We all have those celebrities that we absolutely love and adore. We love supporting them and letting them know how much we appreciate them. But then there are people who take it too far and become obsessive over a particular celebrity. This person is known as a "stan".
"Stan" was a song by Eminem but has become a popular term in the past few years referring to an obsessive fan. People will throw this term around nonchalantly, claiming, "I stan" to their favorite singer. Even though many of us take it lightly and say it for flare or because it's the thing to say, there are people who unfortunately obsess too much. They need to calm down and stop.
It is unhealthy to obsess over someone so much that you know every little detail about them, but they are unaware of you. If you were obsessed that much with a person in your daily life, they would probably be scared of you because it would be considered stalking. Let's stop romanticizing stalking. There is nothing romantic about a person knowing everything about you and following you when you do not know them.
In addition, it is heartbreaking to see stans of different celebrities hating on each other or bashing the other celebrity. That is not the kind of environment we want to create. There is nothing constructive that can come out of those types of situations. Those situations only instigate more hate and ignorance.
I think sometimes as fans we can forget that celebrities are just normal people who happen to have a talent that makes them well-known. They are not gods and should not be seen as one. They are people. They live fairly normal lives and deserve the same boundaries and respect any other human being deserves.
Obviously, if you meet your favorite celebrity and you are super enthusiastic, that is okay, because you are excited to meet someone that you look up to. But do not follow them everywhere they go or overstep a boundary.
Keep supporting your favorite singers or actors/actresses, but don't completely obsess over them. Be a loving and supportive fan!
