Before last spring, if I mentioned Chappell Roan to you, the chances you’d know who she was were just about zero. But now? Not only does practically everyone know who she is, but she’s nominated for six Grammy Awards (including Album of the Year), has over 42 million monthly listeners on Spotify and opened for Olivia Rodrigo on the first leg of her “Guts” tour.
I would say that “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” was the beginning of Roan’s rise to fame, but I think her performance at Coachella 2024 sealed the deal. Watching the video and seeing just how big her crowd was and how many people were singing along, I could sense that Roan had truly, as they say, made it.
While scrolling through social media, it’s easy to find criticism of Roan; truthfully, you almost see more of it than praise. Billboard recently announced that Roan has split ties with her management (the drama around this is that it was announced by Billboard right after the Grammy nominations, and it just doesn’t look great for Roan). She responded with a comment and fans reacted in less-than-polite ways. One user on X replied, “no way she’s complaining about billboard reporting about the music industry? girl that’s BILLBOARD” and another called her a much less polite word that I’d rather not use in an article, but you get the gist.
And here’s the thing: I don’t understand why a woman is unable to speak out for herself and to share her feelings. To me, Roan is the prime example of someone with a backbone, sense of self-respect and ability to use her voice when she needs to. A photographer was incredibly rude to her, and what did she do? She saw them and went to speak to them directly.
To me, this is an example of someone calling out paparazzi for being disrespectful. One user apparently thought this was ridiculous, stating that Roan “would yell at a fish for swimming” in an X post. Now, come on. Can a person not speak out after being disrespected? Why on earth does this count as odd behavior when, in reality, the odd thing is that someone felt permitted to be this disrespectful?
Roan has been, understandably, struggling with how fast she’s shot to fame and with how fans have been treating her. In an Instagram post, she wrote about the experience saying, “I chose this career path because I love music and art and honoring my inner child. I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.” She continued, saying, “I don’t agree with the notion that I owe a mutual exchange of energy, time, or attention to people I do not know, do not trust, or who creep me out—just because they’re expressing admiration.”
“This situation is similar to the idea that if a woman wears a short skirt and gets harassed or catcalled, she shouldn’t have worn the short skirt in the first place. It is not the woman’s duty to suck it up and take it; it is the harasser’s duty to be a decent person, leave her alone, and respect that she can wear whatever she wants and still deserve peace in the world,” wrote Roan.
I could go on and on about how she is talented, wonderful and not a diva at all. But the thing is, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Chappell Roan is a person. Period. She deserves your respect because she exists in this world as a person and is worthy of being treated decently no matter what the hell she does.
One thing that people continuously argue is that because someone is famous, they choose to let go of their right to privacy. I find that incorrect and incredibly harmful. Sure, now you know who they are and maybe they’re more recognizable, but that never gives you the right to do whatever you want simply because that person is famous. You are not being a fan if you’re following someone around and not allowing them to have any private time; you’re harassing them.
Don’t go out there trying to find her or her family. Let her live the life she deserves and support a successful and talented woman, while also supporting her as a person. We must remember what happened to famous women in the past and do better. I know that people can do better, and I sincerely hope that they will.