Being a celebrity means having millions of adoring fans with undivided, sometimes unwanted attention. At times this attention can become overbearing and dangerous to the celebs’ personal lives, so over the years more and more celebs have decided to take a stand against their fans and set some healthy and well-needed boundaries between them.
Tyler, the Creator, in his new song “Noid,” discusses his paranoia about being watched and feeling followed as a public figure, and how this has affected him mentally in his everyday life. He says, “No cameras out, please. I wanna eat in peace.” and “Privacy? Yeah, I got a better shot at the NBA.” He is essentially calling out his fans in his lyrics.
This song opened many fans’ eyes and made them realize the repercussions of their actions. Tyler’s struggles with being in the spotlight have created much discussion on social media between fans. They wonder what is okay and not okay when meeting your favorite artist in person.
We believe that Tyler, the Creator was in the right for making this song cause it is true that some fans overstep their boundaries at times when meeting him in public, acting like they’re old friends. When, in reality, Tyler has no idea who these people are or what their intentions are. He should be allowed to set these boundaries and distance himself from his fans if he so chooses.
Another artist who has publicly criticized the media for mistreating celebrities is Chappell Roan. She went to her Instagram to set the record straight: She is tired of the nonconsensual interactions she has encountered when interacting with fans.
After publicly expressing her feelings about these uncomfortable fan encounters, many began changing their opinions of Chappell.
Chappell clarified to her fans that she has grown more uncomfortable with being approached publicly. Moments when she wanted to spend time with family and friends in public areas, were being invaded by curious fans and overbearing paparazzi.
Through an Instagram text post and a TikTok video, Chappell came clean about how displeased she was with many fans’ behavior towards her, and her loved ones. She revealed how she had been dealing with stalkers, with some even trying to dox her sister.
Many saw her “outburst” as unprofessional, and some even went as far as to call her ‘ungrateful’ for her fame. Many thought her video was ‘bratty’ and ‘out of touch.’ The extreme response to her post caused one of the first bumps in her brand-new career.
Many claimed her video showed a clear lack of media training, while some believed she was completely in the right to vent out her frustrations. Many celebrities came to her defense after media outlets made her out to be a mean person. Stevie Nicks and Elton John both defended her choices, saying stardom is difficult, and it’s necessary to set boundaries.
A positive outcome of this situation is that many have earned a new respect for Chappell. She’s earned a reputation for being real and honest despite being famous. She isn’t afraid to be herself in interviews and call out paparazzi when she feels disrespected.
We believe that Chappell Roan is completely in the right to set these boundaries. Even though her video may seem harsh on the surface, one can only imagine the stress she must be under with her career taking off so quickly.
I’m not sure how some even took her video as a personal attack. Many of the topics discussed in both of her posts were just basic etiquette of respecting another human being. Small things like denying a photo while she’s out with friends, or requesting fans to not make physical contact with her in public all seem fair.
Many of her fans have stood with her throughout everything, seeing her as not just a celebrity, but a real person with real feelings.
Paparazzi and fans have been known to constantly invade the privacy of celebrities in very exploitative ways. Tabloids and media outlets don’t stray from creating a false perception of someone and pushing out inaccurate information to the public.
Celebrities’ setting realistic boundaries should be a widely accepted part of their careers. Many fans’ parasocial relationships with celebrities have caused harm in the past and should not be normalized.
