Yes, I’m 38 and a Shawn Mendes Fangirl

Oh, hi. I have something very important and personal to share today. It’s a deep secret that I haven’t really shared with the rest of the world. I am a Shawn Mendes fangirl.

Whew! Did I really just say (err, type) that??

All the way back in February, I shared my confession on Twitter, as everyone does these days: “I’d just like to publicly thank Shawn Mendes for officially giving me my first Mrs. Robinson moment…”

Ahh, finally, my deepest secret was out there. Interestingly, I felt a weight lift from my shoulder the second I hit ‘post.’ After all, I’ve tried to deny my feelings, but as REO Speedwagon once said, “I can’t fight this feeling anymore.” And I can’t. There’s really no point because this crooner has my heart. Yes, I know he has no idea who I am (and my mom will probably think this post is creepy and weird), but coming clean about my feelings means that I no longer had to hide in the shadows of fandom. It meant that I could fully be myself: An older Millennial who loves Shawn Mendes.

I followed that tweefession (confessional tweet) with my thoughts on his music to his relationship with Camila Cabello until less than a month later, when I made things social media official…

“In related news, I’m officially in love with Shawn Mendes!!!!” I joyfully proclaimed. I think the three red heart emojis really drove my point home.

And, yes, it was joyful, indeed. I’m sure there are lots of others out there who are just like me, so I’m here to tell you: There is no shame in this so-called guilty pleasure. There’s no shame in listening to “If I Can’t Have You” and then daydreaming about Shawn spending his nights reading texts from you.

And, in a related announcement: After years of dreaming about being serenaded Lloyd Dobler-style to “In Your Eyes,” the dream has changed. I now want to be serenaded to this Shawn Mendes lyric: “I want all of you, all the strings attached.”

One warning, though: I have A LOT of strings…

So, go forth, friends, and don’t feel bad about all your guilty pleasures!! There’s an incredible sense of power and freedom in simply leaning into something that you totally love and that makes you ridiculously happy. Because let’s face it, the world is not the happiest place right now! We can use all the adorable, addictive, toe-tapping music we can get, right?

Are you a Shawn Mendes fan? Do you have a favorite song of his? Don’t even get me started on he and Camila’s steamy performance at this year’s VMAs. I. Can’t. Even. Sigh… xoxo