In today’s media age, considering how aggressive paparazzi and fans can be, celebrities and artists can often feel like they have no privacy and autonomy. However, queer pop artist Chappell Roan has been outspoken about her boundaries with fans and paparazzi, which has brought forward a new narrative from an artist’s point of view on how dangerous and intimidating parasocialism can be.
Roan posted two videos on August 19, 2024 to her TikTok account calling out fans for their behaviour. In the videos, Roan mentions having been yelled at from car windows, harassed in public, and that people have been mad at her when she had refused to take photos with fans. Alongside all of that, she highlights that people had been offended when she could not give them her time due to having her own schedule to keep up with. These were the initial behaviours directed at Roan, but there were more to come. In her video, she gives more examples of the way that people have been stalking and harassing her, also asking, “Would you stalk her [Roan’s] family? Would you follow her around?”
Due to the overnight rise in fame she experienced, Roan was not given time to adjust to a bigger fanbase and audience before going on her “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” tour. Roan reasserts the boundary between audience and performer when she says in her second TikTok: “I don’t care that abuse and harassment, stalking, whatever is a normal thing to do to people who are famous or a little famous. I don’t care that it’s normal, I don’t care that this crazy type of behaviour comes along with the job, the career field I’ve chosen. That does not make it ok. That does not make it normal.” Roan’s call to be treated with respect is a simple request to follow. Respecting her, her family and time and avoiding the parasocial behaviour will no doubt make her feel safer and be able to keep making music for her fans.
Roan’s confidence to speak up and state her boundaries is a powerful use of her platform. The parasocial behaviour exhibited must be a horrifying thing for artists and celebrities. Perhaps this one artist’s voice will inform and inspire fans to consider decency when interacting with the people they idolize.
