Now won’t it be interesting to have this course or subject? “Accounting for Fandom”. It may even deserve its own line-item on financial statements, something along the lines of “Travel Expenses – Fandom” or (let’s just go straight to it) “Assets – Fandom”. Wait, you know what’s coming next, right? Yes. “Liabilities – Fandom”.
(Fanboys are also covered in this post, just so we’re clear. I am simply going with “fangirling” and “fangirls” for ease and convenience.)
It costs money to be a fangirl. I should know. I have spent a sizable amount of money on fangirl-related stuff: concert goods, merchandise, CDs/DVDs, magazines (that I’ll probably never be able to read and understand in their entirety, but oh they look so pretty!!), pamphlets, booklets, uchiwa (those fan thingys with celeb’s faces on them), clear files (that I will never use, to be honest), apparel… goodness, the list just goes on and on.
They start out small, really. In the beginning, you make do with magazines and posters, then the CDs or DVDs, then you work up to official concert merchandise. You know it’s truly serious when you even book flights to fly to their country to watch their concert. Oh, and did I mention that, somewhere in there, you close your eyes and accept the fact that you are paying 5x the actual cost of the concert ticket?
Yes, if you are an Arashi fan, or you know one, you’d have heard of this scenario. It’s not a scenario, though; it’s real.
I’ve experienced it firsthand.
But wait, why do we spend on fandom?
Simple. Because the things we spend on make us happy. Shallow, you say? How is that different from boys spending money on their 10th car, or some people getting the newest iPhone when their previous three iPhones are still in excellent working condition? How is it different from some women buying luxury bags and shoes that cost as much as the annual salary of a laborer?
It’s because they derive pleasure from having those things, right?
It’s basically the same concept when it comes to fandom spending. Looking at all those pretties make us happy. Watching and rewatching concert videos make us happy. Browsing through magazines with text we don’t understand, but filled with photos and posters make us happy.
Ask a fangirl what her most prized possessions are, and you might get some answers along the lines of concert merchandise, a shirt from a brand that they wear, their CD/DVD/Blu-ray collection… there is always at least one on the list related to fandom, and it is most likely to be close to the top of the list.
Never ask a fangirl how much she spends to feed her fangirling addiction. You’re just asking for trouble. (Well, unless you are also a fangirl, then you’ll end up commiserating with each other.)
I remember a news clip in a local channel showing fangirls of One Direction in distress over how their concert tickets for the Manila leg of their world tour are running out. They (their parents, especially) were in obvious pain at how expensive they are, and how they are willing to spend that much over a single ticket just so they can see Harry and co. Waterworks and dramatics filled those video clips.
My reaction (and probably other Jpop/Kpop fangirls): a shrug, then “story of my life, sweetheart. Welcome to my world.”
You see, I’ve been around that block one too many times I’ve simply gotten used to it. At one point – I don’t know when- it ceased to matter. Or we just mastered the art of compartmentalization. Spend now, hate yourself later. Much, much later.
Fact: If I add up all my spending on my fangirling, I’d probably be very rich now.
But you know when they say you should “spend on experiences, not on material things”? This, in my opinion, is me spending on those experiences. So, in a way, I consider myself wealthy.
Let me tell you some of the reasons why (and this is from the point of view of a fan in the Philippines).
- There are only a few places where you can get authentic merchandise from JP artists. In Arashi fangirls’ case, it’s either cdjapan.co, yesasia.com, or hmv.com, or some sellers who live in Japan who, of course, also have to make some money off it. It’s business, after all.
- The Bureau of Customs are under the impression that Filipino fangirls are rich. Imagine paying more than the actual cost of the magazines you purchased just so they release your package to you.
- Simple. They are just more expensive. Period. And I mentally gripe at how some DVDs/Blu-ray cost more when they couldn’t even bother to put English subtitles on them. Just sayin’.
Over time, I have learned to curb my spending on fangirling. I banned myself from buying magazines (well, Arashi also happened to stop becoming regulars on Potato, WinkUp and other mags, so that helped too). I also decided to stop buying CD singles and just opt for full albums instead.
It takes a lot of work (and willpower, tons of it), but when I see photos of concert goods, I give myself a good talking-to and convincing myself that I won’t get to use them anyway, so “just limit yourself to at least 2 items”.
See? Who said fangirls don’t have self-control? (I can sense your eyes rolling, right there.)
Part of me is grateful that my fangirl phase started when I was already earning my own money. Imagine how painful it would be if I were to keep begging my parents to finance my fandom indulgences. I doubt my folks would budge, then I’d probably be constantly at odds with them.
After all that, despite all that, fangirls only have one thing to say.
“No regrets.”
If you ask me, I won’t stop fangirls from spending their money on their fandoms. In fact, I’d say go for it.
But, at least make sure it is your money, and you’re not going in debt because of it. Seriously, that’s… not good. (Take it from a bean counter like me, haha!)
Know your limit, and always make sure you get your priorities straight. Fangirling may be a huge chunk of your life, but it’s not your entire life, know what I’m saying? Enjoy it; by all means, spend money on it. But never get buried by it.
No regrets.
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