Shame and Pride

When we look under adolescents' beds we sometimes come across things they don't want us to find: an R-rated disc hidden beneath a pile of clothes, the receipt for a $100 pair of jeans they weren't supposed to buy, the ticket stamp from a club they weren't allowed to go to, the dry remains of a beer bottle... but sometimes it is more than just one thing. What if it were several things locked away from prying eyes? To relate it to our topic, let's bring up a Directioner who I know.  Beneath her bed, there is a large plastic container filled with One Direction-related items. There are not only magazine clippings but random photos printed from the internet, many photoshopped images with her next to a band member, dozens of hand-drawn pictures of the band members with their names scribbled repeatedly on tiny sheets of paper. It is her One Direction Chest. No one is allowed to go near it without her permission. It is for her eyes only. When did being a fan stop becoming a way to identify yourself and become extroverted, and when did it turn into something that is hidden away- not only in yourself- but in reality only for your eyes to see. Why do some fans hide away their precious merchandise in tiny dark corners under their beds while others stick up posters over every inch of their walls? Why do some people view their fanship as something shameful that needs to be hidden away and others as something proud that can be displayed anywhere? What encourages a person to spend hours downloading and editing pictures of One Direction off of the internet, only to end up tucking it away where it won't be seen? Obsession is taboo: fact. However, not every fan has an obsession; some are merely aficionados in their field of interest. How many individuals see the hate that other Directioners are getting on the chat-boards and comment sections of videos, then turn around and isolate their hobby from the rest of their lives: as if it is a cancer that needs to be isolated and kept under constant watch? What causes a person to react in shame vs. pride when asked about their likes and dislikes?
Until next time, 1Directioner Post, out.