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<title> Boy bands - for better or worse? </title>
Ever since the Beatles in the 1960:s there have been boy bands, which millions of girls all over the world worship, even though, in the beginning it was quite innocent and the music was still in focus. In the last decade there has been a dramatic change and the music is no longer the main issue when it comes to boy bands. What makes them popular now is their image and looks. It has many times been debated whether these bands are good for teenagers and children, who devote their lives to their idols, or if they can be damaging.
	Boy bands keep popping up, some of them are independent and make it on their own, but most of them are completely created by a record company, who spend a huge amount of money on them. The artists themselves rarely write their own music and in many cases they are not even very good at music. All that matters to the company is money and they do their best at making as much money as possible out of their new boys and this industry is constantly growing.
	The age of the boy band fans is now lower than ever, it varies from about six to fourteen - fifteen years old. Is it natural for little girls of six or seven to adore boy bands to the extent that they dress and act like teenagers, and stand at the front row at concerts, almost being killed by the enormous pressure? Some people might say that at that young age girls don't take it very seriously and that they know it's not real "love", but I would like to say that as soon as children start growing up too soon and missing their entire childhood, it is indeed unnatural.
	Millions of girls, and of course some boys, spend many years following their favourite boy band on tours and media performances and buying every magazine and every poster with their "darling". This summer I went to a Boyzone- concert in Oslo and heard about an English girl at the age of 11 or 12, who had been to over 200 different Boyzone performances during the last couple of years. Her mother came with her on her trips around the world and seemed to think this was perfectly normal. At every concert they would be standing right in front of the stage, screaming when the boys appeared and singing along in every song. Of course, one could say that the girl was given the opportunity to see many different places and meeting new friends all over the world, all with the same interest as herself, which is very positive, but I don't think it's healthy to devote all of your time and attention to members of a boy band.
	What happens for example if a boy band splits up? When the biggest boy band at the time, Take That, split up a few years ago, many girls tried to commit suicide and therapy groups and hot lines had to be set up in England and many other countries, because of many girls' disappointment and frustration.
	This devotion is not only psychologically unhealthy, it can also be physically dangerous. To stand in front of the stage with thousands of hysterical fans around her can be lethal to a young girl if she's not careful. If she falls she might be stepped on, or the huge pressure and the heat, along with the excitement, can make her faint. Everybody who has ever been to one of these concerts knows what I am talking about. They have all seen the girls being picked up from the screaming crowd and carried out unconscious.
	The chance of a boy band fan's biggest dream (that her favourite member will get to know and fall in love with her) to come true is so little, it hardly exists and the day that she realises this she's bound to be incredibly disappointed. However, boy bands do offer girls many nice experiences at concerts and fan gatherings, but is it really worth it? Is it worth all the money, the risk of getting hurt and the lost childhood years? I think parents of young girls should be aware of the dangerous aspects of boy band concerts and make sure that their children don't lose themselves in the big "boy band circus". Everybody should also think about how we like the music industry to be. Music ought to be about people enjoying themselves and making other people happy, without a great big music company taking advantage of little girls and making it into strict business.
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