Amber's Connection With 1D
- shopyouresogolden
- Mar 29, 2021
- 4 min read
Hey everyone! This is Emily, the owner of this shop and blog! Today is our very first guest blog post! I am so excited to have a bunch of people write posts and provide different perspectives of their relationship with One Direction! I hope you enjoy this first post and subscribe to read more in the near future!
Hi! My name is Amber and I'm 28 years old. Feel free to refer to me as the mom of the One Direction/Harry Styles fandom because that's exactly how I feel.. and I'm completely fine with it. I've been a fan of One Direction since 2013 and my introduction to them was pretty random. It was a few months before Midnight Memories was released so the boys were doing a lot of press for the album. Now, before we go further, I should let you know that I did know who 1D was before 2013. Who didn't? I had just never really given them a chance. 2010-2012 was a pretty busy time in my life so forming an obsession with a boy band just wasn't in the cards. Now, back to 2013, I was in the grocery store one day and saw Harry Styles on the front of a tabloid magazine. I don't remember what the (probably fake) headline was but I do remember thinking, "wow, Harry Styles has really grown up!" Once I got home, I sat at my computer and typed in One Direction on YouTube. I spent hours watching music videos, interviews, funny moment compilations and whatever else I could find. From that day on, Harry and the rest of the 1D boys completely took over my life and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My life since that day has been a chaotic roller coaster but 1D has always been a constant.
I got made fun of quite a bit by “friends” and a (very toxic) ex-boyfriend for “being a grown woman who likes a boy band” but I really didn’t care. Lucky for me, my now boyfriend of six years understands and even likes listening to Harry/1D with me.
I feel bad for people who don’t have a connection to an artist like I have with 1D and especially Harry. They won’t ever get that their music was sometimes the only friend I had.
For my birthday in 2015, my mom and sister bought me tickets to go see 1D at their On The Road Again tour. Side note, my mom is so supportive of my obsession. It’s really cute. Sadly, my concert was after Zayn had left 1D but I was still so excited to go. So in August of 2015, my boyfriend and I drove an hour to the stadium. Yes, my boyfriend went with me and I thought it was the sweetest thing in the world. He took a picture of me walking in the stadium and I don’t think I’ve ever seen myself with a bigger smile on my face. Our seats were great and I had a lot of fun talking to some of the people sat around me before the show began. When the fireworks announced the start of the show and I saw the boys walk out on stage, I started crying (which my boyfriend took a video of). I was just so happy! The show was absolutely amazing. Someone in the crowd had brought cookies and Harry spent a good three minutes talking about them. He even offered to give the tupperware back! I wish it was possible to relive events because I would relive the concert everyday if I could.
As we all know, at the end of 2015, One Direction announced their “hiatus”. I knew in my heart that it was more than a break and I was heartbroken. While we would always have their music and all the videos on YouTube, there would never be any new content from 1D together. As scary as that was, I was excited to see what the boys would do as solo artists. Fast forward to now, 2021, I can happily say 1D breaking up was for the best. I can’t imagine a world without their solo albums!
While I love and religiously listen to every album each of them has put out, Harry’s has always connected with me most. I don’t know if this sounds crazy but Harry taught me a new way of living life. A lot of bad things have happened to me since my childhood and I always hung onto a lot of anger and resentments. I can proudly say these days, I’m not that person anymore thanks in part to Harry. He’s always been a kind, happy person who reminds his fans that the simple act of kindness can change everything. It’s really hard to put into words what Harry has done for me and my life by just being himself. I’m sure you all understand though.
Before quarantine, I felt kind of stuck. All I did was work and lost interest in a lot of my hobbies. This past year, being stuck inside has not only got my Harry obsession at an all time high but also because of him and his fans, I feel so much happier despite what’s going on in the world. I started writing again (possibly a fanfic, we’ll see!) I also started journaling as an outlet for my feelings. But most of all, I reconnected with the fandom. Harry Styles fans are some of the nicest and most understanding people and I’m glad I’ve been able to connect with others who share my interests. I could go on for days about Harry and 1D and what they mean to me but I think by now, you’ve gotten the point.
If anyone would like to reach out, my socials are below. I’d be happy to hear from you!
TPWK always, Amber.
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