Today people refer to obsessing over something as “Fangirling.” Fangirling, which Urban Dictionary defines as “the reaction a fangirl has to any mention or sighting of the object of her affection. These reactions include shortness of breath, fainting, high pitched noises, shaking, fierce head shaking as if in the midst of a seizure, endless blog posts, etc.”

Fangirling has spread across the world through music, books, movies, Sci-Fi TV shows, K-Pop, and anime, causing the fandom world to grow. Fandoms are very loyal networks of people dedicated to various multimedia. Sophomore Allison McCarty loves sharing her passion for anime with her friends.

“I love trying to get my friends into my fandoms because then I can obsess about my favorite things with other people,” McCarty said. “Anime is just entertaining to watch; it’s something anyone can enjoy no matter the age or gender difference; anyone can be a part of it.”

Anime is a term for Asian animation. It usually originates in Japan or China, and includes multiple arcs, exaggerated situations as main story plots, and has the setup of a regular TV show. Lately, anime is taking more prominence in America and capturing hearts of fangirls across the country. For years, TV has been airing anime that’s made in America including, Teen Titans, Young Justice, and other superhero-like  TV shows. Despite anime’s popularity, it isn’t the only type of television production capturing fangirls hearts.

Movies based off of nerd culture have been topping the charts lately, especially Guardians of the Galaxy, Catching Fire and  X-Men: Days of Future Past. These movies can attribute their success to the fangirls and nerds that take part in the movie’s massive fandoms. Sophomore Maddy Davis still likes to spend time watching movies, even when her life gets busy.

“I still try to watch movies at the theaters,” Davis said. “It’s always fun to hangout with your friends and watch a movie with a huge screen in your face. Lately, I haven’t been able to go, but I’m planning on going back soon to see everything, like how I did during the summer.”

This year has been full of movies, especially during the summer. Divergent, Hunger Games, and The Fault in our Stars were all summer blockbusters. Major book series and adopted screenplays based on young adult novels have topped the movie charts and the bestsellers lists, causing novel supporters to fangirl about their favorite books coming to life. Sophomore Faith Cox loves the book series Divergent, especially after the well executed-movie production.

“I really enjoy the Divergent series; I like how the books take me into another world,” Cox said. “I also like how the movie turned out; it wasn’t what I expected but it was still a really good movie.”

Thanks to fangirls, social media has blossomed into a whole other world on the internet. With the arrivals of Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram, they have been able to share their interests and obsessions without feeling alone. Because of the internet and social media, fangirling is only becoming more common.