![Henry Willy [pictured left] taking the field with his teammates in a 10-11 loss vs. Saas.](https://ballardtalisman.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_2431.jpg)
This summer was the rise of pop star Chappell Roan. Her newest single “Good Luck Babe” has been all over pop radio and her song “HOT TO GO! ” has a viral TikTok dance. Her album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” has received critical acclaim.
Recently Roan spoke out about her personal experience with parasocial relationships– defined as one-sided emotional bonds that individuals form with celebrities or other public figures. Most often we hear from fans about parasocial relationships.
Roan has shared about the effect they’ve had on her mental health. In a TikTok video she said “I don’t care that abuse and harassment, stalking, whatever, is a normal thing to do to people who are famous.” She states clearly that she doesn’t want fans to come up to her when she’s out with her friends and demand pictures.
She talked about specific experiences with entitled fans wanting photos or hugs saying “that’s not normal, that’s weird!”
We are not entitled to someone’s time at the expense of their health just because we like the art that they create. Many people disagree with Roan and have made this clear on social media, insulting her and threatening to stop listening to her music because of her request to not be approached by fans when she is just living her normal human life.
She explains that she had to cancel two festival dates because of the impact of fans on social media on her mental health. However, this should not be the fall of the Midwest princess just because Roan shared her experience and asked to be left alone.
As fans we need to remember that celebrities are people too and deserve to be treated as such. This means giving them privacy.
