The Chappell Roan Fan Discourse Should Be a Reminder That Stalking Is All Too Common
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In this op-ed, Sarah John reframes the discourse around Chappel Roan and fans a a reminder that we need to take stalking seriously.
To many fans, their favorite artists are akin to heroes. But recently, artist Chappell Roan issued an important reminder about celebrities: everyone is “just some bitch.” Roan asserted some boundaries in social media posts in August, asking followers to respect her privacy, and for an end to predatory fan behaviors such as stalking. Before she set those boundaries, Roan said fans had exhibited “creepy” behavior, like finding out where her family lives, following her around, and knowing where her sister works. She’s worried, she said, that her family may be put in danger because of her fame. Despite these clear cut rules and legitimate concerns, the Internet had its opinions. Some called Roan ungrateful, saying inappropriate fan behavior is a side effect of fame, while others insisted that she had every right to express any boundaries she felt necessary.
But Chappell’s predicament is most interesting to me for a reason outside the politics of celebrity and fame. I'm focused on what it says about the plight of women worldwide.
In 2022, Ye (formerly Kanye West) made several Instagram posts airing out his frustration with Kim Kardashian, who had recently divorced him, and targeted her with behavior that many said amounted to harassment. Commenting on the situation, Daily Show host Trevor Noah stated in a segment, “What I see from this situation, I see a woman who wants to live her life without being harassed.” During his childhood in South Africa, Noah’s mother was abused by her partner, and Noah said that during that time he saw “a world where women are questioned for what is happening to them as opposed to people questioning what is happening to [women].”
Noah went on to say, “You may not feel sorry for Kim because she’s rich and famous, because of the way she dresses, because she appropriates Black culture, because she tells women they’re lazy, broke the internet and then didn’t put it back together, whatever, you hate her,” Noah continued. “But what she’s going through is terrifying to watch, and it shines a spotlight on what so many women go through when they choose to leave.”
Stalking is a problem for celebrities, but like Noah underscored, it's a problem for people everywhere. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stalking is defined as “a perpetrator’s use of a pattern of harassing or threatening tactics,” and about one in three women will experience stalking at some point in their lives, as will about one in six men. Most victims of stalking experience threats of physical harm, according to the CDC, and feel fearful and unsafe as a result. And according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, stalking is often a tactic of domestic violence, and a victim being stalked by an intimate partner is more likely to be killed by that partner.
But what exactly amounts to stalking isn't always agreed upon, which may make it harder to prevent. According to Scientific American’s article, “Psychologists Struggle to Explain the Mind of the Stalker,” what some may label as stalking, others may see as romantic behavior, like doggedly pursuing a date even when the other person has already said no. Research published in 2005 showed that, of students who read accounts from a case where a perpetrator was convicted of cyberstalking, not even 30% named the behavior as meeting the criteria for stalking. Other research, Scientific American pointed out, found that women were more likely to accurately name stalking than male participants.
Unsurprisingly, the way we talk about stalking, harassment, and assault has failed to include its root causes. While high-profile celebrity stalking cases are relatively rare, they often dominate the conversation. And, as the discussion around Roan’s boundaries highlights, these cases must be severe and clear cut before the public takes notice. However, the majority of stalking occurs between people who know each other, and can take many forms. It’s also worth noting that many stalkers are ex-lovers, and while stalkers and the people they target can be of any gender, most stalking victims are women.
While Chappell Roan’s case is notable because of her celebrity, and on paper seems less sympathetic, its most valuable, terrifying lesson remains the same: If the most successful, wealthy, powerful people in America can’t protect themselves from stalking and harassment, what options do the rest of us have? Not too many. While stalking is firmly illegal, the definition of stalking varies state to state, as does legal recourse. And because stalking is comprised of many incidents over time, it can be expensive and difficult to nail down.
Chappell Roan’s case is not that different from Harry Styles being groped by a fan in 2017, which is not that different from every person who has been stalked, groped, or dehumanized. Instead of debating the merits of Roan’s specific case — like whether people finding her home address and following her around is normal fan behavior or stalking, or whether she invited these situations by being famous — we should be asking why stalking and harassment are so common in the first place. Celebrity merely amplifies the problems already there because celebrities live in the same world as the rest of us. If we want celebs to stop living in fear of their fans, we need to create a society where everybody knows their safety, their boundaries, and their privacy will be taken seriously.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
