Life
What if we all had the confidence to embrace a hobby so unabashedly?
Melissa Tierney owns more than 400 pairs of Mickey Mouse ears.
As an annual passholder living in Los Angeles, she visits Disney parks multiple times per month.
She and her husband have Disney decor in every room of their house.
Internet trolls call her a Disney adult, and she proudly agrees.
Other fans feel differently.
I go there by myself.
I go on rides.
I have a mixtape.
Whats up with the other two-thirds?
Isnt Disney supposed to be for kids?
That fun isnt cheap.
So how does one justify going multiple times per year, let alone per month?
Do Disney adults experience some form of magic that the rest of us dont?
Plus, Disneyhasto appeal to adults: For families with children, the parents have the purchasing power.
Disney is a marketing machine,Amber Sargeant, a registered psychologist, tells Bustle.
And what primarily powers it?
Nostalgia, a chemical reaction in the brain that causes the release of dopamine and serotonin happy hormones.
And thoseoft-ridiculed meet-and-greets between adults and costumed characters?
It cost her $2,070 and was worth every penny, she says.
Tierney has seen this firsthand.
There are a lot of Disney adults Im friends with who had really rough childhoods, she says.
Disney is like an outlet for them to feel like theyre having the childhood they didnt get to have.
Sometimes people just want to recapture the magic of their Disney memories, which is the case for Tierney.
I grew up with Disney because my parents loved bringing us there.
Those are my fondest vacation memories, she says.
you could actually recreate that nostalgic feeling within your control.
This nostalgia isnt limited to childhood memories.
When the time is right, she wants to have her baby shower in one of the parks.
Every milestone has been there, she says.
The college program helped me take time to figure my life out and what I wanted to do next.
Wade acknowledges that some Disney adults lean a little too hard into the brands escapism.
After her internship, she was one of them.
But for many Disney adults, the escapism doesnt run that deep.
They have jobs, bills, and to-do lists at home.
I work full time, so my Monday through Friday is pretty stressful, Tierney says.
However, limited-edition products are another story.
As a self-described shopaholic, Tierney doesnt have much of a budget for these purchases.
Its more a space issue versus financial when it comes to the Disney merch.
For the longest time, I felt very isolated in my interests, she says.
Sargeant believes this sense of community is a major factor that turns adults who like Disney into adults wholoveit.
Humans by nature are pack animals, and we thrive being in groups, she says.
Sports, for example, create close-knit communities, as dofans of pop stars like Taylor Swift.
Disney adults are no different.
These bonds can be incredibly tight.
Im going to be in someones wedding, he says.
(He has a tradition of swinging by the park after flights.)
But where theres an in-group, theres bound to be an out-group.
Valerio theorizes that people who judge Disney adults simply havent opened their eyes to the magic yet.
The side-eye might also be linked to a subconscious envy, Sargeant says.
That might be why critics dont usually deter passionate fans.
People are afraid to admit that they love Disney because they think its childish, Tierney says.
But when youre an adult, whats childish is hiding what you enjoy.
You should just be who you are.
*Last name has been omitted for privacy.
Experts:
Amber Sargeant, registered psychologist and director of AustraliasThe Sunshine Club
Jaime Zuckerman, Psy.D., clinical psychologist
