My Bedroom Posters of The Beatles The Xavierite
As someone who is heavily involved with pop culture I find it easy to become a fan of celebrities, but there is a line of behaviors that shouldn’t be crossed. Unhealthy parasocial relationships can become dangerous, harming the fan and celebrity.
Stan culture is a term used for behaviors acted by fandoms that are devoted to a celebrity. This could involve having social media dedicated to them, collecting posters, or anything associated with that person.
When I was in seventh grade, I became involved with stan culture through the app Twitter. This platform made it easy to connect with other fans and be vocal about the celebrities I loved.
Through that experience I quickly realized how some fans were much more devoted and obsessed than others. Artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce had fandoms that were quick to know every little detail about them.
I believe that this kind of behavior can quickly become toxic if fans are emotionally attaching themselves to these people and not knowing how to create a healthy balance.
This can be as simple as a Taylor Swift listener attaching her feelings of heartbreak with Taylor and her music. It will create intense feelings between the two.
As fans dive deeper into every detail about a celebrity, it will continuously create more curiosity. It can lead them to want to go beyond a celebrity’s boundaries of privacy.
With a mindset like this, the lines of supporting a celebrity become blurred with their growing obsession. When celebrities share anything about their personal lives it can open a toxic relationship with fans.
Fans could quickly develop a parasocial relationship and believe a celebrity owes them all of their business. They could form a version or idea about this celebrity based on only what they see online.
This will create unrealistic expectations toward a celebrity, making them out to be a perfect person who only does good. This pedestal is a disaster waiting to happen because celebrities are people that will make mistakes too.
I think this behavior makes it difficult for up and coming actors or artists to become successful. This pressure from their fans makes no room for them to mess up.
However, there are also instances where fans support anything a celebrity does. A blind devotion like that also creates a weird environment where celebrities can get away with any wrongs they’ve done.
These fans can easily become sheep and not understand how to stand by their own morals and ethics. This is harmful, especially to young fans that are still developing their virtues.
These unhealthy behaviors may not seem as extreme, but it’s known to go as far as jeopardizing people’s lives. Like I’ve mentioned, a fan’s morals become rocky and has led to mistreatment of non-fans.
Through platforms like X, formerly Twitter, die-hard fandoms defend their idols in the most extreme ways. They are quick to dox someone’s address, harass them, and send death threats.
It’s unacceptable behavior that cannot continue to be normalized in the fandoms because the lives of people are being dealt with. It becomes scary knowing that in the past celebrities’ lives have gotten taken because of crazy fans.
A prime example of this was singer John Lenon from The Beatles. A big fan of his had disliked a statement John made, then shot and killed him after requesting an autograph.
This situation could have been avoidable if this fan hadn’t put John on a pedestal of expectations. Again, John is his own person and is not going to share every idea his fans have.
This situation may not always be the case for every celebrity or fan, but if unhealthy behaviors continue then it’s possible to steer in that direction. All of the unhealthy behaviors I mentioned aren’t okay either.
I’m not saying that fandoms shouldn’t exist or that they are horrible people. They should just be creating a healthy balance of loving a celebrity and realizing that they don’t know that person.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with keeping up with celebrities and having posters of them in your room. I’m someone who has a room filled with musicians on almost every wall.
Since I was thirteen, I’ve grown to understand that celebrities are regular people who are just in the public eye. I shouldn’t let my infatuation cloud my judgment or make me form a one sided relationship with them.
Celebrities shouldn’t have to be so cautious around their fans and worry about their safety. They should be able to have a good connection with the people that constantly show them love and support.
Fandoms can be a positive environment and create an awesome community. It’s not wrong to adore someone’s talents and show them appreciation. Just know the difference between being a fan and crossing the line.