Disney, Fandom and One Direction: An Interview with Fangirl Central

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Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004) is a testament to fangirls. The Disney Channel original movie features Lindsey Lohan making her way through high school and devoting all time and energy to her favourite band, the fictional Sidarthur. Eventually, her research skills and adoration for the band pay off and she galivants around New York City with the lead singer, the suitably named Stu Wolff, for one night. 

It’s the same kind of fairytale that Amber and Amanda Miller - the brains behind Fangirl Central - tell me they tried to achieve back in 2013 during One Direction’s Take Me Home tour. The sisters were tracking Harry Styles via Twitter updates accounts throughout Nashville, Tennessee, turning every corner thinking this could be the moment. They never quite caught up with him, though they did find the then-unknown opening act, Five Seconds of Summer. But of course, Amber and Amanda knew them. As I learn from our video chat, first and foremost, fangirls are detail-oriented.

Fangirl Central is a multi-fandom platform that includes a podcast, live shows and events. Born from a shared enthusiasm for fangirling, the duo’s backgrounds in entertainment, filmmaking and event-planning combined naturally to create a space for every kind of stan. Amber defines “‘Fangirl’ as someone who has dedicated so much to whatever art speaks to them. It can come off obsessive, but mainly passionate, and you can see how this art inspires their daily life.”

“I said this to Amber the other day,” Amanda continues. “I was a girl but I did not grow into a woman. I just grew into a person. I feel very passionate about fangirl culture, but the word ‘fangirl’ has become so disparaged as opposed to ‘fan’ or ‘fanboy’. A fangirl is someone who unabashedly shows their passion. So that’s why we’ve tried to reclaim the word, regardless of your gender identity. I wear it with a sense of pride.”

“Queer people and trans people are the base and foundation of a lot of fandoms, especially on Tumblr and online spaces and I hadn’t seen a lot of nerd, blerd or fandom media centred around queer and black people specifically,” notes Amanda. “We are queer and Black and we have shit to say.” 

It was the decision to make a short film - The Day I Didn’t Meet One Direction - chronicling that fateful concert day, that made the sisters reconsider the role of the fangirl. They played themselves; wore even the exact clothes, and released it for a friends and family viewing in April of 2022. 

“As the lights went down I said, ‘Amber, what are we doing?’” Amanda recalls, “This is the most vulnerable we’ve ever been.’” The film spoke to the audience, igniting the sisters’ decision to create a fangirl safe space. 

“We started to wonder - why did we stop fangirling so loudly?” adds Amber. “We exposed ourselves that we’re a little unhinged, but it’s okay. We’re also learning how to balance; being a good fangirl rather than a toxic stan.”

“Queer people and trans people are the base and foundation of a lot of fandoms, especially on Tumblr and online spaces and I hadn’t seen a lot of nerd, blerd or fandom media centred around queer and black people specifically,”

Thus began the One Direction drag king performance, the Twilight-themed Edward vs. Jacob show, and the ode to their Disney Channel-focused childhood, Disney Vortex. Disney Channel was the pair’s first experience of fandom, which led to a complex relationship with children’s TV channels as they grew older. Yes That’s So Raven and Sister, Sister existed, but at the centre of the programming was an influx of white centric media - Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen, the list is infinite.

Amber explains, “As a Black person, you really didn’t get many interests that didn’t take you out of the box of being stereotypically Black, so then the question is: ‘Why can’t I be Black and like what I like?’ The media only shows these token characters of Black people and if you don’t match up to that representation of the one person on whatever show you’re watching, then you’re not what folks think Black is.”

Navigating the fandom world as adults, the priority is placed on experiencing the intersectionality of the sisters’ identities - their vast range of fandoms included. Amanda muses, “It’s hard for people to wrap their minds around a Black person, specifically a Black girl, who has complex interests about media. Yeah, I like the Jonas Brothers and Doctor Who and I also shake my ass to Janelle Monae, it’s not one or the other.”

Through a decade’s worth of San Diego Comic Cons, Amber and Amanda have witnessed incremental improvements in the fandom world. They credit the growing number of Black attendees to the Black creators. 

Amber praises, “They’re working their asses off, trying to get stories on screen and it’s pulling people out of their houses to say, ‘Hello, I like this too. This is for me. I claim that content.’”

Amanda affirms, “And now navigating those spaces I feel like I’m unabashedly who I am. This year at ComicCon we had pink and purple hair. We were dressed super girly. I think I would have been self-conscious of that in previous years because I was trying to prove that I could keep up with fanboy culture.”

Reclaiming one’s girlhood and honouring our inner child has been a hot topic of the internet this year. From TikTok therapists to Barbie movie fans, there has been a loud celebration of our younger selves. The sisters contribute with their platform through their funny, thoughtful discussions. Listening to the Fangirl Central podcast feels like sitting in your middle school best friend’s bedroom and the sisters manage to extend this feeling into real life interactions through screenings, live performances, parties that only play Glee covers and yes, definitely a television show and movie. Community-building, they say, is the pinnacle of fangirl culture. 

Fangirl Central’s recent screening of Confessions of A Teenage Drama Queen brought in an audience full of fangirls, as well a decent amount of newcomers. By the time the credits rolled, everyone in the room felt like friends. Amber enthuses, “We want to continue that euphoric sense when we have our events. The ‘I’m here for this because I thought I couldn't be loud about this anymore in my mid-twenties.’ Come on over and act a fool with us. It’s allowed.”

After our call, Amber and Amanda Miller had to get ready; they had a Jonas Brothers concert that night.

Words: Hannah Benson | First collage image: SamK | Second collage images: Evie Westwood, Hollywood Picnics