Swifties, Barbz, Army, Beliebers; the list is endless. Fandoms were initially formed to allow those who share a collective interest to bond and discuss. These spaces were intended to act as a safe space—and sometimes, an escape from reality. Yet, as time has passed and the world has changed, it is hard to ignore how fandoms have also changed. We have seen fandoms shift into toxic and unwelcoming environments that are seemingly hierarchical. If they are even “allowed” to join, new fans are looked down upon and viewed as lesser than the original fans. Fandoms have also grown to idolize the celebrity, author, band, etc., that they are fans of and believe that they can do nothing wrong. This idolization has also developed into an obsession; fans will stalk, hack security cameras, and magically appear wherever the person/group is.
For something created to be welcoming and centered around becoming united over a shared interest, fandoms are most certainly neither welcoming nor united. The fans “running” said fandoms view themselves and other original fans as superior to everyone else. New fans are often not welcomed or “allowed” to join because they are deemed less of a fan. They also tend to glamourize lesser-known pieces of work released; if you don’t know it, you are considered a “fake fan.” These actions isolate the fandom and lead to potential new fans not wanting to join or even consider the interest because of the fandom’s reputation. Yet, the people turning away new fans are the same people who are upset when others don’t know what they are referring to when they bring it up. They are responsible for their own anger because they have too much of a superiority complex to realize that welcoming new fans and other opinions is okay.
Besides the original fans driving a wedge between them and the new fans, there has also been increasing prevalence around fans idolizing the people they are fans of. This is not just people joking about how perfect the particular celebrity is; these fans genuinely believe that this person is all-righteous. Fans have created these god-like figures in their mind, and it has gotten to the point where if anyone criticizes or says anything remotely negative, the fans will attack that person and act as if they were being criticized themselves and not the celebrity. One example is the Barbz fandom, which is consistently seen online defending Nicki Minaj. In an interview with Rolling Stones, one Barb stated, “A female lion with her cubs, you don’t mess with the babies, and Nicki is our baby.” Another example of this is Kanye West’s fans, who continue to stand by him regardless of the antisemitic and racist remarks he has made. Yet, there are still thousands of people in his comments supporting him, with some on his most recent Instagram post announcing a new album saying things such as “ye you saved my life” and “MY KING DROPPING.”
The obsession does not stop at fans acting feral online; there are endless cases of fans taking this to the next level and disregarding the celebrity’s right to privacy. One example we often hear of is stalking, which recently happened to Paige Bueckers. However, during an interview on Hot Ones, Shawn Mendes spoke about one instance where a fan took stalking even further and came to his front door in the middle of winter wearing a crop top and shorts. The fan pretended to be lost and claimed to not know where she was. She said she needed someone to drive her to Starbucks, so Mendes drove her. Another example of taking things too far is One Direction fans hacking into security cameras at not only the airport but also at hotels so that they could watch them.
Fandoms are no longer the fun and safe space they used to be, and it’s not just one person’s fault; all fans have a part to play in what it has become. Fans must realize that celebrities are people too, so they are not required to share every aspect of their lives with you. Everyone needs privacy, and in some ways, celebrities deserve more because of how many people look up to them and how much impact they have. We see many cases of celebrities begging to be given one moment alone and treated with respect. One recent case is with Chappell Roan, who later came out and made a statement about how important boundaries are. While listening and learning from celebrities is okay, people have no reason to take their word as gospel. These celebrities are just as human as we are, so there isn’t one who you should look at as perfect. If we allow these celebrities to have such a hold on us, we will become nothing more than mindless zombies with no grasp on reality. We all love the internet and bonding over our favorite celebrities. Still, we must keep ourselves composed and remind ourselves that there is nothing special about them to the point where our admiration for them should have that amount of control over our lives.
love it kayleigh!!!!