Being judged for being a SN fan

[Danigirl]

Slutty witch...this pretty much sums up what many people feel Stevie represents. Someone posted something along these lines in another thread and I wanted to comment that yes, I hear that a lot. Instead I thought I'd make it a separate thread. My mom was somewhat "worried" one could say that I was becoming "wild" or a hippie when I started becoming interested in FM and Stevie in particular. She always listened to my interests and stories with a look of concern and apprehensiveness. I sensed it. Then my aunt (her sister) came over and saw my Rumours album on a ledge in my room and said "you know she is a witch" very factually I might add. Again, she appeared to be concerned. I then got asked if I was perhaps gay or bi sexual, rumors floated around like beautiful butterflies... Ha Another instance someone told me that "Sara" was a lesbian anthem, besides its beauty it was just a "lesbian lovers song" another time I was told that "well Ya know why she never married, no man wanted her she was just too wild and out there." This made me very defensive, because it had absolutely no merit! The other rumors fine, this no! Stevie could have had any man she wanted she chose to be selective in the priorities she set for herself.

Of course we all judge on a subconscious and sometimes conscious level, I'm not naive i know this. I beleive Stevie played a pivotal role in me growing to understand that people will judge and always have their preconceived notions, it is my job to scrape the surface and reveal the beauty, vulnerability, and humanness to every single soul. It's so easy to categorize in order to feel at peace with oneself, to feel one knows who they are based on who everyone else is, it's hard to know yourself and be open to interpreting others based on who they actually are.

Just wondering if anyone else has felt judged for being a Stevie fan?

[olive]

no ..... never .

[Machu]

No, I haven't. In fact, I think just about everybody that I've told about being a Stevie Nicks fan has said that they liked her too. Most people have actually been pretty enthusiastic about it.

[Rachelclairexx]

Sometimes I feel judged for being a Stevie fan, Its very fortunate that I couldn't care less, Stevie's music makes me happy, so the haters can kiss my glittered belladonna. xx

[Danigirl]

Originally Posted by Rachelclairexx

Sometimes I feel judged for being a Stevie fan, Its very fortunate that I couldn't care less, Stevie's music makes me happy, so the haters can kiss my glittered belladonna. xx

Lol right on!

[vivfox]

Nowadays whenever someone tells me matter of factly that SN is a witch, I just agree with them. It's easier that way.

[vivfox]

We had a teenage Ledgie many years ago. Her name was Miranda. She was well liked here. Lindsey was her main man. She said she would marry him some day. But she also was a big fan of Stevie also. She told us stories of her parents dislike of S & L and how they would do and say things to discourage their daughter. Like one time her mother came into her bedroom tipsy and knocked the CD's off a shelf and tried breaking them. Another time she made fun of SN in front of Miranda's aunts and uncles. Stuff like that.

You're not alone Dani Girl.

[lilyfee]

Going through my dad's old FM albums got me into the band and Stevie by extension... He definitely judged me for singling out/loving Stevie. He thought she was pretty ditsy. I showed him some of her demos and explained how her songwriting contributed to some of his favorite songs (i.e. The Chain) and I think he was impressed... Maybe he didn't realize that she was more than just a pretty face. Then again, he also thought she ran away with Lindsey at one point after Rumours to make Buckingham Nicks, so...

[Danigirl]

I guess I figured others had been judged, what strikes me as odd is my parents grew up the 70's and I go through their albums and find The Commodores, Wings, George Jones, the Eagles, Reba, The Judds, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Barbara Streisand, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Linda Ronstadt. So in other words, more of the soft rock/R&B/country, I would never find say Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd in their collection, Fleetwood Mac because of their tendency for excess and drug use, was always kinda too extreme for them. Them having grown up during that decade and having been very "straight line" tends to leave a bad memory of anything that might have represented that rebellion or vibe I figure. To me yes, its interesting but it's not in the least bit the entire reason I am so enamored with the band or Stevie.

[He's So Unusual]

I've never felt judged for being a Stevie fan, and I wouldn't care if anyone did judge me. A few people have said that they prefer the Peter Green era of Fleetwood Mac, but they've never been nasty about Stevie. Anyone with a brain knows she's not just a hot blonde woman with a tambourine. I've turned quite a few people on to her music after playing it at work or hanging out around the house.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by vivfox

We had a teenage Ledgie many years ago. Her name was Miranda. She was well liked here. Lindsey was her main man. She said she would marry him some day. But she also was a big fan of Stevie also. She told us stories of her parents dislike of S & L and how they would do and say things to discourage their daughter. Like one time her mother came into her bedroom tipsy and knocked the CD's off a shelf and tried breaking them. Another time she made fun of SN in front of Miranda's aunts and uncles. Stuff like that.

You're not alone Dani Girl.

...that sounds like a story Rachel Dolezal would tell. Either that, or parents who were simply abusive alcoholics- FM probably had nothing to do with it.

The only time I remember any mass negativity from being a FM/Stephanie fan was when I was in middle and high school in the mid '90s before the Dance came out. FM were pariahs back then. Nearly overnight they became cool again, though. They seem to be riding a wave of mass adoration these days they probably didn't even experience during their heyday- especially among millennials.

[lovethemac1]

Originally Posted by Danigirl

I guess I figured others had been judged, what strikes me as odd is my parents grew up the 70's and I go through their albums and find The Commodores, Wings, George Jones, the Eagles, Reba, The Judds, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Barbara Streisand, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Linda Ronstadt. So in other words, more of the soft rock/R&B/country, I would never find say Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd in their collection, Fleetwood Mac because of their tendency for excess and drug use, was always kinda too extreme for them. Them having grown up during that decade and having been very "straight line" tends to leave a bad memory of anything that might have represented that rebellion or vibe I figure. To me yes, its interesting but it's not in the least bit the entire reason I am so enamored with the band or Stevie.

They thought the Eagles were clean???? Wow!!!!

[Macfan4life]

When I was a teen, Stevie was so freaking cool with her boots, let warmers and her voice. But even then there were some fundamentalists who would listen to music backwards and think Satan was calling them. My friend in the early 80's received a cassette tape from her Aunt because she was concerned she was listening to Ozzie. The crazy minister would talk all about the evils of rock and Fleetwood Mac was a big topic because of their crystal balls on their album covers.
Some people just need to get a life

[Dreamz19]

I have never been judged, but I remember seeing this topic in a Stevie FB group recently. Some people were saying how their family and friends have made fun of them and called them obsessive.

[sorcerer999]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

...that sounds like a story Rachel Dolezal would tell.

^^^ You are a genius, Louie!

My friends and acquaintances are always amused by my Stevie obsession. In fact, whenever she or the Mac are on TV, magazines, AHS, etc, I will inevitably get three or four messages from people saying, "Your gal was on the (Today Show, Oprah, etc) today and it made me think of you!"

My three BFF's react different...

Samantha loves FM (white album through Mirage) and Stevie (BD thru TISL) but hasn't really invested much time in her within the last 14 years. I've played her SYW, IYD and 24KG but she seems to zone out and start talking about other things and not really pay attention to the songs. Almost as if she doesn't give much credence to their artistic endeavors now that their musical "heyday" has come and gone. That's just my opinion though, and I've never asked her about that.

Josh appreciates Stevie and her musical contributions to both Rock/Pop music AND the history of women in those forums. However, he really doesn't dig deep and only really knows the hits (Gypsy, Rhiannon, Edge, Rooms On Fire)so I don't consider him a huge fan. I usually make him a mix tape every Christmas. One year I included "Goodbye Baby" which he really enjoyed...and last year I put "24KG" (the song) on his Christmas mix and he really loved that one. I think he digs the atmospheric, witchy songs more than anything else because on more than one occasion, a country tune (Blue Water, TFFT, After the Glitter...) or AC tune (Starshine, Two Kinds Of Love, New Orleans) will pop up on my iPod shuffle and he'll say, "Ew, Stevie...not your best, honey."

Tiffany loves all incarnations of Stevie from Buckingham Nicks up to 24KG, but really doesn't explore them the way a "super fan" like us would. She doesn't know a lot of the words/song titles but she keeps them on in the background and taps her feet, dances, what have you while she concentrates on other stuff. She frequently plays "Buckingham Nicks" at the record store she works at and claims "Rock A Little" to be her favorite solo Stevie record. She says it's a great album to listen to while cleaning house or cooking dinner.

But no one I know really "judges me" for being a fan of hers...at least in a harsh way. I have very eclectic musical taste and a very wide spectrum (albeit useless) of knowledge in musical history, bands, genres, and the like. They know that she is the "alpha and omega" in my musical world but also know how I am with all my favorite artists. I am more than willing to call her and any other artist out on their bull****...and I think that makes them respect my obsession with her instead of judging it in a negative way.