Chappell Roan, who had more than 68.36 million streams in the first half of this year, sparked controversy when she accused her fans of approaching her in public, harassing her online and trying to contact her family. Now, Roan feels her life has been turned upside down.

“I don’t see abuse and harassment, stalking, or anything harmful, as normal for celebrities,” Roan said in a video. “I don’t agree that this kind of crazy behavior should come with my job, my career, my chosen field,” she stressed.

Chappell Roan’s story has attracted attention in recent days. Photo: WireImage.

Toxic Fans

According to Business Insider , from a human perspective, the anger of the Good luck, babe! singer is understandable. Roan’s story also reflects the general trend of celebrities, especially female artists – who often speak out about feeling insecure when being the center of attention.

Of course, in the age of social media, the topic of “toxic fans” is widely discussed and dissected, but what is condemnable is the increasingly crude and dangerous form of harassment.

Three years ago, after a near-fatal drug overdose, Demi Lovato reprimanded Lovatics (her FC) for threatening to kill her best friend, mistaking him for a negative influence that left her in critical condition. “My fans want the best for me, but they don’t always have the full picture. Sometimes they go a little overboard, a little inappropriate,” Lovato explained in her personal documentary.

The “a little inappropriate” comment was still quite mild compared to the wave of insults that Lovato’s friend received. According to Rachel Brodsky of The Independent, although the fan community is quite toxic and seems to like to play the villain, Lovato still indulges them because the singer has no other choice.

Demi Lovato still pampers her fans even though she knows they are very “toxic”. Photo: People.

This has inadvertently become the norm for many artists. Because, in order to pursue fame and wealth, stars accept that their personal lives are scrutinized. If they want to have many supporters and fans, they have to let the audience deeply approach them even if they are not comfortable with it.

“Male artists often show stereotyped gratitude or maintain a perfect image in the eyes of fans, looking like dolls with pre-programmed lines. On the contrary, female artists, typically Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift, do not accept being puppets. They can borrow music products or directly post to criticize belligerent fans,” Business Insider commented.

The newspaper believes that Roan’s recent posts prove that the singer refuses to accept toxic fan culture.

“The Vandals, or the Judges”

A few weeks before Chappell Roan, Halsey posted her frustration about the merciless criticism of her song Lucky . She wrote: “My fans treat me worse than anyone else on the planet. Of course I’m not saying all of them, but there were a few who were mean and now the majority are just expressing hate and calling me mean.”

Doja Cat was also mentioned when she publicly “warned” with fans last year. She even bluntly told fans: “I don’t love you because I don’t even know who you are.”

Despite losing nearly 1 million followers on Instagram, Cat still doesn’t feel wrong for saying that. She continued: “It feels like I just defeated a big monster that has been holding me back for so long. No one forced you guys. I don’t understand why you guys talk to me like you’re crazy.” BI commented that the Say So singer risked her fame in exchange for privacy and freedom.

Taylor Swift uses her latest album to criticize toxic fans. Photo: @taylorswift.

According to Business Insider , even Swift was outraged when she released songs about being bothered by fans. I Know Places and The Archer describe Swift “as a hunted animal, trying to avoid traps and countless curious eyes.” Meanwhile, Mirrorball and Dear Reader are her lamentations as a professional performer.

Notably, in her latest album The Tortured Poets Department , Swift complained about being imprisoned. She likened a group of fans to “vandals”, “evil people disguised as sympathizers”, “judgmental people”… The singer did not hesitate to condemn those who worshiped her to the point of inhumanity. Malicious comments, sexual assault, stalking, mental terrorism, misogyny… are the issues that the billionaire singer wanted to talk about in Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

In many ways, social media has created a harsher world for celebrities. The cruelty that comes with criticism has never been more prevalent. Rather than turn a blind eye to the toxicity, many stars are bravely responding, even though they know it can sometimes be detrimental to them.

As Roan shared: “Many people think they know artists down to the last detail just by listening to music and watching artists online. I disagree with that and say no to extreme approaches.”