Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, Halsey, Doja Cat hit out at ‘creepy’ fans

On a basic human level, her anxiety is understandable. After years of modest success in niche circles, Roan, who is known for her viral “Hot to Go” dance, drag-inspired stage persona and Kate Bush-esque vocals, has endured a meteoric rise to superstardom that would a disturbing experience for someone.

But Roan’s comments also speak to a larger trend among celebrities, particularly female musicians, who seem to be increasingly vocal about feeling insecure or uncomfortable in the spotlight.

Of course, the toxic symptoms of fame and fan culture, especially in the age of social media, have been widely discussed and written about — but what’s new is the raw, forced way celebrities reacted to it in real time.

Just three years ago, after recovering from a near-fatal overdose, Demi Lovato gently scolded a subgroup of fans known as “Lovatics” who sent her close friend thousands of threats with death because they mistakenly thought the friend was a “bad influence”. “

“My fans are amazing. They’re very passionate,” Lovato said in a documentary about the experience. “But they’re a little out of place sometimes. Because they want what’s best for me, but they don’t always have all the information.”

“A little out of line” is pretty easy given the barrage of verbal abuse Lovato’s friend received — but still, as The Independent’s Rachel Brodsky noted at the time, this kind of acknowledgment of toxic fan behavior from to a pop star was “frustratingly rare. It was as if they all agreed to please their self-described devotees, even when they were acting more like villains and antagonists.

It’s not hard to see how this became the norm. It is often argued that in the pursuit of fame and fortune, artists must sacrifice their right to privacy when they become public figures. In return for their support, many fans expect unrestricted access to their favorite stars.

These requests also tend to be gendered. Non-male celebrities are expected to give thanks, to remain perfect, like puppets with prescribed dialogue. Lyrics like Roan and Taylor Swift often have the added pressure of authenticity. After pouring details about their personal lives into songs, many fans claim that a celebrity’s personal life is fair game, even when they’re not singing about their experiences.

But if Roan’s recent comments are any indication, she refuses to tolerate toxic fan culture — and she’s not alone.

Just weeks before Roan shared her frustrations on TikTok, Halsey wrote an impassioned Tumblr post about the response to her new single, “Lucky.” The track, which pays homage to Britney Spears’ 2000 hit of the same name, was partly inspired by Halsey’s recent health scare and the pain of putting on a happy face in public.

“My own fans are way meaner to me than any other people on the planet,” Halsey wrote. “I don’t speak for all of you, of course. But it used to be just a minority that was horrible to me, and now it seems like a majority is only allowed to occasionally speak their mind about how much they hate me or how much they hate me. I’m terrible.”

True, Halsey has never been one to hide her feelings beneath a polished veneer — but such sharp teeth, clearly bared at the feeding hand, would be remarkable from any pop star.

Doja Cat also made headlines last year for waging an open war against his fans, telling them in no uncertain terms that he doesn’t love them. “I don’t even know you,” she tweeted.

After Doja lost nearly 1 million Instagram followers, she refused to engage in damage control. In fact, it doubled.

“Seeing all these people unfollowing makes me feel like I’ve vanquished a great beast that has held me tight for so long,” she wrote, risking fame and fortune for privacy and freedom in a delicious subversion of the standard deal.

Even Swift seems to be getting tired. Early in her career, she made it a point to be seen as sweet and grateful to her followers, insisting that she would never complain about living in a fishbowl, even if it complicated her life.

Some have tried to twist Swift’s youthful idealism to shame those who disagree. “This is why she’s at the top of her game 17 years later,” one Swiftie tweeted on Monday. “This is a message for you, Chappell.”

But Swift was a teenager in that video. Now, at 34, it’s safe to say Swift’s relationship with fame has changed. In fact, this tense dynamic is a key theme in her work. Songs like “I Know Places” and “The Archer” feature Swift as a hunted animal, hiding from traps and prying eyes. “Mirrorball” and “Dear Reader” mourn her role as a professional performer and illusionist.

Most notably, on her latest album The Tortured Poets Department, Swift repeatedly complains about being caged; she compares entitled fans to “saboteurs,” “vipers dressed as empaths,” and literally “judging souls,” ultimately condemning the people who worship her to the point of dehumanization.

Since rising to fame as a pre-teen, Swift has dealt with everything from mean comments and occasional misogyny to sexual assault, stalking and attempted terrorism. That’s what he means in “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” when she snaps, “You wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me.”

Younger stars like Roan, 26, and Billie Eilish, who has already released two songs inspired by her own stalkers at 22, are sadly finding they can relate. But they also discover they don’t want to grin and bear it for 17 years—wait until their parasocial fandom reaches Swiftian levels to set explicit boundaries.

In many ways, social media has created a tougher world for public figures. Cruelty and criticism have never been more visible or easier to internalize, and the sense of decorum has been lost – but the road goes both ways. Just as we can tell a pop star what we think of her at any moment, she can immediately respond with her own opinion.

“It’s weird how people think you know a person just because you see them online and listen to the art they make,” Roan said to wrap up her pair of videos. “I’m allowed to say no to creepy behavior.”