Fandom Closet
| Synonyms: | |
| See also: | Real Life, Real Name, Outing |
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Fandom Closet is a term used by fans and it regards visibility.
Fans and Closets
Being in the fannish closet means keeping ones fannish life and activities a secret from non-fans.
The reasons for remaining "in the closet" or "coming out of the closet" vary. They are very personal and mostly deal with privacy, shame, the lack of desire to explain fandom to non-fans, freedom, and more. In 1990, a fan wrote:
... my husband, thinks K/S is warped, and I'm warped, too. He tolerates it, though. Even helped me on a plot, once. I devoutly hope the kids don't know. (None of their business, damn it!) Some of the people in my writer's workshop know, but they're a strange bunch, anyway. I do feel rather torn and defensive. I refuse to be ashamed of K/S, yet I work and go to church with people who would be horrified by it. [1]
Fandoms and Closets
The term can also be used to describe fandoms and their visibility. A fan in 2007 said: "There was a drawback to the movies, though. ST fandom started coming out of the closet, becoming a bit too mainstream for my taste. I like my fandoms underground." [2]
Criticism of the Term
Some fans are critical of the term and say it appropriates the language of the "gay movement" in a frivolous way.
Meta
- Memories, Friends, and 8 x 10's: Harrison Ford Fandom, Observations from a Late Bloomer! (1983)
- The View from Down Here: A Look at Fans (1983)
- Fandom Closets - watch for falling shoes, Archived version by eibii at fanthropology (2005)