Every Sunday night my family endures the screams of agony, crazed laughter, and demented cries that emanate from our basement. The source of the commotion? Me. The cause of the commotion? The television show Once Upon A Time.
Once Upon A Time follows fairy tale characters and their real-world counterparts as they try to break a curse placed on them by the evil queen. Over the course of two and a half seasons, I have become emotionally attached to the show and its characters. Some people may consider my fixation on the show to be “obsessive,” but I would like to see anyone get through watching (spoiler alert!) Rumpelstiltskin’s death without having a mental breakdown.
In this era where the hipster mentality reigns supreme, teenagers can suffer from the belief that caring is uncool and effort is lame. Investing enthusiasm and energy into something nowadays is viewed with derision, and the object of any heightened attention becomes an identifier. Being enthusiastic about school makes you a “nerd.” Being enthusiastic about a celebrity makes you a “fan-girl.” Being enthusiastic about life just makes you “hyperactive” or “spastic.” As an overly excited, hyperactive fan-girling nerd, however, I can assure you that it is much better for life to be a rollercoaster than a merry-go-round.
Once Upon a Time is not the only thing I neurotically enjoy. As a 17-year-old girl, I obsess over many things: Jennifer Lawrence, ice cream, Harry Potter, Facebook, cookies, anything written by John Green, Buzzfeed, Frozen, and chocolate, (just to name a few). When I spot any of the aforementioned items or people, I tend to go a little coo coo for cocoa puffs. More often than not, people regard my behavior with disdain and excessive eye rolling. Either they are mildly disturbed/frightened by the way I can stuff three cookies in my mouth at once (which is true), or they think I am trying to get attention (which is not true). When you love certain things as much as I do, there is no shame in your actions.
The most encouraging part about my obsessions is that there are other people who are just as addicted as I am. I have made countless friends over our shared interest in Harry Potter, and my favorite part of the week is when I discuss the latest episode of Once Upon a Time with a fellow fan. Yes, I can be over-the-top at times, but where’s the fun in being a part of a community if you don’t devote yourself wholeheartedly to the cause?
So I am proud to call myself a ‘Oncer,’ i.e. the affectionate title for a person who fanatically follows Once Upon a Time. I am proud to be a nerd. I am proud to be a fan-girl. And I am proud that I am not afraid to be my overemotional, unrestrained self. My fervor and passion for the show and for everything else in life is as strong as Prince Charming and Snow White’s love, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. p
