Chappell Roan wants her superfans to give her space. Is that fair?

Chappell Roan has had enough of creepy fan behaviour. The 26-year-old pop star has recently been calling out the alleged “predatory behaviour” of some of her followers, including stalking and online harassment.

“If you saw a random woman on the street, would you yell at her from your car window?” she said on TikTok last week. “Would you harass her in public? Would you go up to a random lady and say, ‘Can I take a photo with you?’ and she says, ‘No, what the f---?’, and then you get mad at this random lady? I’m a random b----, you’re a random b----. Just think about that for a second.”

Roan, who experienced a belated surge in fame this year for her 2023 album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, also took to Instagram to reaffirm her boundaries, arguing she doesn’t “owe a mutual exchange of energy” to fans.

Chappell Roan says she doesn’t “owe a mutual exchange of energy” to her fans. Is that fair?Credit: Ryan Clemens

She isn’t the first to feel this way. Last year, Doja Cat criticised the fans who referred to themselves as “kittenz” (the general label adopted by Doja Cat superfans), suggesting they “get a job” and “rethink everything”. In 2020, Riverdale actor Cole Sprouse wrote about his fans’ sense of “entitlement” on Instagram, saying that “attacking [his] friends, baseless accusations, leaking [his] address, and sending death threats are all qualities of insanity and fanaticism”.

Some of this behaviour is undeniably unacceptable, namely stalking and death threats. Roan has alleged she has been followed and harassed by fans, with some even tracking down her family’s homes and workplaces. However, the criticism of more benign behaviours, such as asking Roan for a photo on the street, has reignited a common debate within show business: do celebrities owe us their time and attention? And if so, how much?

Dr Lukasz Swiatek, a UNSW lecturer of arts and media, says that life in the public eye will naturally result in some loss of privacy. “Fans are a vital part of modern celebrity,” he says. “Many of today’s celebrities wouldn’t be able to retain their status without fans. So, for better or worse, celebrities need to nurture that relationship.”

There has always been a transactional nature to these types of relationships: fans boost an artist’s career by consuming their art, and, in turn, celebrities offer insight into their lives and embrace public interactions. But, Swiatek says, there has been an intensification of fan behaviour with many so-called “stans” (aka superfans) experiencing parasocial connections to stars, largely thanks to social media.

“Fan entitlement has been fed by promotional companies that have deliberately generated engagement by connecting fans with celebrities,” he says. “[They’re creating] the impression that fans should always be able to connect easily with their favourite stars.”

Taylor Swift has developed powerful parasocial bonds with her Swifties through her diary-like lyrics. But what does she owe them?Credit: Max Mason-Hubers

However, fans being given some personal insight into celebrities’ lives shouldn’t mean they’re entitled to unlimited access. “Celebrities should not just have to put up with these encounters,” says Sean Redmond, RMIT’s associate dean of media, writing and publishing. “They are human beings too, mere mortals behind the make-up, and there are clearly private spaces where they have an ethical right to be left alone.”

Interactions at an organised event like a red carpet or concert are appropriate, Redmond says, but they become ambiguous once the celebrity is “off the clock”.

“Chance encounters, such as at an airport or car park, can be awkward, and personal barriers can be broken,” he says. “I bumped into Nick Cave at an exhibition at the NGV in Melbourne and so wanted to wrap my arms around him. Luckily, he gave me the ‘Bad Seed death stare’, and I moved on.”

Celebrities can rarely be separated from their art now. Thanks to social media, smartphones, and 24-hour media cycles, a celebrity is “always on stage”, Redmond says. Many celebrities are also leaning into authenticity, promising their fans that what they see is truly who they are, which can blur the boundaries of a private self.

However, as RMIT fan studies PhD candidate Kate Pattison points out, many fandoms can still distinguish between a celebrity’s private and professional life, and some even police each other’s behaviour to protect this distinction.

“Swifties are often quick to call out people who wait outside Swift’s apartment and won’t share paparazzi photos that disclose her location,” Pattison says.

“The behaviour of a small group shouldn’t be conflated with fan culture as a whole … I’ll always advocate for celebrities to engage with their fans. While some aspects of parasocial relationships may have negative impacts, being a fan can be a really enriching and meaningful experience.”

It ultimately comes down to respect, Pattison says. Celebrities like Roan should feel free to expose inappropriate behaviour and set personal boundaries, as long as it’s done in a way that doesn’t diminish the wider fandom – that is ultimately what keeps them relevant.

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