For the past year, my feed has been filled with the glorious Chappell Roan. Like many, I take part in watching her grand stage presence fill up the stage and see her eclectic outfits. This past September, I was graced with more than what she brings to the performance scene. At the MTV Video Music Awards in September, a photographer told the singer or another photographer to shut up. While watching the video, it was hard to decipher the intention of the photographer, but it was clear that it was a highly inappropriate order. Roan did a reasonable thing and told the photographer that he didn’t get to talk like that. This was something honored by a lot of people on Twitter, where everyone quickly called her mother and cheered. I personally loved all the edits.
A month later, at the Netflix Guts World Tour premiere, Chappell Roan met a photographer who yelled at her at a Grammy party. She quickly confronted him and told him to apologize. Unlike the first encounter, I found this one to be faced with a lot more negativity. People called her a diva and said that she was “doing too much.” I quickly swiped away from the negativity and continued liking those who favored her actions.
The next couple of days Tom Holland popped up on my feed being praised for pushing the paparazzi away from his girlfriend, Zendaya. My Twitter feed was obsessed. The people were running to romanticize the moment.
A complete 180, the internet praised him, saying what he was doing was understandable. It doesn’t just extend to people on Twitter, entertainment media has been playing with this narrative as well. Entertainment Weekly released two articles on October 26. One with the title “Chappell Roan calls out another red carpet photographer for being ‘rude’: ‘I deserve an apology’.” The other held the title, “Tom Holland saves Zendaya from an aggressive crowd during a night out in NYC.” Notice the difference in tone?
The tone of a paper is everything in writing. It can capture the attention of a reader and keep them interested. A reader can sense enthusiasm towards the subject and have it influence how they feel towards it. You give them a show with tone and let them take away new things once the curtain closes. With such a title, I can’t help but feel like the writer was shrugging their shoulders and speaking in a monotone. It feels like they belittle Roan’s situation, thinking that she blew things out of proportion. When reading it, it almost seems like a mockery, like I must roll my eyes when reading it aloud.
I’m not saying the situation Roan and Holland were in is the same because they aren’t. However, they both were actions produced by disrespectful behavior. I’m solely using Holland as an example and not using this article to badger him in any way. I, for one, agree with his actions. The paparazzi have continuously harassed celebrities, and anytime they’re put in their place, I’m there for it. I stand by people’s decision to stand up for themselves and others, as it’s our right to do so. My only problem is how people can get tired of that notion.
How come when women stand up for themselves they immediately seem like a burden? Countless women in and out of the industry have talked about when it comes to speaking up for yourself, it dismisses the attractiveness you once initially had. The notion of men calling women “bossy” (and more) because they know how to say what they want, has been a story told continuously. It’s pretty frustrating to watch. Time and time again, I’m faced with the reality of our society, and time and time again, I get heartbroken. I always believed as time went on and I expanded my insight of the world around me, society would too.
Growing up, I was told to keep my head down when dealing with misogyny. I was taught that I should just accept it because that was the easiest way. It wasn’t until I saw strong women in the media that I found out that isn’t the way. I got to hear their stories and see the passion they had for standing up for themselves. As I saw how adamant they were about getting their way, all I could think was I want to be that way. I can only imagine how Roan’s actions can teach someone who was just like me.
I hope we continue to see more of an unapologetic side of Chappell Roan and that she never lessens her strength as she continues her career. I also wish for many women to not be afraid of standing up for themselves, as we continue to see new faces in the entertainment industry. It’s enlightening to see, and something I believe is needed as we continue to grow as a society. I hope we allow women to hold others accountable for their actions, by letting them feel powerful, and not so much exasperating.