Female Pop Diva Adoration: Fandom in the Gay Community A comparative study of how millennial gay men in Lebanon and the Netherlands give meaning to western female pop divas

This study examines how millennial gay men in Lebanon and the Netherlands give meaning to western female pop divas. The research explores this phenomenon by answering the research question: How do millennial gay men in Lebanon and the Netherlands give meaning to western female pop divas? It does so by drawing on 14 in-depth semi structured interviews conducted with millennial gay men, out of which 5 were drag performers, all between the ages of 21 and 29 years old, from both Lebanon and the Netherlands. This, to compare the impact of western female pop divas on the lives of gay fans living in and outside of the western world. The data from the interviews was analyzed using a thematic analysis method, with five main themes being identified. First, the study found that growing up gay in a patriarchal society, most participants tend to listen to pop music in order to escape their homophobic realities. Second, the participants also believe that they face similar struggles as women in society and have thus started looking up to pop divas as they see them as powerful and strong female figures that they can emulate. Third, most participants were drawn toward female pop divas’ camp qualities, as they allow them to express themselves through their adoration, while other participants tend to decode - or queer - female pop divas and their work in ways that would satisfy their own needs of media consumption. Fourth, the interviewees also expressed a strong emotional adoration of their favorite diva, which has led several of them to deify her. Moreover, the study has revealed that being a fan of a pop diva is being part of a community, which has helped the participants meet other likeminded individuals. Lastly, globalization and Americanization have allowed American pop divas to have fans in Lebanon and the Netherlands, with the participants idolizing American culture through their adoration of female pop divas. All of these findings illustrate how millennial gay men in Lebanon and the Netherlands give meaning to western female pop divas.