Stan Culture

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1. Fanart of artist Conan Gray. Photo used with permission of arttdump on Instagram. 2. Pencil drawing of artist Zayn Malik, previously a part of band One Direction. Photo used with permission of ha_arts on Instagram.

Swallowed by stan culture

Students turn to Twitter for commuity @

Sydney Territo terrisyd000@hsestudents.org Kindell Readus readukin000@hsestudents.org

Following or being a fan of a popular, current celebrity is a good way to find interests, bond with others and find role models. However there comes a point where it can become “obsessive.” This obsessive behavior can be as extreme as the recent uptick in fan stalking incidents in the various K-Pop fandoms, something so prominent it warranted its own name “saesaeng” (pronounced ‘sah-sang’). This is where the differentiating factor between being a fan versus being a “stan” comes into play. Stanning a celebrity can lead to unrealistic expectations of oneself and a false understanding of the relationship they have with the celebrity. “In cases where admiration becomes an obsession, researchers have detected higher levels of depression, anxiety, and negative self-esteem,” said psychology teacher Matthew Follman. “Trying to adhere to unrealistic expectations can be detrimental to mental as well as physical health. Personality development is fluid, so it is important to be grounded in realism to be able to adapt to new environments and situations.”

The term “stan” comes from the 2000s hit song by the same name written by Marshall Mathers, better known as Eminem. The song details the story of an obsessed fan and how not being recognized by his idol sent him on a downward spiral, ultimately ending in his death. Though this title is laced with obsession, emotional connection and tragedy, it was and still is embraced by Mathers’ fans. However, the term caught on and began being used in reference to all intense fans of any artist or subject. Now, it describes anyone with a desire to support the artist by sending encouraging messages and developing a deep understanding of an artist or figure they look to for comfort.

Stanning can be a slippery slope for some. For sophomore Lily Sharp, stanning turned into something that occupied her life for over a year. She followed Harry Styles in 2020, and while she could appreciate the artist and his music, the culture surrounding him was consuming. “That was all I would talk about. I would be on Twitter for like, six hours a day,” Sharp said. “My parents had time restrictions because I was just talking to people overseas and in Britain about Harry Styles’ blood type or something.” Sharp says that her feelings of animosity towards stan culture had nothing to do with the artists she followed, but merely the other fans she met and the forum in which they interacted: “stan Twitter.” Stan Twitter is a subset of Twitter dedicated to fans and the groups they find themselves attached to. The

toxicity that some experience as a part of internet culture has turned some fans, such as Sharp, away from their favorite celebrities and sites like Twitter. “They are sending death threats over the smallest things,” Sharp said. “I don’t want to be told to kill myself because I like his green shirt, or a blue shirt or something. It was crazy.” While some people on stan Twitter can be harsh, others have found solace in it. Sophomore Emma Bean became interested in Harry Styles over quarantine, and it led her to become a stan of One Direction and its various members. “Stanning gives me something to rely on, weirdly enough,” Bean said. “It gives me something to look forward to.” When starting out on stan Twitter, Bean said that it can be very abstract and hard to get used to, as there are many inside jokes held by members of each fandom and separate stan community. She has found a sense of friendship and camaraderie from connecting with the stan community through jokes, which allowed her to meet many new people. “There is definitely a community [among stans],” Bean said. “I have this person I chat with online, and it’s super nice because it brings people together.”

Although these inside jokes can unite stans, those same jokes that are understood within the community can lead to confusion from anyone not well-versed in them, leaving those not a part of the group perplexed and left to assume the worst. “The whole fangirl thing – which is just misogyny really– with fangirls being crazy and possessive…,” Bean said. “It’s not crazy and not weird, because men will fanboy over sports and it’s totally fine.’’ These communities can do more than just connect people with a similar interest. For example, every year leading up to singer songwriter Harry Styles’s birthday, fans work to raise money for various charities in his honor. One such charity is run by HL Daily, a prominent and well followed figure on stan Twitter, who worked on a fundraiser stating that, “Harry’s birthday is coming up soon. We’ve teamed up with Peace Over Violence to raise money for survivors of domestic Violence.” Through this fundraiser they have raised nearly ten thousand dollars in the singer’s honor, showing the sense of community and compassion stanning can bring.

For students who chose to be active in “stan” culture, Follman recommended that compassion and a sense of individuality should be kept in mind. “So, take a humanistic psychological approach [a movement supporting the belief that individuals are unique and should be treated as such] and do not look for others to fill voids in your own life,” Follman said. “Continue to figure out who you are and what you want to be. Hopefully you will find happiness and fulfillment in your own journey.”

Digital fanart of famous Kpop artists Kim Taehyung (pictured left) and J-Hope from BTS (pictured right). Photo used with permission of whimsymoonpaints on Instagram.