Fandom Is Forever, But Today It's A Whole New Game

Fandom is forever, but today it's a whole new game.

- Hazel Cills, illustrated by Kelly Shami

“If my eyebrows don’t look good I’m not posting it,” says Michael Benyamin, clad in a Balmain T-shirt (“for H&M!” he clarifies in a Jersey accent) and a black long-haired faux fur jacket, as his friend snaps a photo of us together on a dark Chinatown street. Benyamin strikes myriad poses while I stand like a stone next to him, my Instagram photo shoot game clearly beneath his. Later the best shot will get posted for a following of over 10,000 people and I will become a very tiny part of the Internet celeb’s highly curated brand. Because in taking a photo with Benyamin, I am, sort of, also taking a photo with Lady Gaga.

The 21-year-old Benyamin is better known to his followers as “Maikeeb” (or @maikeeb_kills online), one of Gaga’s most visible and popular fans. Except he’s also so much more than that: He’s a rising stylist, club kid, and fashion plate whose persona was built almost entirely on his admiration of the singer. Benyamin and his ilk are torchbearers of a new kind of fandom: devotees of celebrities who are so visible and admired that they now have fans of their own. In 2015, your love for Harry Styles or Justin Bieber can make you a star, too.

FROM FAN TO FAMOUS

For decades, the divide between fans and their idols was clear; idols made the media and fans consumed it. In the 1950s, if you wanted a picture of your favorite singer you bought a head shot or tore one from a magazine. In the ’60s and ’70s, you might have mailed letters to bands or joined official fan clubs to connect with the artists or like-minded enthusiasts. In the ’90s and early aughts you tuned in to TRL to hear from musicians in real time.