(Don’t) Meet Your Idols
Fantasy and reality collide in boyband YA literature
What would happen if you met a member of your favorite boyband?
In reality, probably very little worth writing home about. You might ask for a photo, and they might say yes. They might smile as you say thank you and your voice shakes, because they are real and in front of you — online, your friends reblog and retweet photos of the same smile that’s now directed towards you and you alone. You might tell them you love them, and after the fact, you will not remember if they said it back, but it doesn’t matter, because at least you said it, you got it off your chest, this electric feeling that consumes you. The entire interaction will last less than two minutes—and you will think about it forever.
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