Chappell Roan just went through an experience shared by many young stars after they get their big break. They skyrocket in popularity, taking the world and the charts by storm. Maybe they do a collab with their peers and take some cute pictures for their fans to use as Pinterest inspiration. They’ll show a little sass to the paparazzi, which their fans love, because this isn’t some fly-by-night, run-of-the-mill singer they’re working with here.
This is exactly what we see from Chappell Roan. It’s a good thing, genuinely, because we desperately need some fire and sass from the new class of aspiring divas. But after a year or so, that sass comes back to bite them.
In Roan’s case, her sass has gradually branded her as abrasive and unapproachable. In a lengthy Instagram story posted March 21, Brazilian-Italian soccer player Jorginho described an interaction his stepdaughter had before seeing the popstar perform at Lollapalooza Brasil. At their hotel in São Paulo, Jorginho’s wife and daughter happen to see Roan at breakfast. To confirm that it really was her, the daughter walked by Roan’s table, not saying anything, before returning to her mother. Not long after, a security guard came up to the mother and daughter, scolding them and telling the mother that she shouldn’t allow her daughter to “disrespect” or “harass” other people. He even threatened to file a complaint with the hotel. Obviously, the 11-year-old fan was terrified, and the incident spurred Jorginho to publicly denounce the singer on social media.
Now, dear reader, should you ever find yourself in a situation against an 11-year-old girl, be warned: everyone will side with the little girl. And this was even before her very famous mother stepped into the fray.
Cat Cavelli, the young girl’s mother, felt like Roan shared some blame. She claimed that while she can’t say for sure if the security guard worked for Roan, he definitely wasn’t working for the hotel. In her opinion, someone had to have sent him to reprimand this young girl, and Roan, being the most public subject in the situation, should take some accountability.
Following the incident, Roan apologized, telling the public that she was unaware of the altercation and didn’t even remember seeing a little girl at the hotel. Importantly, Roan denied that the security guard in question was part of her team and claimed she didn’t instruct anyone to talk to the fan. “I don’t hate children—that is crazy,” said Roan, but by that point it seemed the hate train had already left the station.
Before long, the internet backlash became overwhelming. On March 23, the security guard, Pascal Duvier, made an Instagram post taking full responsibility for the incident. He confirmed he was “at the hotel on behalf of another individual, and [he] was not a part of the personal security team of Chappell Roan.” Citing the heightened security levels in the area, the man made a judgment call but wasn’t acting on behalf of Roan or anybody connected to her.
So, what was all the fuss about? About a week after the initial incident, on March 26, BuzzFeed reported that many of the online detractors were found to be “non-typical” or bots. The company found that over 23% of the posts related to the Roan incident were part of a coordinated online attack; these posts included personal attacks on Roan, calls for boycotts, and significant misinformation.
Bots attacking celebrities isn’t a new concept but I find it interesting that the only other attack on such a large scale was aimed at Taylor Swift during the lawsuit saga between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. It appears that women produce much more volatile reactions on the internet, even as tangential players in a situation. Writer Rayne Fisher-Quann describes this as being “woman’d,” an online phenomenon when the internet suddenly decides to not like a woman at the same time.
This isn’t the same as being cancelled, but over time things that fans once found endearing begin to turn them away. This case of “womaning” against Chappell Roan wouldn’t be so upsetting if it wasn’t so predictable. Why was the outrage so disproportionate to the crime, especially when Roan wasn’t at fault?
The responsibility a celebrity has to their fans, especially younger ones, shouldn’t go unchecked. Many of these divas wouldn’t be where they are without the support of young girls. Young girls who buy tickets, bring signs to shows, wear the merch, and argue on the behalf of these stars on the internet. It’s imperative that these fans feel valued and respected and I’m sure no one knows that more than Chappell Roan. But I don’t believe that that responsibility includes taming an oversized guard dog that isn’t yours in the name of being the bigger person.
So, men, stop making judgment calls. Mind your own business.
