GeniesLoki

You know how some people are *really* into being geeks and proudly declare they're geeks and are super into things specifically because they're geeky and it's just incredibly cringe, especially if you're also a geek? I feel like a lot of identity labels work like this.

If someone asks me "are you a fan of x?" x being a band, author, tv show, whatever, even if I like the thing, I feel compelled to say, "well I like some of their songs/books/etc but I don't know that I'd call myself a 'fan'." This feels like that. I'm not cut out for fandom.

I'm the same, but I think for me one thing about fandom is the passive nature of it as a consumer of goods created by others. The things I enjoy most are the things I can actively do in some sense: if I learn a language I can speak it, if I garden then I can make a garden...

This is a very male coded notion of fandom though. The feminine coded version of fandom *is* actively engaging with the work (fanfiction, craft, cosplay, etc)

Maybe for some women. My experience with women and e.g. pop fandom though, one of the most common kinds, is that it mostly revolves around being a passive follower. How many boyband followers write fanfiction or cosplay? Maybe crafting is a bit more common....

Hmm that's true. This is more of a fiction fandom than a band fandom thing. At any rate, regardless of gendering, I think point is still that alternate forms of fandom exist than passive consumption.