Crowd for Little Mix, at the Westfield Mall, in Trumbull, CT.                                  3/8/14. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

“Little Mix! Little Mix!” was chanted by the massive group of  teens. The kids were waiting for one of their favorite bands. CD’s in hand they all wanted their moment with the band. A signature and a picture. Then disaster hit their young lives when one of the people in charge announced no selfies were allowed. Their faces dropped but he tried to comfort them by reporting that the mall would be posting everyone’s photo on Facebook. The group chant of “Selfies! Selfies!” followed anyways.

I hadn’t purchased the CD because I only had a vague idea of who Little Mix was. Wikipedia describes them as a four piece British girl group. I’ve heard some of their songs, but I never remember the name, or how it goes. Age 21 has taken my fandom powers from me. Nevertheless, there have only been a few celebrity events in my area, at least the ones that I know of.

Some of them included Nathan Kress (Freddie from iCarly), Bella Thorne (CeCe from Shake it Up!) and James Maslow  (James from Big Time Rush). Those events were free, but I had no patience to wait in lines that seemed never ending. The event at hand did not disappoint with its line length either, so I definitely wasn’t going to step in it. I would have also had to purchase their CD first, but I’m young and broke, so it was a double whammy.

My sister and I huddled into one of the groups by the stage. We all squeezed in, keeping the aisle clear because Security needed a free walkway for passerby’s. The anticipation was building so much I thought I’d bust, but the band finally came out. The crowd went wild, and my ear drums took a beating. Thankfully adrenaline kept the pain at bay.

The back of one of the band members. 3/8/14. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

The back of one of the band members. 3/8/14. Photo by Katelyn Avery.

I barely qualify as a fan but the excitement of the moment was inside me. I felt part of something. It was a small something, consisting of a very nice band coming to suburbia, but it meant the world to me. I try not to miss these events because I know I won’t always have free time to go see celebrities. Especially when they meet my traveling limitations, and budget.

Someday I will want to tell my kids, my friends or maybe even a journalist about seeing these people. They may become super famous, or they might just be big during my youthful years. Either way I have no regrets. I know they are just people, but its always cool to be in the same room as a celebrity. Thank you Little Mix for coming to the Westfield Trumbull Mall.

-Katelyn Avery

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(Feel free to take these photos. Especially if you find yourself.)