This is another post that will discuss how boy bands have come to be an implicit religion with their work being a major contribution in empowering women & making the latter feel a higher sense of connection with the bands themselves.
A major part of the boy bands' appeal is their very ability to validate the otherwise disregarded feelings of the teen demographic that worships them so dearly. It is arguable that the Directioners as well as the 5SOSFam views one, if not all the members as their almighty leader. To these fans, the boys are idols who creates not only a safe but also supportive environment for the former to express their raw emotions and passions. This imagined community is created through various means, one of the mains being the music the band produces.
What Makes You Beautiful
Firstly, the elevation of One Direction to the status of "God" is in part due to their unwavering crusade to empower young women all over the world. The lyrics of the hit above by One Direction are significant as they draw upon the insecurities of teenage girls and in turn, try to make them feel secure and good about themselves. The lines "Don't need make-up, to cover up, being the way that you are is enough" speaks volumes to teenage girls as what is not to love about five dreamy boys singing positive and cheesy songs when you are in the adolescent stage of insecurity and self-discovery. Girls at that age would obviously feel encouraged and more confident in themselves because their idols are telling them that they are enough. Overall, the lyricism of "What Makes you Beautiful" is basically predicated girl-worship, which is in a way beneficial for boosting the self esteem of every girl out there.
Girl Almighty
With the above being said, One Direction has undoubtedly made it their ‘core mission [to sing] to girls about how excellent they are’ (Sheffield, 2015). “Girl Almighty” off their most recent album is a 3 minute and 21 second devotional from One Direction to their fans. The use of religious terms in the lyrics are clear, as it incorporates words such as light, saviour, believer and the title itself, “Girl Almighty”. "I’d get down, I’d get down, I’d get down on my knees for you" is one of the key lyric that is repeated throughout the song. Therefore, the song makes clear that the boys of One Direction have not only fallen in love with the Girl Almighty, but that they also worship her. Altogether, “Girl Almighty” uses the same logic that the band does in their hopes to make young women feel powerful, so much so that the popular hit was used in a fan organized charity drive for Women’s Aid, a charity that helped to support women and children suffering from domestic violence.
5 Seconds of Summer
While One Direction lyricism is predicated girl-worship which allows their fans to feel secure, 5 Seconds of Summer pen songs about girls’ feelings and experiences themselves. Hence, this is undeniably the next stage in this fandom culture: One Direction wrote songs to make fans feel good about themselves, meanwhile 5 Seconds of Summer are writing songs about why they need those songs in the first place.
Jet Black Heart
This especially correlates with the band’s second album, Sounds Good Feels Good, and the single "Jet Black Heart". The lyricism of the song deals with insecurities typically associated with adolescence: anxiety, depression, and feelings of inadequacy. Moreover, the music video corresponds with the song very well too as it serves to democratize the fan experience by placing the boys of 5SOS and the fans in the same shoes; in the video, everyone is all teary-eyed, and singing the same somber song, at the same time, in the same way.
Broken Home
Similar to “Jet Black Heart”, this song by 5 Seconds of Summer speaks volumes to teenage girls from broken families. When fans hear the lyrics to this song, it is highly likely that those who can relate will feel better about themselves; some fans, if not all may even adopt the mindset that the boys of 5 Seconds of Summer are the only ones that understand them which results in feeling a sense of connectedness to the latter on a whole new level.
All in all, the boy bands' ability to make girls feel important is one of the key factors in their elevation to the position of the modern messiah. I shall end this blog post with a quote by Rob Sheffield from the Rolling Stone; although the quote is directed towards Harry Styles alone, I feel that it is applicable towards each and every member of both One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer.
"Every limb of his body is an instrument he uses to express to girls how happy he is to bask in their presence" (Sheffield, 2015).
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