Chappell Roan is currently facing extreme backlash from the media, the public and her fans.
This was following an incident involving soccer player Jorginho, Catherine Harding (his wife) and their 11-year old daughter (Jorginho’s stepdaughter). After the daughter approached Chappell at a restaurant in a hotel in Sao Paulo over Lollapalooza weekend, a security guard allegedly stopped her and spoke to her in an “aggressive manner,” bringing the 11-year old to tears.
Jorginho released a heated instagram story about the incident. Roan was then blasted on the internet.
Subsequently, Roan responded to the criticism from the internet claiming that the security guard in question was not a part of her team. She then apologized about the dynamic between the two, and said she didn’t even see it occur.
Also, this isn’t the first time Chappell has been in the fire for a public interaction; she has clashed with paparazzi at awards shows like the Grammys.
Conversations around celebrities, fan culture and parasocial relationships are arising. The question is: does she owe her fans anything?
Gen Z (specifically LGBTQIA+ people) make up a large part of Roan’s fanbase, heavily connecting with her music that celebrates queer culture and club nightlife. With most of the backlash coming from social media, Gen Z teens and young adults have been commenting on the discourse in public and online spaces.
“As a whole, I feel like Chappell Roan can be melodramatic, although I do agree with celebrities being treated with respect,” junior Jillian Wilburn said. “You still have to keep in mind that celebrities are going to be treated differently than normal humans. She is stuck between wanting to be famous and not wanting to be famous.”
Junior Alayna Khan also thinks it’s important to have a healthy boundary between fans and celebrities while remaining approachable to supporters.
“I think stars are able to set boundaries because they’re also humans and not just public figures,” Khan said. “But I also think that being famous comes with the responsibility of being amicable with your fans, which she struggles to remember.”
With celebrities constantly living in the spotlight, some are saying that there are responsibilities that come with fame such as interacting with fans through photos or conversations. Many also believe that women face specific backlash, challenges or pressures as a result of misogyny.
“I feel like every time Chappell is in the hot seat, it feels sexist,” freshman Kate Bougie said. “It almost feels like everyone is grabbing at the chance to villainize a woman. Women are criticized harder than men, especially in the music industry. We have men in the music industry who have committed terrible acts, yet still hold their fame and respect. Yet as soon as a woman so as makes a tiny mistake in the public eye, they are immediately shunned.”
Junior Ruby Edwards communicates her ideas about systematic misogyny in the music industry, while remaining firm in the belief that stars should be amicable with the public.
“I think Chappell Roan is definitely in the wrong,” Edwards said. “No matter how famous or unknown you are, it’s never okay to treat someone that way. I think women in the media have been critiqued harder as an overall, because women are sometimes not taken as seriously in the industry. If someone like Justin Bieber had done something similar, people would’ve just laughed and said he was having a bad day.”
With such an intense reaction from the public, it brings people to question the advantages celebrities may currently possess in wealth, power and fame. Some wonder whether Chappell lands in that “A-list” celebrity level where wealth is infinite and the rules don’t apply.
“We must remind ourselves also, being famous gives someone privilege and power and money,” junior Caden Pelletier said. “Cancel culture will never apply to people like that. Once she’s up there she is probably staying. But with that privilege of being famous, it seems she often takes it for granted or treats it as a burden rather than a dream. Which, in that case, girl, you don’t have to be in the spotlight if you don’t like it.”
Senior Charlotte Coleman criticizes the petty backlash from the general public over the scandal.
“I think that this whole thing has been blown way out of proportion,” Coleman said. “There are so many more serious and pertinent things happening in the world. And yet, still so much attention is being directed towards analyzing whether Chappell is rude to fans. There has been such a big shift with the rise of social media where people feel this parasocial connection with celebrities. It’s like they feel celebrities should always be willing to engage and interact.”
Chappell Roan has been a pivotal part in pop culture within the past years. From “HOT TO GO!” To “The Subway,” she has proven her place in the music industry. This interaction has opened up an important conversation about how much celebrities truly “owe” their fans in the grand scheme of fame.
