God, what have you done? How Chappell Roan Changed the Conversation Around Mental Health in the Music industry
The story of Chappell Roan’s success has a fairy-tale quality that most artists can only dream of. After grinding away for years and facing many setbacks - including being dropped by a major record label early in her career - she skyrocketed to fame through the combination of opening for Olivia Rodrigo on the Guts tour, plus her viral set at Coachella in April. However, this type of success comes at a huge cost. Getting recognised by random strangers must be weird enough, but Roan has been pushed to such an extreme that she and her family members have had to endure stalking and harassment. If that doesn’t sound exhausting enough, on top of all of this she has also had to manage a bipolar II diagnosis.
So, Roan did what she thought best to do in this situation: address her fans directly. In both an Instagram post and TikTok video, she spoke about her frustrations with how she was being treated; how she found it weird that people she had never met before felt entitled to her time, even when she was clearly distressed and uncomfortable; not to mention the fact that she needed to spell out that stalking and any kind of harassment is wrong. In her Instagram post, she writes:
“I don’t agree with the notion that I owe a mutual exchange of energy, time, or attention to people I do not know, do not trust, or who creep me out - just because they’re expressing admiration.”
Given the perfectly reasonable boundaries she set, you would think that fans would respect her wishes and leave her be. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Parasocial relationships (a one-sided relationship between a person and a public figure that they don’t know in real life) are not unique to modern society. However, due to the easy access social media gives us to anyone with a public profile, it can feel like a double-edged sword. Women in the public eye have always been held to a much higher standard than men, and social media takes this to such an extreme that people tend to take what they see online at face value and forget that beyond the celebrity there is also a complex human being.
Although there is now an increased awareness of the impact of mental illness, it doesn’t always translate to empathy from the public. This backlash was also worsened by her cancellation of two festival appearances due to poor mental health. Phrases like ‘asking for it’ ‘just quit’ ‘not cut out for fame’ were thrown at Roan - all because she set clear boundaries for herself and needed to step back. Empathy for mental illness is fine until someone starts showing symptoms. Not something you can meditate away. Nobody is cut out for fame. From the days of stars like Judy Garland and Marylin Monroe, to Britney Spears’ breakdown that was splashed all over the tabloids, it’s fairly obvious that fame itself is a destructive monster. So why is nobody doing anything?
The fact that Chappell Roan became so famous after flying under the radar for years says something about the need for queer artists (and people generally) to be their authentic selves. However, being yourself in the limelight comes at a price. Since the human brain is an extremely malleable thing, it’s not surprising that becoming a celebrity can have drastic effects on a person's mentality.
As well as having her whole life upturned, Chappell Roan has also had many of her actions scrutinised by her fans and critics. From her cancellation of shows to rehearse for the VMAs, to her deciding not to endorse Kamala Harris, she has been held up to an unrealistic standard of who she should be according to the public. This is often the case for people in marginalised communities who are in the spotlight. They are seen as representative of that community and therefore cannot make any mistakes. Although people can be well meaning in their scrutiny, it can veer into toxic ideas of what marginalised people should be. Not only can this perpetuate stereotypes, but it also means that people can easily resort to the black and white thinking that happens so often in internet spaces. Take Roan’s refusal to endorse Kamala Harris as an example, she was quickly accused by fans of being pro-Trump, just because her views did not align with certain policies of the Democratic party. It’s exactly this narrow way of thinking that leads to more division and stops real change from happening. It also shows just how much value we put on celebrity opinions, whether we intend to or not. As Jeffrey Ingold writes in The Guardian, Roan “wants to empower her young fanbase to think smarter and harder about how they can actively engage in politics.” Celebrities can provide comfort and escape during difficult times. However, people are always going to project their ideals onto them and it’s important to recognise that they too are human.
That’s not to say that we should all start worrying about the mental health of billionaires, but when somebody such as Chappell Roan becomes very famous very quickly, we as a society should ask ourselves why we feel the need to project our values onto somebody we’ve never even met - especially when they come from marginalised communities. The answer is actually pretty simple. More representation is needed in order for these communities to be seen. But also, maybe this projection of ideals has become a way for fans to avoid the critical thinking then Roan promotes. For example, when Roan was accused of being pro-Trump because she didn’t endorse Harris, it was as if other people in the queer community were saying “we are not like her and she does not represent us” instead of just disagreeing with her. If one person becomes the voice of a whole community, it means they are expected to share the exact same viewpoints as everyone else. Hence the need for a broader range of representation within the media.
Sometimes it feels like our obsession with celebrity culture (at least in the West) is getting worse. But, if calling out the behaviour of certain fans continues, then there is some hope for the next generation of Chappell Roans to flourish without sacrificing their mental health.
Written by Madeleine Atropa
Madeleine Atropa is a freelance artist and writer currently based in the North of England. When she’s not creating chaos in her studio, she can be found wandering around bookshops and art galleries, watching weird films, and playing (then abandoning) video games. You can find her on Instagram @madeleine.atrop.
Opinion
