Screaming, Crying, Writing Up: Literary Music Journalism Books as a Legitimization of Contemporary Fangirl Practices

Abstract

In light of the increased commercial awareness of fangirl culture in the last decade, this article critically analyses three books written by prominent woman music and culture journalists: Fangirls by Hannah Ewens (2019), Larger Than Life by Maria Sherman (2020), and Everything I Need I Get From You by Kaitlyn Tiffany (2022). Examining book content as well as promotional author interviews in the music press, I explore themes of legitimacy, emotionality, and academic capital, and consider how authors re-position both fangirls and themselves as “knowledgeable” within participatory music culture.