Why do girls love the 'Boys'?

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 14, 2099 Source: The Buffalo News Submitted By: Y By YAN FANG NeXt Correspondent 11/2/99 Just what it is about the Backstreet Boys that makes them so appealing to girls worldwide? I've been asking myself this question since July, when I fell in love with the Backstreet Boys. I remember when they first became popular with "Quit Playing Games with My Heart," "Everybody" and "As Long As You Love Me." I turned off MTV whenever one of their videos came on. It seemed so absurd, these five manufactured boys singing love songs to young girls - girls they couldn't even kiss without legal implications! It didn't help that they dressed in matching outfits, showed off their chests incessantly and didn't look so good on their U.S. debut CD. Other girls fell in love with the Backstreet Boys much sooner. Angelica Pichardo, 17, of City Honors, began liking the Backstreet Boys after she saw their infamous singing-in-the rain video, "Quit Playing Games with My Heart." Nidhi Sharma, 15, of Orchard Park High School, first noticed the group in seventh grade when they released "We've Got It Going On." Meghan McAdam, 15, of Nichols High School, fell for the Boys after their '98 Darien Lake concert. "I didn't really like them beforehand because I wasn't into the whole teeny bopper boy band thing. But after the concert, they totally mesmerized me." My own fondness for the Backstreet Boys began when my best friend talked me into watching their "Homecoming in Orlando Concert" on television. Although I didn't even know their names, I was immediately taken by Kevin Richardson's beauty. Since that fateful summer day, I can now safely proclaim that my friend and I may be queens of this boy band's world. But what is it that makes Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell and Nick Carter so alluring? • Nick, the blond, is unquestionably the most beloved. His face is most likely to be plastered on the bedroom walls of elementary and middle school girls; he graces the pages of teeny bopper magazines such as BOP, 16 or my personal favorite, Teen Girl Power. The baby of the bunch, he has matured greatly between the release of "Backstreet Boys" and "Millennium." He looks good with his glasses and without. • Brian has the most angelic voice. Angelica adds that he "seems like the most down-to-earth one, and he seems like the spiritual leader of the group." He wrote songs for "Millennium" and performs a beautiful solo in "A Night Out with the Backstreet Boys." (This unplugged concert is one of the bulwarks of my BSB video collection). His nickname is "B-Rok" because he "rocks" the basketball court. • Kevin is my favorite. Everyone describes him as the big brother, because he is the oldest and always makes sure that things are going well. He has modeled professionally and is classically beautiful despite what some have described as overwhelming eyebrows. He stays in shape with weight lifting. He's had his share of bad hair but looks exquisite with his new Millennium short spiky hair. • Howie, a.k.a. "Sweet D," is certainly the sweetest member of the group, as he always brings his family on the tour bus. He is also the band's mediator. Katie Brown, my best friend and a senior at Amherst High School, says, "Howie has had bad times with his greasy hair, but for Millennium, his look has improved significantly." Why does she love Howie? "I love his smile. ... He also has a college education, and has intelligent comments to put forth," she said. • AJ is certainly the sexiest and most entertaining, using his distinctive voice to growl and purr his way through songs. Angelica describes AJ as "really exotic and with lots of energy." Although his former manager disapproved of his first tattoo, AJ now sports at least 10. He frequently wears mesh shirts and tight white underwear tanks. Despite his bad-boy image, he is the most romantic of the BSB. He is rarely seen without sunglasses and never has the same hair-do twice. AJ is Nidhi Sharma's favorite. "I love his dancing and his singing," she said. She even loves the way AJ orders his quarter-pounder at his favorite restaurant, McDonald's. Nick, Brian, Kevin, Howie and AJ. No other group has the power to make girls like Angelica, Meghan and Nidhi watch MTV daily to see if their new video is No. 1 on "Total Request Live;" to record every appearance the Boys have ever made on television; to spend hundreds of dollars on teen magazines, and to decorate their rooms with Backstreet Boys posters, pictures, throw pillows, pencils and even candles and snow globes. Not all girls who like the Backstreet Boys are obsessed with them, however. Jackie Seeger of Orchard Park High School "liked them as soon as I heard their music, but I don't necessarily like them for their looks. I can be fanatical but I am definitely not obsessed." For more obsessed girls, just thinking about the Backstreet Boys having girlfriends is painful. When Katie and I saw the Backstreet Boys with their girlfriends at the 1999 MTV Music Video Awards, we wore black to school the next day. Other girls understand that the Boys need lives of their own. Meghan says, "I think that the Boys should be allowed normal lives. Personally, their girlfriends are OK with me. It's not like I'm ever going to go out with them myself." Although dating the Backstreet Boys is next to impossible, their friendly personalities keep alive the hope in fans' hearts that we might one day get the chance to date them. Their special appeal enabled them to sell out their "America Into the Millennium Tour" in less than an hour; the Nov. 14 Buffalo concert sold out in 20 minutes. When tickets went on sale here at 10 a.m. Aug. 14, Marine Midland Arena and Fantastix ticket outlets were flooded with hopeful girls and mothers. (I was holding my mother's hand at the Tops in University Plaza, praying I would not be denied the chance to be in the same building with Kevin.) To cut down on scalping and people staying overnight to buy tickets, Fantastix outlets passed out numbered handbills the Thursday before tickets went on sale. On the actual sales date, one handbill number was called out, and tickets were sold from that number on. Meghan of East Aurora didn't know about the handbills and didn't get a ticket. "My cousins and I showed up really early at Tops, and there was nobody there. Suddenly, all these people showed up, and I had no clue about the handbills. We were really bummed because so many handbills had been passed out." Angelica camped out overnight at Marine Midland Arena. "My mom thought I was so crazy. She thought it wasn't safe, but after I got there and she saw all the girls there, she felt better." "I was thinking that it would be an absolute nightmare if I was the first person in line not to get tickets." Unfortunately, that's what happened. When Angelica's turn came at the ticket window, all the tickets were gone. Nidhi and her Orchard Park friends were lucky enough to get 17th-row floor seats, close enough to catch some of the roses and teddy bears that Howie throws during his solo performance. She's hoping AJ will perform his trademark solo "Lay Down Beside Me." Yes, Nidhi will be there. And so will I! Yan Fang is a senior at Amherst Central High School. Comment on this item. 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