Do “Stans” Take It Too Far? 

I am a stan just like so many others. I have a multitude of different musicians, shows, and books that I freak out over and would defend to the death. With that being said, I think there is a very clear line between wanting good things to happen to your faves and taking things too far. Some stans can take things over the line and go after people just for existing. So, what is a “stan” exactly?

stan1

INFORMAL

noun

  1. an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity.

There are so many ways for the things you like to do good. The book you like becoming an NYT Bestseller or getting turned into a movie. The artist you like hitting #1 on the Billboard chart or winning a Grammy. The movie you like becoming a huge box office success or getting nominated for an Oscar. All of these things are so exciting. The problems start when stans take one of these losses as a personal attack. 

STANS DON’T UNDERSTAND 

I fully understand being disappointed when one of your faves is not recognized for their work. If you’ve read my articles before then you know I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan. I was really disappointed in 2019 when her album Reputation was not nominated for a single Grammy. That is one of my all-time favorite albums and I thought it deserved at the very least, a nomination. When it wasn’t nominated, I was bummed but then I moved on. What could I do about it? 

The albums that were nominated, thank u, next (Ariana Grande), When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (Billie Eilish), Cuz I Love You (Lizzo) and more we’re all very deserving of those nominations. Just because my favorite artist wasn’t nominated, doesn’t mean the people that were don’t deserve that nomination. There are plenty of examples of stans taking things too far but most recently there was an incident at the Grammy’s that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. 

Harry Styles vs. Beyoncé 

At this year’s Grammy’s, Harry Styles won Album of the Year for his 2022 album Harry’s House. This was the best and fastest-selling album in the UK in 2022. It debuted at number one on the Billboard chart in the UK, the US, France, Ireland, Canada, and more. It’s my favorite Harry album to date and was met with a lot of critical acclaims. 

Whether you’re a Harry Styles fan or not, it’s hard to deny that this album was a success. While accepting the award at the Grammy’s, Styles was met with cheers and applause throughout the whole venue. However, over some of the applause, cries of “Beyoncé should have won!” and “Get off the stage!” could be heard. Without even going into how pointless it is to yell something like that, it’s just plain rude. Imagine winning an award, any kind of award, and having people from the audience yelling at you that you don’t deserve it. Just because Styles is famous doesn’t mean he’s not human. 

STANS SHOULD TAKE A STEP BACK

I have been a fan girl for as long as I can remember. Whether it was of a book like The Outsiders, a band like One Direction, or a show like The Vampire Diaries. I’ve always enjoyed being a fan and meeting other people who share that same interest. However, in every single fandom, I’ve ever been a part of I have seen people that are so mean and so hateful. Likely because they’re hiding behind a screen, and they can be. I have never once seen a reason to send someone hate, death threats, mean tweets, or anything else of the sort. The artists, actors, authors, influencers, and more that you’re hating on are also people. Bitterness over some kind of result is no reason to be mean to people. 

It’s 2023. I think it’s time for everyone to realize that sending hate and being mean to celebrities is boring and overdone. If you’re still sending mean tweets in 2023, what are you doing? It’s time for everyone to remember the lesson we were taught in as children. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.  

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.