aimless conversations: like an intermission where the band keeps playing

Male Fans are Victims of a Horrible Double Standard

CrazyBeef04:
I was in the car with my cousin Melissa and of course, I had Underneath playing. Now, my cousin really doesn't like Hanson (even though she admitted that probably the only reason she really really doesn't like it is b/c it pees me off :o) and that's fun for her.) I was telling her about this one really cool guy my friends and I met named Jake at the 2000 Myrtle Beach concert. I was telling her that he's one of the coolest fans I've ever met and this is what she said: "I can't imagine any guy liking Hanson unless they were gay."

What the h*ll? Why? Do guys have to be gay to have good taste? I don't know why she could be so narrow minded. I mean, she's into crap like Jessica Simpson and Jennifer Lopez (ick) and does anyone say she's a lesbian? No! So what's up with this crap about male hanson fans? They're great, and I love my cousin but that ticked me off worse than anything.

Hehe, now that you've listened to my rant, FLUFFY CHICKEN!!!

dfs915:
I agree with you entirely. To say that a guy has to be gay to like Hanson is an insult to Hanson as musicians, since it is implying that the only reason people like Hanson is that they're attracted to the band members. Does a guy have to be gay to like Hoobastank or Linkin Park? Why are most all-male bands "ok" for hetero guys to like, but this one isn't?

gimmejimi:
yeah there was a guy at the scranton show by himself and i heard people saying, well maybe his girlfriend brought him or maybe he's gay. what? or maybe he likes their music and wanted to enjoy it himself. he doesnt have to have been dragged by his girlfrined. he just likes hanson. its possible.

CrazyBeef04:
Yea, like, plenty of bands are considered "sex symbols" and guys as well as girls can like their music. Like, I think Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day is really hot. I don't like the band for that reason, but I think that anyway. When a guy likes Green Day, is anyone going to get all 1950s and question his sexuality? No. Why can't people just get over their stereotypical frame of mind? I don't understand!

CaptainAmerica:
I guess. Nobody says anything to me about it. Of course, I'm sure not gay and I look like I'd be more at home at a Danzig show than a Hanson show, so that's probably part of the reason. I don't go around crowing about how I listen to Hanson, but I don't "hide" it either. It's just a band I like, and sort of an anomaly in my top 10 bands since most of the stuff I listen to is...a tad more heavy. People don't really bug me about it, although I'm guessing if I was a little younger (high school age) I'd get bugged about it more.

CrazyBeef04:
Aw, that's really good. I'm sure it would be much worse if you were in school, because we all know how high school kids can be sometime, especially the boys, no offense to anyone! But I just can't believe my cousin could believe something like that.

moiseslopez:
i'm a guy fan and i'm not gay.... just cuz the music makes me happy doesn't mean i'm gay lol

LonelyDreams27:
my cousin vince really likes Hanson... I didn't even turn him into a fan... he's just really into their music and enjoys it. He's comming to 2 shows on this tour.. and like.. I just hope no one thinks he's gay... I hate how fans think... its so stupid.

Do fans just go to the shows cuz they think the guys are hot and that's their only reason? NO... most people go for the music... and thats what my cousin's going for... just like the rest of us.

pianoplayer0o:
i still think that ANY stereotypes given to ANY fans of this band have nothing to do with preconceived notions or anything, but how the person presents themselves. never in my 7 yeras of being a hanson fan has anyone given me a hard time about it. one of my best friends - who is a guy - loves hanson, and he's never been made fun of it or accused of being gay.

zeus22:
Most of the crap I get is from my brother. Other than that, it's not really too bad. I wear their necklace all the time now.

CrazyBeef04:
I don't get picked on NOW, I guess because people my age now really don't care. But when I was in middle school, I was picked on incessantly for it, so much that I went through a stage where I wouldn't wear hanson shirts or anything else to school. Hehe, that is until i met a bunch of fellow fans and we became known around the entire school as "The Hanson Gang." Just goes to show what Hanson fans can accomplish in groups. :o)

littlenicola:
Yeah, one of my best friends is now a Hanson fan 'cause I dragged him to a concert last fall...now he has all their CDs and went to a concert on his own volition...but he wouldn't buy a t-shirt...he said "I'd feel kinda weird wearing a Hanson shirt." Oh well, at least it's a start, right? I didn't "come out of the closet" for a few months after I heard TTA.

saphronstar:
I'm not a male fan, but I know guys who like Hanson....both gay and straight. It kind of wees me off to hear people saying things to the effect of it's an "insult" to hanson to have gay fans. Why the heck does being gay have to be such an insult or 'bad' thing? A friend I brought the other day to the concert is gay and he felt weird when one of the guys kept saying things like "I'm VERY straight!" and "Now don't think I'm gay" and stuff like that. It made him feel awkward like he was some stereotype for liking hanson and being gay.

PurpleDreams:
Do fans just go to the shows cuz they think the guys are hot and that's their only reason? NO... most people go for the music... and thats what my cousin's going for... just like the rest of us.

Well, you do find the ones who yell during the solo, "Zac, you're hot" but ya know...

But as for the topic of this post. I agree with CaptainAmerica's point. I think its not about being attracted to the guys. I think its more of a genre issue. You just don't find many guys who like the style music Hanson plays, at least I think. I think mostly guys like harder stuff, or like a completely different genre, like rap. But I'm a girl, so I can't really state any facts.

And also, I only know one guy fan, and he is bi.

saphronstar:
You just don't find many guys who like the style music Hanson plays, at least I think. I think mostly guys like harder stuff, or like a completely different genre, like rap.

Well, there is one guy I met from playing gigs together and I played some Hanson songs on my car radio one time without telling him who it was and he was like "That's really good. Who is that?" And when I said Hanson, he was first like "oh my god, did I just say a Hanson song was good?!" I was like "yep you did". And then he quickly got over it and admitted they really were good. And I'd known beforehand that their style would appeal to him, that's why I did that.

CrazyBeef04:
I met some guy in the drive thru (i work at wendy's) who was wearing a Deftones t-shirt, and I noticed he had TTA in his car. It made me very happy, and also made me realize that I'm not the only eclectic hanson fan.

And about thinking it's an insult to be considered gay, you totally misunderstand me! I didn't mean that at all; in my opinion and beliefs, there is absolutely nothing wrong with homosexuality. I just don't like it when things are stereotyped, and I thought it was a very narrow-minded comment my cousin made. Just like when you come across a black person, admit it: do you usually assume they listen to hip-hop? That's...kind of the same thing, I guess.

discombobulated:
Well, it works the opposite way. YOu know there are people out there that like Hanson based on looks alone. Maybe that's why your friend thought the guy hanson fan was gay. My sister is a perfect example on liking any type of music based on appearance alone. That's not right. My friends brother is gay, and he's the same way the only reason he likes hoobastank, and incubus, and good charlotte is based on looks. That's not fair. It's all stereotypes and double standards. The bottom line is you should like an artist based on their work, not based on their looks.

freshspringroll:
hanson's fanbase is something that really, really interests me... the complete female domination is rare in a band that do actually play instruments and write songs...

i'm still not sure why there are so few male fans. i think it is partly to do with prejudices and misconceptions... e.g. at the tulsa show i went to on this tour, the crowd was actually almost 50/50 male & female... because so many of their friends, tulsa fans were there... who i guess, respected hanson for what they are before they made it big.

i have asked past boyfriends of mine to give me a reason why they dislike hanson's music... 'taylor's voice' is an answer that crops up a lot... i guess it isn't 'manly' enough for some guys, considering the other, far harder, bands they are into. but then... look at justin hawkins from the darkness... his voice is fairly ah pooh high, lol.

so i'm still left without answers really.... is it just a confidence thing? is it that many males actually do like the music, yet are just not secure enough to say it? or is it that they actually do not enjoy the music? if it is the latter, it is all the more intriguing...........

yeah, as i said... it interests me. for all the guy fans here (yay, lol) - what is it for you that makes hanson's music appealing? surely it isn't anything very different to us girls... the ones that care about the music, that is.

littlenicola:
i have asked past boyfriends of mine to give me a reason why they dislike hanson's music... 'taylor's voice' is an answer that crops up a lot.

My husband repeatedly pokes fun at Taylor's "whining" and "mumble mouth"...he'd much rather hear Isaac sing a lot more. I don't know if it's a guy thing or what or if it boils down to personal preference (I prefer Isaac's voice, too).

freshspringroll:
i guess isaac does have a more 'listenable' voice. taylor's voice is something that you either like or dislike i think. the thing that non-fans don't like (whining/lack of articulation et al) probably equates to what fans actually like about his voice and would call passion.....

PianoRock:
I know exactly what your saying. My boyfriend is a Hanson fan and everyone makes fun of him and asks him if he really wnats Taylor. It's horrible, he just has good taste in music! People are just narrow minded and enjoy pissing Hanson fans off.

EveryWordISay:
I'm a guy but I am gay. I have liked them since 1997 though and I really only like them because of there music. Sure Zac has become quite good looking lately, but I really am a fan of the music, thats it.

faerieclaire:
i found myself noticing this tour that there were quite a few guys in the audience. at the houston show, i was standing next to a guy who told us all he was "over 21, straight and a hanson fan." he also said he was an h.net memeber, but i never caught his user name.
i have to admit...i was assuming most of the male audience members were boyfriends. i know that's horrible and i don't doubt that some of them were there on their own will, but when you have a fan base that's 97% female... you also have to look at the way hanson is portrayed in the media. just go read through newspaper headlines on the news page, and you'll see what i mean. hanson audiences through journalists eyes are still a bunch of screaming teeniebopper girls - all it takes is one screamer to throw us all back into that classification. it's one of our curses and until either we can pull ourselves out of that stereotype or the general public finally gets the memo that hanson's quality music, it's one we're going to have to live with.