As mainstream as it may seem at the moment, being a geek is still considered outside the norm. Some of us are lucky enough to be surrounded by fellow geeks and, thus, somewhat insulated from it. But people still question how someone could be such a big fan of certain shows or characters or even entire genres. They don’t understand the appeal of surrounding yourself with your pop culture fandoms (though they blindly accept sports fandoms!). 

Now that I have a few decades of being a geek under my belt (I’m in my 40s, so that’s a lot of geekness), there’s one thing I can point to as an overarching reason for dedication to fandoms: consistency. Sure, characters evolve, tv show storylines diverge, actors are swapped out, book series end, but the love and devotion to those things remain. Just because a favorite character is killed off doesn’t mean you stop loving that character or what they’ve come to mean for you (even if it was a completely unnecessary death, JOSS WHEDON!). A new writer or artist on a comic isn’t going to make you abandon the years you’ve put into that universe.

Fandoms are something that seldom get “outgrown”. Your interest might lessen a bit or maybe you take a break altogether, but the memories stick. I grew up a Disney kid, watching all the movies, going on family vacations to Walt Disney World every year – I even wanted to work for the company (I still kind of do, to be honest). Now I might not catch all the animated movies when they’re released, but I catch up with them at home. And even though the visits are more rare, I keep on with what’s going on at the parks. It’s just something I know will always make me feel good, no matter what might be going on in my life.

So never be ashamed to be a geek and to celebrate your fandoms. They will always be there to comfort you, cheer you up, even make you cry when you need it. Don’t worry about what those “norms” think – live your geek!