As much as my friends might disagree, I am not the only one over the age of 15 who is a huge fan of One Direction. Seriously, I’m not. And 2013 proved to be a big year for the group: selling out arenas, scooping up music awards, and causing quite a stir among fans, both young and old-er. In order to prove my friends wrong, as well grab the attention of my favorite Buzzfeed writer, Matt Bellassai, I rounded up a list of the 22 times in 2013 that prove that I’m not a 21-year-old obsessing over a group of pre-pubescent teenagers.
[divider] [/divider]1. Jan. 12, 2013—Zayn Malik turned 20. See? Not jailbait.
(horanhazza.tumblr.com)
2. February 23, 2013—The 7-month “Take Me Home” tour began in London, and grossed more than $8 million in the opening days.
3. April 3, 2013—Niall got his braces off, and tweeted this before and after picture! Much better.
(Twitter)
4. May 16, 2013—The band announced their 2014 “Where We Are” worldwide stadium tour. People from Argentina to Oklahoma to Dusseldorf will see the band perform in the coming year.
(http://houseofdirectionerss.tumblr.com/)
5. July 22, 2013—The “Best Song Ever” music video was released and broke the record for one-day views on Vevo. Within 24 hours, the video had been played 10.7 million times. There is no way that was all teenagers. I know my roommate and I (both 21) watched it at least five times that day. As of Dec. 18, 2013, the video has been watched a staggering 177,375,541 times.
(YouTube)
6. August 19, 2013—Niall Horan and Ellie Goulding were spotted kissing at V Festival and the romance rumor mill went crazy. The “Burn” singer is 26.
7. August 20, 2013—“This Is Us,” the first-ever One Direction movie premiered in London. And the boys looked like this. I mean, come on, how could you not love them?
(photo: FameFlyNet)
8. August 21, 2013—Zayn and Perrie Edwards’ engagement was confirmed. Yes, Zayn is old enough to get married.
(Instagram)
9. Aug. 25, 2013—Their single, “Best Song Ever,” lived up to its name when it won a VMA for the “Song of the Summer.” The song beat out other competitors Miley Cyrus, Robin Thicke, and Ellie Goulding (awkward?) with more than 8 million votes. The group found a supportive friend in Lady Gaga after they were booed while accepting their award.
(http://blamestyles.tumblr.com/)
10. Aug. 29, 2013—Liam Payne turned 20.
(http://let-it-be-zouis.tumblr.com/)
11. Following the likes of Zac Efron, Channing Tatum, and Kanye West, the boys (sorry, young men) each had an individual cover of the September 2013 issue of GQ magazine.
(Hollywoodlife.com)
12. Sept. 13, 2013—Niall Horan turned 20.
(kryptoniall.tumblr.com)
13. Oct. 6, 2013—Liam got his boxers stolen in Australia. He came out on the balcony and didn’t leave much to the imagination.
14. October 19, 2013—These shorts happened.
(onegirlmillionwords.tumblr.com)
15. October 21, 2013—EntertainmentWise conducted a poll on the hottest member of One Direction. Liam wins; no surprise there. On the same day, these pictures of the heart-throb surfaced.
(http://haroldmalikpayne.tumblr.com/)
16. Oct. 31, 2013—Liam was awarded the title of the most influential Tweeter in Britain, beating out both David Cameron and Piers Morgan.
17. Nov. 25, 2013—One Direction’s third album, “Midnight Memories,” was released. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts, making One Direction the first group to ever have their first three albums debut at number one.
18. This article about the new album’s lyrics.
19. Nov. 23, 2013—1D Day. OK, seven-plus hours of messed up VTs might have been a little much, even for the most die-hard Directioners, but the workout video made up for the awkward pauses and unnecessary segments not involving the five boys. HARRY.
20. Dec. 2, 2013 – Harry Styles won the British Style Award, previously held by style icon, and pal of Harry’s, Alexa Chung. He beat the Duchess of Cambridge and David Beckham for the title.
(http://chung-alexa.tumblr.com/)
21. Dec. 7, 2013 – For the second time in their short career, the band performed on Saturday Night Live. I’m still bitter they didn’t have their own sketch.
(http://itsthatfandom.tumblr.com/)
22. Dec. 24, 2013—Louis Tomlinson will turn 22.
(http://justkindahappened.tumblr.com/)
Author’s Note: Harry will turn 20 in February of 2014.
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