Beliebers
Justin Bieber, a famous popstar from Canada, has a large fandom called beliebers. This fandom is mostly made up of females but there is also a large number of boy beliebers. Justin has a large following with 266 million followers on Instagram and 113.7 million followers on twitter. Justin Bieber’s fandom came about in 2009 when he was discovered by his manager Scooter Braun on YouTube. Before fame, Justin Bieber performed for his church and on street corners and uploaded these performances on YouTube. Beliebers are very loyal to Justin and have done some crazy things to prove it.
Video of Justin Performing Before Fame
Merchandise
Justin Bieber releases new merchandise when he goes on tour and sometimes on other special
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| Fans camping out |
occasions. This merchandise consists of many different products including clothing, perfume, bedding, and jewelry. When his merchandise is released, beliebers go crazy and begin buying as much
merchandise as they can. Chen states “In a buyout, Beliebers descend in a biblical swarm on a store that sells Justin Bieber CDs. They buy out the entire stock, two or three copies per girl if they've got the cash” (1). The fans then normally donate the extra CDs or give them to friends. These buyouts are the reason Justin’s CD sales are always high. The buyout that Chen attended was organized by a fan page named “BieberArmy” (1). BieberArmy is a very popular fan page that I have been following since I’ve had an account. Many other fan pages host these buyouts all over the world.
Justin Bieber Merchandise
Crazy Fandom Facts
Beliebers have a history of doing insane things for Justin’s attention. One fan spent over $100,000 on plastic surgery to look like his idol Justin Bieber, this look took him 5 years to attain (3). Another crazy thing that Beliebers have done in the past is self-harming in an attempt to get Justin to stop smoking weed. Young fans posted the harmful images on social media and it quickly became a trend. O’Reilly stated, “The hashtag #cutforbieber began to trend on the site as dozens of gory images were posted by fans to the singer to appeal to him not to take drugs” (3). The fans posting these gory images were mostly minors, young girls. Some of the photos were from websites and were not real but there were a large number of photos that were legit. This trend came to a stop quickly and twitter took down all of the images.
Stalking
Just like every celebrity Justin is constantly being watched by fans and paparazzi. Justin Bieber has been harassed and stalked multiple times in the past which includes fans following his vehicle and even showing up at his house. Due to the constant presence of fans and paparazzi Justin has bodyguards with
him 24/7. Justin's director of security states that “Bieber's fans have matured as they've gotten older and are now less likely to tear him limb from limb whenever they see him” (2). Most of Justin’s fans have stayed loyal throughout the years and grew up with him, as a result the fans are now more mature and act normal when they meet him. Although most of his fans are now more mature, Justin still finds himself dodging crazy fans weekly.
How I contribute to the Fandom
Ever since elementary school I have been a fan of Justin Bieber. I would beg my mom to buy me his posters and other merchandise. Growing up I continued to buy all of his merchandise and hang posters on my wall. I wore Justin Bieber clothes and decorated the inside of my locker with pictures of him. I know so many crazy facts about him after being a fan for so long like the time he was born and who his doctor was. I know his blood type when I don’t even know my own-crazy right? I don’t even remember how I learned these things, but I’ve known these crazy facts and many more since middle school. Of course, being such a die-hard fan came with some bullies, but I got through it. I am a member of many fan pages and I used to be in group chats with fans from all over the world. It has always been my dream to attend a Justin Bieber concert and it still is. My grandma bought me tickets to purpose tour in 2016 but unfortunately it was canceled due to Justin’s declining mental health. Today I am not really a belieber. I still listen to his music, but I am not a die-hard fan and I do not participate in buyouts anymore. It will always be on my bucket list to see him in concert.
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| Side by side of Justin and fan |
Beliebers have a history of doing insane things for Justin’s attention. One fan spent over $100,000 on plastic surgery to look like his idol Justin Bieber, this look took him 5 years to attain (3). Another crazy thing that Beliebers have done in the past is self-harming in an attempt to get Justin to stop smoking weed. Young fans posted the harmful images on social media and it quickly became a trend. O’Reilly stated, “The hashtag #cutforbieber began to trend on the site as dozens of gory images were posted by fans to the singer to appeal to him not to take drugs” (3). The fans posting these gory images were mostly minors, young girls. Some of the photos were from websites and were not real but there were a large number of photos that were legit. This trend came to a stop quickly and twitter took down all of the images.
Stalking
Just like every celebrity Justin is constantly being watched by fans and paparazzi. Justin Bieber has been harassed and stalked multiple times in the past which includes fans following his vehicle and even showing up at his house. Due to the constant presence of fans and paparazzi Justin has bodyguards with
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| Justin trying to eat while fans ask for photos |
How I contribute to the Fandom
Ever since elementary school I have been a fan of Justin Bieber. I would beg my mom to buy me his posters and other merchandise. Growing up I continued to buy all of his merchandise and hang posters on my wall. I wore Justin Bieber clothes and decorated the inside of my locker with pictures of him. I know so many crazy facts about him after being a fan for so long like the time he was born and who his doctor was. I know his blood type when I don’t even know my own-crazy right? I don’t even remember how I learned these things, but I’ve known these crazy facts and many more since middle school. Of course, being such a die-hard fan came with some bullies, but I got through it. I am a member of many fan pages and I used to be in group chats with fans from all over the world. It has always been my dream to attend a Justin Bieber concert and it still is. My grandma bought me tickets to purpose tour in 2016 but unfortunately it was canceled due to Justin’s declining mental health. Today I am not really a belieber. I still listen to his music, but I am not a die-hard fan and I do not participate in buyouts anymore. It will always be on my bucket list to see him in concert.
References
1. Chen, A. (2011, December 2). The unstoppable rampage of the beliebers. Gawker. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.gawker.com/5864603/the-unstoppable-rampage-of-the-beliebers
2. Lloyd, B. (2016, November 8). Watch: Justin Bieber discusses crazy 'obsessive' fans in New documentary clipB. Entertainment.ie. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://entertainment.ie/music/watch-justin-bieber-discusses-crazy-obsessive-fans-in-new-documentary-clip-256777/__;!!I1GahPdV!dEC9zM1bXvUFXB31n-vYIkaMqX3lx-YRIXD_x2D5zjKuRbrEYXIpBf1lukhYKFK2y0m8cZR1j8g4uHdnALKHxXw8_fww-1v6Y6rV$
3. Locker, M. (2013). Justin Bieber’s Number One Fan Spent Life Savings on Plastic Surgery to Look Like His Idol. Time.Com, 1.
4. O'Reilly, B. (2013, January 22). Disturbing 'cut for bieber' trend on Twitter as fans self-harm to protest singer's alleged drug use. independent. Retrieved November 20, 2022, from https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/disturbing-cut-for-bieber-trend-on-twitter-as-fans-self-harm-to-protest-singers-alleged-drug-use-28956213.html
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