The Truth About Girl Crushes
I’ll admit it, I like girls. No not in a romantic type of way, but as women I’m betting we’ve all had those moments where we struggle to suppress our infatuation with a particular Hollywood Actress. Her perfect hair, memorizing eyes, the way she does her makeup, her style, her tight-toned physique, and what the hell, maybe even her life. What is this distinctly complicated feeling you ask? You are probably guilty of having developed what is known as, a girl crush.
The admiration of others is a part of life, and it teaches us how to find role models we can marvel at without seeming too “obsessive.” It is far from abnormal to have harmless attachments to other people. Growing up we go through the many phases of our first celebrity crushes. May it be a boy-band heart-throb from ‘NSYNC, or an older sophisticated talent such as Leo DiCaprio, there is no shame in this innocent endearment. Preteen girls often find comfort and personal connections to pop stars and actresses. We all do it, so there’s no reason to hide it or be ashamed of it. I can guarantee even the most hipster chick you know has girl crushes, even if she denies it.
There are a couple different layers of girl crushes. As famous YouTuber Jenna Marbles explained in one of her videos, there are levels of intensity that a girl crush can be categorized into. I’ve come up with my own version of this, with my own criteria.
The first level is called Fangirl. This is someone whose work you admire. Someone you may look up to for inspiration in many aspects of life such as fashion, or specific virtues they may possess. You’ve seen all the movies, or bought every album, and are obsessed with pretty much everything they have ever done. This type of girl crush qualifies as someone you wish you could be best friends with in real life. Maybe it’s Jennifer Lawrence, who seems super down to earth and hilarious. You may find yourself identifying with her awkwardly adorable demeanor while fanatically watching her red carpet interviews.
The second level of a girl crush comes down to the mantra of “I would like to be you.” This is the type of infatuation where envy plays a trivial role. One day you’re casually surfing the web, and suddenly find yourself looking at pictures of Blake Lively on Google Images for longer than you’d like to admit. She’s hot, there’s no denying it. The final level of girl crushes is not a joke. This can be labeled as “please adopt me and teach me your ways.” Like if I had the opportunity, I would drop everything and hangout with/and or transform into you, or your child. No matter what movie or show they are in, you are willing to go out of your way to see it. At this level your crush is no longer a secret, the truth is out and your friends and family are aware that you would possibly trade one of them to meet this person. Although realistically, you feel like you already do know this person.
You don’t have to be romantically attracted to a girl crush, or maybe you are and that’s great too. At least come to terms with the fact that every girl has some level of a girl crush on someone. There is a reason every Wednesday there is a trending topic called “Women Crush Wednesday” on twitter. It’s not just a “girl” thing either, guys have man crushes too. So don’t let a guy make you feel strange for having Kristen Wiig as your iPhone background. Don’t apologize for hanging a poster of a hot actress on your bedroom wall, but instead celebrate your role models for helping you believe in something; anything. Continue to appreciate the greatness of women, and fully embrace your inner girl crush tendencies.
Megan is a student at Michigan State University. She’s addicted to television and caffeine. She loves reading, writing and making people laugh. Follow her on twitter: www.twitter.com/megansweet57.
Featured Image via Shutterstock.
