STAN101: INTRO TO STAN CULTURE

Thoughts | Danielle Linder

@danielle_linder

STAN101: Intro to Stan Culture

Anyone who uses the Internet has at some point come across the term ‘stan’. According to the Google dictionary, a stan is “an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity.” But the term can also be applied to fans of athletes, sports teams, books, movies, and more. It derives from Eminem’s song “Stan” which tells the story about an obsessive fan of the rapper’s. ‘Stan culture’ then is the way fans act, relate to one another, and view the person or thing they’re fans of. The phenomenon of ‘standom’ isn’t new; the obsessive fan has been around since the ancient Romans entertained with their Gladiators, which would later turn into the pandemonium that Elvis Presley caused when he walked in a room, to the Beatle-mania that spread across the Atlantic, and then the love for the characters and actors in Marvel movies. And that’s just naming a few.

A big topic surrounding stan culture is that of how controversial stans can be. This is mainly related to the extent to which these people will go for their idol. A lot of stans will fly across the world to see their favorite artist, they’ll camp out outside venues or hotels in order to catch a glimpse of their favorite actor, or they’ll riot and fight when their team or athlete loses a match. The negativity of the obsession doesn’t have to be extreme. Online there is constant bickering and fighting between and within stan groups that can emerge from pretty much thin air. Stan Twitter for example can be quite the toxic environment if there’s a scandal surrounding a specific artist. But then, like I mentioned earlier, the negativity and controversy of stans can get very extreme. When it comes to sports, fans will fight one another after matches that can even sometimes lead to death. This happened to Russian and British soccer fans when a bar fight turned political and violent after a match. Stalking

can also get to the extreme where stans will break into celebrities houses, or follow them everywhere they go. There are definitely many cons to stan culture, but people also seem to ignore the fact that stan culture has many many pros as well. People from the same fan base now have a place to share their love for something together. For example, in my case, I have met some amazing friends both online and in real life because of stan culture. The love for something really brings people together and it’s quite beautiful to see. It’s also beautiful to see people find comfort in their fandom. With the help of this artist, athlete, actor, etc. and other stans, people are able to overcome things that they might not have been able to do so alone. Another positive thing about stan culture is that a lot of art comes out of it. Stans will create art, stories, videos, songs, and more for their idols, and I honestly feel that some of the fan art I’ve seen is some of the most amazing art out there.

It’s beautiful, and gives artists of all kinds a platform to express themselves, especially thanks to the help of the Internet and social media. So I don’t disagree when one correlates fandom obsession with negativity, but I disagree with correlating the fandom obsession with only that. That’s because the positive things I mentioned above are just a small part of how productive and happy stan culture can make people, which in some ways balances the scale of things. Overall, stan culture has been around us for a very, very long time, it has it’s pros and I has it’s cons, but it’s a part of us as people in some degree whether we like to admit it or not. We all have our obsessions, it’s just some manifest them in a larger way than others, but still like I said, it’s a part of all of us whether we like to admit it or not.