So last year we came up with a handy little guide to some of those terms that are so prevalent in fandom these days, remember Fandom101?
Well in the last 12 months, yet more new vocabulary has entered the lives of fangirls and boys everywhere, so we started a poll to see what new terms you guys were puzzling over and came up with some explanations. Just call us your fandom dictionary.
WARNING: Some adult language will follow.
My aesthetic – for some of us older fandom types, aesthetic means an artistic theme, but nowadays it has been co-opted to mean something you find pleasing.
Extra – used to describe the over-reactions of some people on the internet.
Stan – taken from the Eminem song which described the actions of an obsessed fan, used to describe anyone who is extremely passionate and vocal about their particular area of fandom, be it a particular actor, ship or show.
Netflix and chill – euphemism for having sex while the streaming service is on in the background.
Goals – When you see something that epitomises what you want to achieve in any particular situation. “Relationship goals” “Squad goals”
Squad – Refers to you and your group.
AF – abbreviation of “as fuck”. Example “that is goals AF” – means that is absolutely what I aspire to.
Mutuals – shortened form of “mutual follows”, someone who follows you and that you follow back on social media.
Lit – When something incredibly exciting is happening in your fandom, it’s said to be Lit.
Turnt – Being excessively excited for something that’s going to happen in your fandom. eg “#KlarolineisComing and I am so turnt.”
Throwing shade – when you are acting bitchy towards something, often in a two-faced manner.
So that’s it for this instalment of Fandom 101. Have we covered everything you wanted or is there still something that makes you go HUH? every time you see it online? If that’s the case then let us know in the comments and we will add it to the next instalment (or maybe even update this one if there’s a lot we’ve missed).
