InDesign, Fall 2024
“It’s Not a Phase!” is a scrapbook l created by remixing a magazine about black athletes from the white south in the 1970s. I designed this book to emulate a typical fangirl’s scrapbook with vibrant and pastel colors along with decorative feminine stickers. The girly aesthetic contrasts the subjects of traditional and well-respected masculine figures. Even without ever mentioning the presumed female teenage creator, it is easy to conclude her identity. The scrapbook contrasts with the established male fan base who often view merchandise as an extension of their idols and would religiously maintain its perfect condition.
I wanted to draw attention to the double standard set against female fandoms even though both genders participate in community building, patronize their idols and advocate for their character. Only fangirls are labeled as being “obsessed” and “crazy” while male fans receive societal acceptance. I chose my subject to be athletes because sports has a predominantly male audience and the scrapbook challenges men’s elite idolization by changing the identity of the admirer.
The athletes’ legacy remains the same but the gravity of their influences seems to be lifted away by the light-heartedness of the foreign female fan. Because the aesthetic is not typically associated with sports, the attention is shifted onto the creator whose bold playfulness of the merchandise clashes with male fandom’s endearment and worship of inanimate objects. Established upon this point of view, the fangirl is being sensible in her use of merchandise as she acknowledges it as merely pieces of paper free of use to her liking, while male fans' reluctance in using them reveal the bible-like status men decree on these pieces of pictures.
The scrapbook ends with “beautiful way to celebrate” to remind the reader that scrapbooking is just a beautiful and creative way of admiration. It is not an exclusively female activity when both genders can come from healthy admiration and be less susceptible to toxic idolization.