Being a celebrity certainly isn’t all fun and games. Behind the glamour there is a multitude of toils, one of which being how to deal with those fans who take it a step too far. There has been a video doing the rounds on social media recently of a fan jumping the barrier and running towards Ariana Grande at the Wicked: For Good premier in Singapore. Turns out, this man is a serial barricade jumper and has been filmed charging on stage at multiple concerts including Katy Perry, and The Chainsmokers. His behaviour has been abhorred by thousands of fans, who recognise that this is quite literally stepping over a line that should not be crossed when it comes to interacting with celebrities (or anyone, for that matter).
While it is rare that a fan — if you can even call him that — does something this extreme, many people continue to step over metaphorical lines when it comes to interacting with celebrities. The world of social media has given fans more insights into the lives of celebrities, but it has also created a sense of artificial closeness. The concept of parasocial relationships is scary, but something which is prevalent when it comes to fan culture. Some obsessive fans form one-sided emotional bonds with celebrities, often leading them to behave in a way that disregards the celebrity’s boundaries. There is a difference between enthusiastically appreciating a celebrity’s work and becoming dangerously obsessive.
So how do celebrities counter these obsessive fans? One interesting example is Chappell Roan. As she uses a stage name and persona while performing, you would think it would be easier for her to place boundaries between her celebrity life and her ‘normal’ life. And yet she has still had to come out and explicitly ask fans to not take photos of her or use her real name when they see her without her stage persona in public. Celebrities are humans too, and it seems reasonable to lay a boundary such as this, but some people still found reason to complain. “This is what she signed up for” was a repeated refrain I saw in social media, claiming that being a celebrity comes with dealing with fans asking for photos. While this may be true to some degree, I don’t think it’s fair to say that anyone signs up to feel threatened or have their boundaries disregarded.
Fan culture can be a brilliant and enjoyable thing when done in the right way. It can unite people around shared interests and passions, and show a shared appreciation for an artist’s talent, but when taken too far it becomes dangerous. Even if you yourself know how to act appropriately as a fan, it is crucial to call out inappropriate behaviour when we see it and to hold these fans accountable. Sometimes people need to be brought down to earth and reminded that celebrities are real people too.