The Curse of Fame

Written by Kadence Schaecher

Photography by Sierra Ball

Modeled by Aliyah Rivero, Lilly Templeton, Natalia Cordero, & Zackarie Weber

Fame is something most everyone has wanted at one time or another. Looking at celebrities on social media, in movies, or on TV, it’s easy to think that they are living the perfect life: lots of money, lavish parties, and seemingly never-ending success. What’s not to envy? However, our modern obsession with these celebrities comes at a high cost for the people behind the glamorous images, and we are seeing the impacts of this now more than ever.

The truth is, in our capitalistic culture, celebrities are a brand. They are trying to sell you something — their image, their very self. The creation of social media added a whole new scene for these celebrities to push themselves out into the public eye, without having to be in a popular project or tabloid scandal. Now, celebrities can post something as simple as a picture of their outfit or workout routine and receive engagement from their fans. However, these minute glimpses into these celebrities' personal lives often make us, the audience, feel like we know this person, like they are our friend. At first, this may not seem like a bad thing. However, if some of your fans follow this path of thinking too far, it can sometimes lead to dangerous obsessions.

When a celebrity gains an obsessive following, the blessing of making it into the spotlight can quickly become a curse. One of the most prominent examples right now is pop star Chappell Roan, who has been outspoken about her disdain towards this obsessive part of fan culture after being propelled into the global spotlight in the past year. On Aug. 23, Roan posted a controversial Instagram post saying, “I don’t agree with the notion that I owe a mutual exchange of energy, time, or attention to someone I do not know, do not trust, or creep me out — just because they’re expressing admiration. …I am specifically talking about predatory behavior (disguised as “superfan” behavior) that has been normalized because of the way women who are well-known have been treated in the past.”

The post sparked countless discussions online about what behavior celebrities, especially famous women, should “expect” when they get their big break. Some thought that Roan was talking about all of her fans, and was ungrateful to those who brought her success. In reality, she stated in the original post itself that she is talking about these dangerous “superfans” who disguise their predatory behavior as admiration.

Online fan culture is not inherently harmful. It does not usually encourage this level of personally contacting the celebrities, or digging into their private lives. It is the few fans that do cross these lines that can make these relationships harmful.

In her Instagram post, Roan stated that she has been touched and followed by creepy fans, and that somehow this behavior has been excused as just being part of the job. She went on to say, “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 skirt in the first place. It is not a woman’s duty to suck it up and take it; it is the harasser’s duty to be a decent person and leave her alone.”

A similar situation occurred on Sept. 16, during a performance by music artist Shakira promoting her newly-released single “Soltera.” In a video captured by a clubgoer, Shakira can be seen dancing and enjoying herself before spotting an audience member filming up her skirt. She stops dancing, covers her skirt, and makes a motion telling the audience member “I see you,” before continuing to dance for a bit longer. However, the fan continues filming her, and she calls for the music to be cut before walking off the stage. She is said to have returned shortly after, but Shakira was undoubtedly uncomfortable during the interaction. In a comment under the video by the clubgoer, we see an example of the dismissal of these behaviors, stating that such videos are a “natural outcome” of dancing on a stage in a short skirt. While unintentional captures do happen, if the artist is clearly uncomfortable with the position they are being filmed in, is it not their right to ask the person to stop?

Unfortunately, harassment, stalking, and other creepy behaviors do not usually stop at the celebrity themselves. Far too often, their friends, family, and partners also become targets of the spotlight. This behavior has been seen from tabloid magazines, throughout much of the last few decades, snapping secret pictures of a celebrity on a date with a civilian or out with their family. Now, social media has made it that much harder to keep your private life private. Celebrities’ often try to keep their dating life elusive because of such behaviors. If the media and crazed fans find out who you are in a relationship with, it can sometimes lead to them being harassed as well. On Nov. 17, 2023, two-time Japanese Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu announced that he was divorcing his partner after just three months of marriage due to the harassment his partner had been subjected to. 

“I have made the decision to divorce because I want my partner to be happy and to be happy without restriction,” Hanyu said in a statement on X. 

Such depressing outcomes occur far too often for those under the spotlight just to be dismissed as what should be expected.

Roan talks about this in her Instagram post, too, saying, “Please stop being weird to my family and friends.” She went on to post videos onto her TikTok as well, where she voices similar thoughts on what is “owed” by a woman in the spotlight.

Roan is by no means the first celebrity to speak up on the matter, but her voice on the issue has made waves in the culture and has become an encouragement for other celebrities to assert themselves and their boundaries. She has shown that for as much as fame can be an incredible blessing, it can also be a curse at times on yourself and those around you, and this is something we all should keep in mind as we interact with celebrity culture. This harassment does not stop until blame is taken off of the victims, and put onto the perpetrators. The social status of a victim should not matter. Harassment is harassment, something that no one desires or deserves, no matter their level of notoriety.