Photo by Joe WoolheadThe teen and tween girl population may be one of the most powerful forces on the planet. I personally would rather face a stampeding herd of raptors than get between a screaming crowd of fangirls and their celebrity crush du jour. But two Justin Bieber fans took the pop singer's frighteningly strong fan draw and focused its energy on good--they literally wrote the book on "Beliebers".
High school freshmen Lizzie Halper and Ellie Wessinger wrote and self-published the ultimate book on Justin Bieber fandom, Got Bieber Fever? A Fan's Guide. What better way to anthropologically understand "Bieber fever" than to learn from those who are genuinely afflicted? But going beyond just a pet project, 100% of the proceeds from the girls' book sales are donated to Pencils of Promise, a charity that helps build schools in developing countries like Guatemala and Laos. Bieber himself is also a supporter of the charity.
The 148-page coffee table book is surprisingly professional, as the girls leveraged 120 never-before-seen photos from New York Times photographer Robert Caplin, who toured with the Biebs for six months. Not just eye candy for fans, in the book Halper and Wessinger broke down the "fever" into six distinct stages, including "Heartache," "Secret Obsession," "Kiss and Tell" and the stage we all see (and sometimes fear), "Overboard". The book is fun and helpful guide for fans, but could be even more valuable to the parents scratching their heads while their teen daughters blast "Baby" from behind bedroom doors all day.
And good will paid off for the two teens, as the book got the attention of Justin Bieber himself! At a Pencils of Promise fundraiser last year, Halper and Wessinger got to meet their idol in person and give the impressed pop singer a copy of his own. Kudos to the girls for looking so calm when they no doubt must've been melting!
Photo by Joe Woolhead
Got Bieber Fever? A Fan's Guide is currently for sale on Amazon and in the girls' hometown of San Francisco, CA at Books, Inc. on Chestnut Street. Their goal is to raise $50,000 from book sales to build two schools with Pencils of Promise. So why not indulge your secret obsession for the good of charity? Don't stop Beliebing!
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