Within the past few months, rising pop phenomenon Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, professionally known as Chappell Roan, has boosted her status within the music industry–rocketing to No. 1 artist on the Billboard Artist 100 as of the week of Oct. 5. Roan is especially known for her 2023 studio album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” as well as her drag-inspired fashion style, activism within the LGBTQ+ community and honest personality. However, recently Roan has struggled with the burden that fame has brought her, which has caused her to act in a way that has incited backlash from fans and critics alike.
Specifically, on Aug. 23, Roan posted a lengthy statement on her Instagram account explaining her discomfort with several of her fan interactions. She claimed that fans had non-consensually touched and followed her in public, calling them “creepy” and establishing her frustration toward the situation. By making such a statement, Roan criticized the harassment that is common in current fandom culture, which she and many other artists, such as Lady Gaga, have complained about in the past. It is common for celebrities to be yelled at, touched or otherwise harassed by their fans, and this harassment has become a rather normalized aspect of paparazzi behavior.
A common rebuttal for Roan’s statement is that, since she is the one who decided to pursue pop music, she should have anticipated these interactions. While I do agree with this to an extent, it is valid for her to acknowledge the situation and establish boundaries. What I do have an issue with is the way Roan went about calling out these behaviors.
The statement was worded in an immature manner, and to be entirely honest, it felt like a teenager’s argument rather than a formal statement made by a famous 26-year-old woman. For example, in the caption of the post, she said, “if you see me as a [sic] or ungrateful, baby that’s you… you gotta look inward and ask yourself ‘Wait, why am I so upset by this? Why is a girl expressing her fears and boundaries so infuriating?’” While this comment is entirely understandable, referring to the reader as “baby” and using curse words will only make people more frustrated with her because it made her sound immature, though the concept she was trying to get across was not, especially since it was posted on Roan’s professional Instagram account.
Another way that Roan presents herself immaturely is in her political statements. After fellow pop stars Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish announced their endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election, eyes began to turn to Roan, who has previously been extremely outspoken about her leftist politics. However, in response to these expectations, Roan made an extremely heated TikTok stating that she would not endorse either political party because she believes that there are “problems on both sides.”
While Roan is allowed to express her political views, this statement also came across as extremely unprofessional. Instead of making a well-thought-out and organized attempt to comment on the current political climate, she continued to use coarse language and ignore any reasoning others may have for suggesting that she endorse a candidate. Roan could have been able to make a genuinely good point, as she showed during her performance at the Governor’s Ball where she called out the Biden Administration for its treatment of queer issues and the Palestinian conflict. However, due to her harsh delivery, her statement has been generally either ignored or used as an example of her unprofessionalism.
To be entirely transparent, I am a massive fan of Roan’s, and I have been ever since she started gaining popularity while opening for Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour. As both a celebrity and an adult, she cannot continue to make such brash and heated statements if she desires to be listened to and respected as an artist. There has already been much discourse online regarding Roan’s behavior, and while some of it truly is in disagreement with what she has said and believes, it is evident that the perception that Roan is immature and ungrateful comes from the way she acts online.
Though many diehard superfans continue to stand by Roan through her recent actions, if she continues to act the way she does, I anticipate that Roan will fall from her fame just as quickly as she gained it. While her struggle with mental illness is widely known among her fanbase, the way she has been handling it is extremely frustrating. From making heated, coarsely-worded social media posts in response to fan behavior to canceling several shows to prioritize her mental well-being, her actions, though justified, tend to come across as rather immature and ungrateful.
Though Roan is and has been acknowledged for her activism and outspokenness, going forward she must approach these issues with more care. Roan is a professional. She must act professionally and tackle sensitive issues without simultaneously attacking her fans and losing their respect altogether.
Contact Emma Lynch at [email protected]
