Her name is everywhere, and so are her songs; Chappell Roan has made bold moves that have been missing from the pop genre for quite some time, however, not all of these are supported by her fans. With such wide-scale success comes experiences with super-fans, even at times when you may want to go out in your “no-one’s-going-to-see-me” outfit!
While many people feel that celebrities owe it to fans to “take that picture” or “sign that autograph” when they’re just going about their day, celebrities have been clapping back at this idea of parasocial relationships. These types of interactions are formed by the “virtual relationship” between a fan and an artist that only the fan sees as a close, “interpersonal relationship.”
It can be easy to fall into these sorts of relationships when frequently consuming interviews, social media posts, and incredible music put out by performers. This is the probable case for fans of Chappell with her quick rise to stardom just this past year.
With Chappell Roan’s hit-songs such as “Good Luck, Babe!,” “Casual,” “HOT TO GO!,” and “Pink Pony Club,” it’s nearly impossible not to recognize “your favorite artist’s favorite artist,”– as Chappell Roan described herself at her first Coachella show.
Despite her very recent popularity, including her album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, reaching second place on the Billboard 200 this past August, she’s been working towards having her music recognized for years now. It wasn’t until this seemingly overnight success that fans took their obsession to the next level.
Roan recently spoke out about the struggles she’s had with fans in her private life in a simple TikTok video, no cuts or glamorous set up, just raw emotion and white-painted walls.
“I don’t give a f*ck if you think it’s selfish of me to say no for a photo, or your time, or a hug,” Chappell said. “It’s weird how people think that you know a person just cause you see them online and you listen to the art they make.”
The fiery drag artist went on to share detailed examples of rude and borderline-frightening encounters with so-called “fans” in her interview with The Face, where she recounts fans yelling at her to “humble herself” because she declined an autograph. More recently, she was filmed yelling back at photographers at the VMAs who were raising their voices at her.
“I told myself, if this ever gets dangerous, I might quit,” the star said.
While she may be breaking the ice in setting these boundaries so firmly at the height of her success, she isn’t the only one who feels this way, as other celebrities have followed suit.
According to Independent News, Troye Sivan, Australian singer-songwriter, just recently faced outrageous rumors started through a “blind item” anonymous post. The user claimed that Sivan’s not worried about his tour ticket sales with popstar Charli XCX, only the Grindr meetups at each stop.
“Straight people are getting way too comfortable. I released an album. I am touring the album with Charli XCX,” Sivan said, as he, too, took to TikTok to make a response.
It’s a common theme that celebrities have felt the need to speak out in these ways against superfans, so why do so many internet users feel offended at their boundary setting?
For many, these unrefined, blunt responses from their idols may be a wakeup call that their obsession isn’t reciprocated. While some fans know a lot of facts and even personal information about celebrities, these people that they look up to do not have a single clue of who they are.
While Roan and Sivan have never publicly stated that they don’t appreciate the support they receive, there are people who believe celebrities who set boundaries are being ungrateful and ignorant of the jobs they signed up for.
According to Gallup, as a society we’ve become so accustomed to receiving the best service possible from people. Whether it be waiters or entertainers, it’s taboo for service providers to display any signs of being negatively affected by this demanding behavior
“I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you sh*t,” Chappell stated in an Instagram post, setting the record straight on her boundaries, despite all the noise telling her otherwise. Her emphasis on her right to have privacy may be a catalyst for other stars in the entertainment industry to refine their boundaries as well. The possible movement started by these celebrities could bring about lots of change in the industry and how fans perceive their idols.