The transformative use of shame in fan fiction practices: A Directioner case study

Abstract

Shame is central to the experience of fandom, as especially seen with One Direction fans who once engaged with fan fiction. Within fandoms, real person fiction (RPF)—fictional stories created by fans of celebrities and public figures—is frequently deemed a more shameful behavior compared with fan fiction about fictional characters or with other fan activities like purchasing merchandise or attending concerts. Interviews with ten fans of the former boy band One Direction (Directioners) who engaged with fan fiction in the past illuminates the role that shame plays within their experience. First, we consider fan awareness of negative tropes about fans of boy bands and how these fans reflect on their experiences of being shamed by others in the past while simultaneously judging their past actions and perpetuating shaming of fans in the present. Second, we sketch how both in spite of and via shame, even RPF can provide a creative and generative space for fans to explore their feelings and build communities. Third, we look at how RPF and fan fiction broadly can act as a kind of peer-led sex education tool, aiding fans in working through feelings of shame surrounding desire and sex. We outline how shame denigrates fans while paradoxically also bringing them together.