FROM SUPERFANS TO SUPERSTANS

Twenty years ago, stans relied on sending fan mail, but today, the internet and social media have given us much easier access to the celebrity of our choice.

Story by Chastain Flores

It was October of 2014. My friend got a reply on Twitter from Luke Hemmings, the lead vocalist in the band 5 Seconds of Summer, our favorite band. She facetimed me and we both instantly started freaking out. My friend replied back to him, “follow my friend, she loves you so much.” Minutes later, another 5 Seconds of Summer stan replied to the both of us, “be grateful he replied to you.” We just ignored it, but then things got ugly. She began to tweet at us more, telling me to kill myself and that neither of us deserved a reply nor follow from Hemmings.

If you have ever been on social media, you’re likely to have come across one of these stan accounts. While they may look like they’re run by harmless fans, stan culture can be toxic and harmful to fans, as well as the celebrities.

The word “stan” originated from a song by American rapper Eminem called “Stan,” in 2000. The song was written about a man who would write and send fan mail to his idol. He never got a reply from said idol and with that, he was sent over the edge. While some stans are like that, the definition as given by the Oxford English Dictionary is, “an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity,” and was only recently added as an official word in 2017. Twenty years ago, stans relied on sending fan mail, but today, the internet and social media have given us much easier access to the celebrity of our choice.

With that access, it can sometimes bring toxicity and harassment from fan bases as a whole. This behavior is known as mob mentality or herd mentality, defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as, “the tendency of the people in a group to think and behave in ways that conform with others in the group rather than as individuals.”

Stan culture is something that I myself have been part of since the age of 13. At that age, it was hard. It wasn’t easy for me to find happiness at the time until I found O2L and One Direction and whoever else I was starting to stan. Their music and videos were something that made me happy. It gave me that chance to escape my realities, even if only for three minutes while listening to a song or watching a Youtube video.

Though there are positive outcomes from stan culture, there also comes the negative outcomes which can at times outweigh the good.

Back in March 2020, singer Billie Eilish had liked a meme on Instagram of Louis Tomlinson, a member from One Direction. It was captioned, “When you move and the snapchat filter comes off,” with a picture of Zayn Malik, a former member of One Direction, presenting someone with a snapchat filter on, alongside a picture of Tomlinson, who was meant to be “filter comes off.” Tomlinson’s fans did not like the meme, or that Eilish liked it so they decided to go after Eilish. One Direction stans came to Twitter and began tweeting the hashtag #BillieEilishIsOverParty, in an attempt to cancel her. They even took it as far as bullying her on her appearance.

Allie Bain is an avid Harry Styles and 5 Seconds of Summer stan. She has been a part of stan culture for the past 11 years of her life and has experienced bullying. She didn’t know much about K-Pop group BTS and would often tweet about not understanding things a BTS stan may know everything about. As a result, she would often get bullied and picked on for her looks. “I was always stressed out about what people were going to say about me. People would make comments about my dark circles, like yeah I know,” Bain says.

Illustration by Andrea Koehler

Comments like this can take a many that she is condoning his past Twigs.” This is where holding celebritoll on people’s mental health. Bain behavior and may feel let down as one ties accountable comes in. With the recently decided to resign from her of her stans commented, “Listened situation not being talked about, it’s stan Twitter days after getting a to your music non-stop after I left a like everyone was ignoring the situanew phone and was unable to sign man who almost killed me. Feels like tion. If we hold Lizzo accountable for back into her account. She took this a real slap in the face to be honest.” saying something as problematic as as a sign to leave Twitter. Still, she Some people went the other route and Chris Brown being her favorite person considers herself a stan from afar. commented things like “Why are y’all after assaulting Rihanna, we should

Celebrities also have to worry about dragging her? SHE was not the one definitely be talking more about their relationships with other celeb- abusing women,” and “I don’t see y’all LaBeouf and hold him accountable for rities when it comes to stans and the hating on Nicki,” referring to Nicki his actions. things they’ll do. In 2018, after Ariana Minaj who has a song with Brown. The Doing what some Lizzo stans did Grande released her song “Thank u, fact of the matter is that Lizzo needs and calling her out for her actions, can next” fans took to her ex-fiance Pete to be held accountable. As an artist result in people telling you you’re not Davidson’s Instagram comments. They with such a big platform, she should a true stan, which is far from the case. urged him to kill himself after having be more careful with things she says Calling out a celebrity and telling spoken publicly about his borderline and who she supports. them what they did wrong allows personality disorder. them to grow and learn,

People think as humans do while we because they have this grow up. All that stans “unlimited access” to want sometimes is for celebrities and their their favorite artist to lives, they are allowed be given that second to do what they want chance and to own up with this information. to what they did and Stans don’t realize that make changes necesthis can affect not sary in order to not only celebrities but the make the same mistakes public and other stans later on. who mean no harm. Due Stan culture has to the actions of over- the potential to change the-top stans, Ashton and be a safer space Irwin, drummer of for everyone who is a the band 5 seconds of part of it. “I want it to Summer, stopped taking be a more welcoming pictures with fans for a place for everyone,” while, and when he did says Mikayla Galaviz, take pictures, he would who has been a part of just look unhappy. In December of 2020, actor Shia stan culture since she was 7 years old.

While stans coming together to LaBeouf was sued by singer FKA Throughout her years of stanning One attack other stans or celebrities can Twigs, accusing him of sexual assault Direction and Love, Victor, she says be harmful, there comes times where and physical abuse. In situations like she has felt nothing but welcomed. stans will come together and hold this, it’s always important to believe “It should continue to be a place to celebrities accountable. Recently, the victim until proven otherwise. meet other people around the world; singer Lizzo made a comment about According to the National Sexual to hear how being a fan of someone or singer Chris Brown being her favorite Violence Resource Center, an esti- something is important to someone,” person. When taking a look back to mated 63% of sexual assult victims says Galaviz. 2009 when Brown assaulted singer never even report their assaults to the It is important to remember that and ex-girlfriend Rihanna, Lizzo’s police. Not many people talked about having an opinion and disliking what stans weren’t too happy about the it outside of the news, and people someone you look up to says doesn’t comment. One fan wrote under one have noticed. As someone tweeted mean you don’t support them. Speak of her recent TikToks, “Girl... Chris over a year after the assault happened, up when you have strong opinions. Brown? This is so disappointing.” “Why haven’t I heard anyone talking Enjoy your time being part of stan Lizzo making this comment seemed to about Shia LaBeouf abusing FKA culture as much as possible. 

THIS IS WHERE HOLDING CELEBRITIES ACCOUNTABLE COMES IN. WITH THE SITUATION NOT BEING TALKED ABOUT.