Madison Tronco

Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll: A Historical Analysis of Teenage Girls, Boy Bands, and Emerging Sexuality 

Author’s Note: 

The terms “girl” and “woman” will be used throughout the following paper to describe female-identifying individuals. 

INTRODUCTION

It is said that “Hell is a teenage girl.” If such is true, perhaps the music industry found a way to amuse such a hellscape: the modern boy band. Like school dances and having braces removed, boy bands are synonymous with coming-of-age. Further, boy bands are historically significant among other modern advents–preteen and teenage girls. For this youth group, boy bands have constituted a common experience of American girlhood socially, psychologically, and sexually: singing catchy tunes about first date jitters to the perfect first kiss. Boy bands remain culturally significant across contemporary American history–from the Beatles to New Kids on the Block, NSYNC, to One Direction. Upon further inspection, it appears the magic of boy bands does not fade but evolves over generations of teenagers. While boy bands are an important aspect of adolescent coming-of-age, they are not always a positive influence in youth culture. They often reinforce hegemonic ideals about what girlhood and teenage years should look like, such as appearance, romance, dating, and sexual experiences along heterosexual lines. Given this information, subsequent research aims to explore the following question: how did the ‘boy band’ become a hallmark of American girlhood, thus shaping expectations of female adolescence and sexuality throughout history? 

Prior to the advent of boy bands in the 1960s, sex, and sexuality among young women were highly contentious subjects. Beginning in Colonial America, female adolescence was a waiting period before being of age to marry and bear children, often accomplished once biologically possible. Adolescent girls were considered virtually asexual, discouraged from acknowledging sexual attraction–maturity was defined by restraint, moral purity, and control. Sex was rarely, if ever, discussed among young women and within general culture in early America (1). For women, sex did not function as a means for love, pleasure, or personal fulfillment, but solely existed for procreation. By the 1950s, theories from early psychologists such as Sigmund Freud grew in popularity. Freud specifically saw denial of the self and sexuality as signs of mental suppression. By Freud’s logic, individuals should be encouraged to notice sexual desire, otherwise suffering neuroses, though his framework largely targeted adults (2). Until the advent of feminist and sexual liberation movements in the 1960s and 1970s, young women refrained from acknowledging their sexual desire and curiosity. These historical frameworks raised consciousness for sexual curiosity and exploration, often denied to previous female generations. However, it is important to note despite increased awareness of female sexual liberation, such freedoms only existed for heterosexual romances. Nevertheless, over time heterosexual teenage girls could increasingly explore sexual curiosity in the public sphere, which is when the first boy bands rose to fame. 

CONSTRUCTING A BOY BAND

Marketers promote boy bands to girls around the onset of puberty, approximately age 10-17. At their core, boy bands mass-market catchy songs about love, dating, and youth to a target audience of white, heterosexual, middle-class girls. The boy band combines three to six conventionally attractive young men (aptly named “heartthrobs”), each embodying a distinct personality or archetype. Significantly, boy bands overwhelmingly maintain a level of innocence to appease young fans and parents. Historian Michelle Anne Abate notes early boy bands, "are as sexually suggestive as a teddy bear, as non-threatening dreamy objects,” stating that, “no 11-year-old wants to daydream about some bearded, cursing, pelvis-thrusting rocker-and her parents want that even less.” (3). Creating boy bands in this image opens a space for sexual fantasy during the preteen and teenage years to define future standards for romantic partners, as band members always appear fresh-faced, familiar, and just out-of-reach. 

It is equally important to consider recurring themes in boy band songs. Boy bands overwhelmingly produce love songs, typically catchy boy-meets-girl ballads vague enough to be written about anyone (eg. The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” or One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful”). Additionally, popular songs often enforce the boy versus girl binary expected of well-adjusted heterosexual American teens–there was no discussion beyond heterosexual romance (4). As a result, fans envision themselves as the song’s subject, but modeled within the boy band world. Boy bands not only tell young fans what they should find important, but also how fans can see themselves in dating, romance, and seduction at an impressionable age.  

AMERICA’S FIRST BOY BAND: INTRODUCING THE BEATLES

Boy bands have evolved into powerful tools to reach teenage girls in their language, validating feelings of lust, romance, and belonging in an adult-driven world–this began with the Beatles. Prior to the 1940s, girls aged 10-17 were considered children or adults, which was common until advertisers coined the term “teenager” in the 1940s (5). By the 1950s and 1960s, this demographic increased demand for teen-specific entertainment, but without upsetting parents. The Beatles rose to fame in the 1960s amid immense social change in the United States–especially for teenage girls. As teens were encouraged to find identities beyond childhood or adulthood, many found visibility in popular culture, where “entertainment was a top priority” to well-being and social success for 1960s teens (6). For music, many grew tired of Buddy Holly and Paul Anka; teens looked for something more exciting and less clean-cut to capture a new era. While Elvis Presley trailblazed youth culture rooted in teenage sexuality in the 1950s, the Beatles, fresh from Liverpool, embodied a new sound indicative of a postwar society. They also found strength in their numbers–each band member embodied an archetype for an ideal partner, or “type”: John the intellectual, Paul the charming songwriter, George the timid one, and Ringo the lovable goofball (7). The Beatles paved a space for future boy bands by disrupting the state of the music industry and creating a new sound, look, and formation for modern bands. For teens, the Beatles were current, unusual, and different from anything they were accustomed to.

Sex appeal was undeniably essential to the Beatles’ success. Following their 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show (Figure 1), 73 million people tuned into the program, 22 million between the ages 13-18 (8). Following the performance brought widespread hysteria among teen  Beatles fans, aptly named “Beatlemania.” Once the Beatles arrived in New York to perform on the show, fans swarmed the Plaza Hotel to get a glimpse of the stars (Figure 2). Annette Joseph Walker, an original Beatles fan, remembered stealing maid’s uniforms from the Plaza to attempt to sneak into the Beatles’ room. Walker recalled fans buying cloth squares from vendors claiming to sell the sheets the Beatles slept in (9). Infected by Beatlemania, an army of hormone-fueled teenage girls became the Beatles’ strongest asset, which created demand for subsequent boy bands to do the same.

Figure 1: Photograph of Beatles fans swarming the Plaza Hotel, holding a sign that says “Beatles, please stay here 4-ever.” 1964 

Figure 2: The Beatles performing “All My Loving” on The Ed Sullivan Show, their first official televised performance. 1964. 

SEXUAL LIBERATION, SECOND-WAVE FEMINISM, AND PHASE 2 BOY BANDS

While the Beatles had pioneered a space for teenage visibility, the 1970s amplified teenagers' need for acceptance, amplified by continuous change and opportunity for young women. In the 1970s, second-wave feminism and sexual liberation movements increased consciousness and expectations for sex and pleasure denied to women of the past. Legalized use of birth control for unmarried women (granted via Eisenstadt v. Baird in 1972) and widespread abortion access (Roe v. Wade in 1973) gave young women greater autonomy over their sexual and romantic futures (10). Young women now exercised choice to be more selective over their romantic partners, and explore their sexualities beyond marriage and starting families.  

While there was a notable gap in mainstream boy bands throughout the 1970s, the 1980s saw a revival of the boy band with adjustments to find success among Generation X (born between 1965-1980). Though 1980s teens were now recognized as a legitimate part of society, many teens felt pop culture didn’t fully understand them or take them seriously. Though teenage girls were more comfortable acknowledging emerging sexuality, this continued to apply to only heterosexual couples. Pushing compulsory heterosexuality and “boy craziness” for young women was not only widely accepted but encouraged. Additionally, 1980s social politics under the Reagan Administration emphasized a return to “traditional family values” by denouncing abortion, sexual liberation, and career-oriented women (especially severe for women of color) (11). However, the 1980s reigned a Breakfast Club era of teenagers understanding their place in an adult-driven world, echoing similar feelings of belonging as Beatles fans and 1970s teens. 

From Tiger Beat posters taped on bedroom walls, New Kids on the Block (NKOTB) music videos broadcast on MTV, and music stores selling Boyz II Men cassettes for the Walkman, 1980s American media and culture fueled teenage “boy craziness.” Additionally, 1980s media often emphasized controlled femininity as sexuality was defined by body-hugging Spandex, heavy makeup, and teased hair. With this came an open space for teenage girls to explore the worlds of their favorite boy bands, yet innocent facades became less relevant. However, this stray from innocence stirred anxiety for parents of teenage girls. Parents who were “tempted to dismiss boy bands as inconsequential juvenile fads or insipid lyrical fluff,” were swifty warned, “you underestimate sexual hysteria at your own peril” (12). Critics credited teen magazines like Tiger Beat, Bop, and Seventeen that fueled the '80s boy band obsession, where young fans could collect posters for their bedrooms, seek dating advice, or learn more about the boys they idolized. Anxieties over boy bands persisted throughout the 1980s, despite a growing role of boy bands within teen-targeting pop culture. 

Figure 4: 1988-1990 Front Covers of Bop Magazine, featuring prominent male figures (including NKOTB and Menudo) in 1980s youth & pop culture. 

‘90s AND EARLY 2000s BOY BANDS

Cultural historians consider the 1990s and early 2000s the peak of commercialized boy bands. Contrasting the age of Nine Inch Nails and Nirvana,’90s boy bands remained a space for girls to participate in teen-friendly youth culture, with minor modifications. While 1990s boy bands adopted aspects of growing counterculture, they were careful not to upset parents of fans. Band names like the “Backstreet Boys” gave the image of edgy, working-class youth. Yet, despite this facade, boy bands maintained a teeny-bopper feel with continued appeal to white, straight, middle-class, teen girls (13). An infamous example is Cosmo Girl’s May 2000 cover. The cover features ‘NSYNC holding puppies under the headline: “NSYNC: Why They’re Not as Innocent as You Think!” with beauty tips and guides to “snag the ultimate boyfriend” (Figure 5). While NSYNC has a more mature nature to them than the Beatles or Menudo (bands now sport facial hair and toned muscles), contextualizing boy bands within the realm of innocence again encourages teen girls to embrace boy craziness. 

Figure 5: NSYNC. “Puppy Magazine Cover.” from Cosmo Girl, Edited by Atoona Rubenstein, May 2000. 

BOY BANDS IN THE DIGITAL AGE: ONLINE FANS COMMUNITIES & FAN FICTION

By the 21st century, Direction rose to global fame among other defining boy bands of the 2010s. The explosion of the internet, social media, and online communities mobilized teen fans in ways never before possible. Band “fan pages” gained millions of followers, becoming designated spaces for teens to work through sexual identity. Teens joined Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram en masse for updates, new music, and to obsess (or “fangirl”) over band members. Innocence, however, took many forms among digital-age boy bands. From 2005-2012, Disney Channel boy band the Jonas Brothers were known to wear purity rings, publicly pledging to abstain from sex until marriage to maintain a wholesome image (14). Bands like One Direction, contrarily, leaned into the baby-faced, yet suggestive trope to gain fans. While the Jonas Brothers sang Disney-approved songs about the girl next door, One Direction hid lyrics like “a trace of innocence on my pillowcase, waking up beside you I'm a loaded gun…I got no control,” and “your taste on my tongue, I don't wanna wash away the night before,” which is certainly mature for some fans, but these lyric were often hidden to avoid concern (15). Teen fans used social media and emerging fan sites to act on boy craziness but in tandem with contemporary boy bands that fueled emerging sexual desire. 

Additionally, online fan fiction (unofficial fan-generated literature) gained immense popularity with boy band fans. Specifically, One Direction found massive success on the fanfiction site Wattpad, unmistakably becoming an unspoken cornerstone of sexual coming-of-age 2010s teen girls. As of 2023, there are over 300,000 One Direction fanfiction stories published to Wattpad, the most popular (a 7+ hour read) driving 2.8 million reads (16). Posts of sexual fantasies went viral on social media among preteen and teenage fan communities. Cultural scholars argue Wattpad-era teens embodied Beatlemania on another level–indulging sexual infatuation without a physical or emotional relationship teens may not be ready for. Being “kidnapped” by the band (an entire Wattpad category) or begrudgingly falling for a Harry Styles at a 1D concert became means of camaraderie through shared fantasies (Figure 6). One Direction poignantly addressed the fanfiction craze in their 2014 music video “Night Changes,” (1D’s highest-viewed music video), which is shot from the perspective of the viewer on dates with different band members (Figure 7). 2010s fanfiction communities provided space to explore sexuality in a realistic, yet fictional world dominated by teen fans. 

Figure 6: Screenshot of One Direction’s Harry Styles Fanfiction, shared via Instagram, 2013. 

Figure 7:  One Direction. “Night Changes” Music Directed by Ben Winston, 2014. 

 Reaching young fans during emotional and developmental change has had an enormous impact on American girlhood, often spanning beyond girlhood. As the boy bands often become all-consuming of many fans’ teenage years, obsession can be short-lived and abandoned in adulthood. However, few adults admit to lovingly revisit boy bands from their teenage years with wistful nostalgia. Suzanne, a lifelong Backstreet Boys fan described her relationship with the band as “a safe haven…[that] gives you a feeling of freedom, and you need to do that sometimes, even as an adult” (17). Suzanne’s initial love for the Backstreet Boys came at an instrumental transition from girlhood to womanhood, which, in turn, helped her navigate her sexuality in her adolescence–who she considered attractive, respectful, or worthwhile beyond a crush. Suzanne cites that although her connection to the Backstreet Boys has diminished since girlhood, the band remains a “haven” of understanding of how difficult it can be to be a human, and not just a teenager. Like Suzanne, this understanding at such a critical age has impacted hundreds of thousands of teenage girls across generations. 

Though most of boy band history has focused on heterosexual, middle-class teenagers, lessons learned from the boy bands span beyond gender binaries and heterosexuality. Providing a safe space to navigate adolescent sexuality is relevant and applicable to all genders, races, classes, and sexual preferences. With this, we now see the continuation of teens hopelessly devoted to the bands they love–though not solely white, middle-class, heterosexual females. With each new generation, however, there is growing importance to maintain sacred spaces for teens, regardless of identity, to work through sexuality, romance, and emotions away from the adult world. Though boy bands may not forever remain the primary source to fulfill this need, ensuring teen-centered spaces to explore sexuality remain important across any historical era. And while each generation of teenagers faces new sets of strains, recognizing and validating the need for understanding remains constant. But for many, boy bands will persist as a first love holding a special place in the hearts of past, present, and future fans.

ENDNOTES

1. Brooke Blower. "Girlhood and Coming-of-Age." Lecture, Boston University, February 23, 2023.

2. Blower, 2023. 

3. Michelle Ann Abate. “Soda attracted girls like honey draws flies”: The Outsiders, the Boy Band Formula, and Adolescent Sexuality. (Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 2017) 42, 43–64. 

4. Abate, 44. 

5. Susan J. Douglas. Where the Girls Are: Growing up Female with the Mass Media. 1st ed. (New York: Times Books, 1994).

6. Abate, 45.    

7. Garry Berman. "We're Going to See the Beatles!" an Oral History of Beatlemania as Told by the Fans Who Were There. (Santa Monica, California: Santa Monica Press, 2008).

8. Berman, 27. 

9. Berman, 33. 

10.  Eisenstadt v. Baird and Roe v. Wade. Library of Congress, 1971 and 1973. 

11.  Sheila Whiteley. Too Much Too Young: Popular Music Age and Gender. (Taylor & Francis Group, 2005). 

12.   Rebecca Williams. Everybody Hurts: Transitions, Endings, and Resurrections in Fan Cultures. Fandom & Culture, (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 2018).

13.  Douglass, 78. 

14.  Jonas Brothers + purity rings

15.  Ashley Hedrick. "'He's so Bad but He Does It so Well': Interviews with One Direction Fans about Writing Romantic and Erotic Fiction Online." (Sex Education 21, no. 6 2021) 693-707.

16. Hedrick, 697.

17. Williams, 40. 

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