Just like the majority of people I know, I am a huge Chappell Roan fan. I discovered her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, earlier this year after hearing her hit single “Good Luck, Babe!” for the first time. But Chappell’s music and powerful vocals aren’t the only reason that I think she is an amazing artist to be on people’s radars at the moment.
Chappell Roan recently attended the VMAs, where she promptly told off a member of paparazzi on the red carpet for being unnecessarily rude to her. Although I’m sure some people out there think it was uncalled for behavior on her part, watching this was incredibly refreshing to me. I found it revitalizing to see a female artist stand up for herself as bluntly as Chappell did in that moment.
For too long, women in the music industry (as well as the film and TV industry) have been targets of creepy “fan” behavior, atrocious acts from paparazzi, and more. To top it all off, women are expected to respond to all this subtly. Be gracious, be polite as you set your boundaries. Chappell Roan setting her boundaries firmly and as bluntly as she needs to is a great example for all the young girls who see stars as role models.
The same goes for the videos she shared on TikTok about creepy behavior from people calling themselves “fans.” This kind of behavior involves following her for several minutes to find out where she’s going, demanding physical touch and then throwing a fit when told “no,” and much more. Industry stars have been dealing with this kind of poor behavior for as long as the industry has been around. Especially women. For example, a stalker breaking into Taylor Swift’s Manhattan home in 2018, using her shower and sleeping on her couch.
So I love to see a woman advocating for herself, loud and proud. Chappell Roan certainly isn’t the first person to do this, but in a time of viral social media her comments on this topic are being seen far and wide by everyone—and I hope it continues to inspire women to comfortably set boundaries and not feel bad about it, just as all the women who came before Chappell have done.