going to character dining is amazing. By the end of my next trip, I’ll have spent about a month of my life at Disney!
Spice Girls
I started fangirling over people who were not fictional as soon as the Spice Girls released their first music. I bought their albums, lollipops, notebooks, dolls and more.
Confession: each lollipop came with a sticker and one day I came up with the so-called brilliant idea of putting those stickers on my dresser drawers. I scraped them off in high school, but if you look closely now, you can still see remnants of the stickers! Ugh. Can’t wait to replace my furniture in the next phase of renovations.
I’ve seen a lot of great concerts, but my favourite live music experience of all-time was seeing the Spice Girls’ reunion tour. I loved every single song, outfit and performer. I went to the show with a friend from arts camp, and she brought a sign and face paint to really get us into the spirit!
Mary-Kate & Ashley
I absolutely adored Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. I watched their TV shows and rented or bought their movies. Like the Spice Girls, I also got Mary-Kate and Ashley dolls. I also read their official autobiography and memorized every detail. Those twins were the epitome of cool when I was growing up and they’re at the top of my list for celebrities I’d like to meet.
Shania Twain
Shania Twain has been my favourite singer for a long as I can remember. She was my first concert ever and my first major meet and greet. I’ve actually met her twice, but unfortunately, she always has a very strict photography policy so I can’t show you a photo of us together.
Serena Ryder
While Shania took time off in the 2000s to focus on her personal life and health, I discovered another great female Canadian singer: Serena Ryder. We met on the set of her All For Love music video and I’ve been a loyal fan ever since. In fact, I put her on the cover of the last print edition of Hot On The Street. I recently saw Serena perform live at the Danforth Music Hall and I’m eager to see her again soon.
The Hills
Today, Lauren Conrad is simply another celebrity I follow on social media. However, when The Hills was on the air, it was one of the first reality TV shows I found addicting. As a result, I started watching The Hills After Show on MTV Canada and that’s how I discovered Jessi Cruickshank and Dan Levy, who I’ve featured on the blog many times. Most importantly, The Hills introduced me to PR powerhouse Kelly Cutrone who inspired me to launch this blog!
Kardashians
This is a big one because my world currently revolves around the Kardashian & Jenner family. The Hills was a good foray into watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians and not just because of the Brody Jenner connection.
On one sunny Saturday afternoon shortly after I graduated Western, I came across a KUWTK marathon on E! An episode description said that the guys in the show were coming to Toronto, so I was intrigued. Then I got hooked and ended up watching marathons every Saturday for months to catch up on old seasons.
Fast-forward a few years, I got lucky enough to get a job working on Kim Kardashian: Hollywood and the Kendall & Kylie game, so now I think about them constantly! Outside of work, I’ve met Jonathan Cheban and Caitlyn Jenner, which was so much fun.
That sums up my history of becoming a professional fangirl. Thanks for reading!
Note: I excluded certain celebrities, namely my other favourite musicians and TV shows, from this list for a reason. I want to have something to talk about on my next date, you know?