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Pop singer Chappell Roan has had a meteoric rise this year, and with that comes an increase in extreme fan interactions.
Roan addressed this fanatic behavior in a pair of TikTok videos last week, sparking much discourse online. She argued that the way people behave towards her in public––asking for hugs, demanding her time, stalking her––is not normal and shouldn’t be treated as such. Roan maintained that she’s allowed to have boundaries when she’s off stage and that “creepy” behavior is never okay.
Several days later, Roan made a post on Instagram reiterating her previous statements, making a distinction between her on-stage presence and the rest of her life––she refers to Chappell Roan as her drag persona––and noting that there’s a difference between being at work and off the clock.
In a video posted to her Instagram story the following day, she thanked fans for their support and reminded everyone of her primary goal, which is to “throw fucking parties for gay people on stage.”
Reactions to the initial TikTok videos fell into two camps. Some spectators did not take her comments well, critiquing both the content of her message and the way it was delivered. A viral post on X reads “I kinda think she’s not really cut out to be a pop girlie,” while others disparaged her “angry” tone and suggested she should be more grateful and stop complaining.
A popular rebuttal to Roan’s declaration, some users responded with a video of a teenage Taylor Swift talking about how she would never complain about being famous. Others used a video of Lady Gaga discussing her relationship with fans as evidence of how ungrateful Roan is acting, and somehow, Madison Beer, who has a fraction of Roan’s popularity, got roped into the conversation as well.
But many others—including both fans of Roan and casual bystanders to the drama—validated Roan’s statements, agreeing that she’s allowed to have boundaries and acknowledging how inappropriate fan behavior is these days. Some worried Roan might disappear from the public eye entirely if fans keep harassing her. Several commentators made a connection between Roan’s situation and that of musician Mitski, often the subject of intense fan behavior (and at least one nasty rumor).
Roan has expressed her boundaries regarding fan interactions and media coverage before, as compiled in this thread by a Chappell Roan fan account back in April. Considering how often fans have violated Roan’s boundaries, many saw her exasperated tone as completely valid. “i think chappell roan should be allowed to push some of you down the stairs,” one X user suggested. “actually its fine for chappell roan to ask her fans to stop stalking her in public and she should’ve been meaner,” wrote another.
Fans have always yearned for more access to the stars, a dynamic that media industries have profited off for at least a century. Hollywood fan magazines, which first cropped up in the 1910s, are a great early example of this relationship. But the difference between then and now is that these magazines were written in conjunction with studio PR machines. Now, fans believe they can and should have access to the real lives of their faves through social media, which promises unfiltered content.
Roan’s statements are significant because they push back against these assumptions about access and entitlement. Fans feel like they know the “real” her because they connect with her music and watch her TikToks, but she maintains a clear distinction between her on and off-stage life.
Framing herself as a worker instead of simply a pop star, Roan wants us to question why we feel entitled to her time when she’s not in performance mode.
Why it matters
Fandom can be a place where individuals find community and belonging, and Chappell Roan has repeatedly stated that she wants her shows to feel like safe, accepting spaces for fans. But it’s clear we’re experiencing an epidemic of loneliness which has people searching for connection at every turn––including with pop stars they’ve never met.
Roan’s not describing a new phenomenon, but her forceful and unapologetic remarks about personal boundaries are unusually candid.
The question is, will Roan’s powerful testimony shift the paradigm, or is the stan mindset too ingrained? The critical thinking skills of fans across the globe are being tested as we speak.
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