The Critical Stans Episode Four: “The Science Behind The Boy Bands”

Join The Daily Vox journalists SHAAZIA EBRAHIM and FATIMA MOOSA every week as they chat all things fun and serious around fan culture, fandoms and what it means to be a stan. They’ll be destroying tropes around the supposedly traditional hardcore male football fan and the manic pop culture fangirl; covering everything from football, Young Adult fiction to Beyoncé and Kpop. Living in the fanworld as women of colour who are avid consumers of all things fan-related means that it is impossible to ignore the politics of these things. And that’s what the Critical Stans are all about.

In this week’s episode, we are chatting all things The Boy Band. Boy bands are one of the most interesting and fascinating musical acts. They are able to reduce grown women (and adolescent girls and everyone else) into screaming fans. So why do boy bands have so much power? We delve into the science behind our favourite boy bands like One Direction, Backstreet Boys and Westlife and examine the formula these groups follow to enthral us.

Produced by Sipho Hlongwane.

If you missed our last three episodes, check them out below.