Social media amplifies the quick rise to fame and even quicker fall from grace process that many celebrities experience. Fans can turn on their favorite celebrity in a matter of minutes. This seems to be what is currently happening to our favorite Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan.
From a bad Instagram post to a political opinion shared online, it seems celebs can’t do anything right these days. As social media progresses, so does the idea that we are entitled to full access to someone through these apps.
Celebs shouldn’t be able to do whatever as they are still people at the end of the day. There does, however, seem to be a rise in the online hate for queer female artists over the past year.
Is this due to misogyny or homophobia, or are fans of queer artists overly critical?
Chappell Roan
After a successful performance at Coachella this year, Chappell Roan was hard to escape on social media. Her songs such as ‘Casual’ and ‘Good Luck Babe’ flooded the internet and soon after flooded the radio.
What was surprising about Chappell’s instant fame was that it wasn’t instant. Before her Coachella performance, she has been creating music for nearly a decade.
Her album, ‘The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,’ was released six months before her Coachella performance.
If Chappell Roan isn’t a perfect sign of never giving up, then I don’t know what it is.
With her name being known worldwide, Chappell has gone on to sell out her UK and Europe tours. She may have possibly pulled in the biggest crowd the Lollapalooza festival has ever seen.
She also had a major TV appearance and performance on ‘The Tonight Show’.
Is Fame Worth It?
While it looked like Chapell’s success was unstoppable to the public, Chappell was adjusting to the highs and lows of fame. During this time, she revealed to her millions of followers on TikTok that she had been experiencing weird behavior from fans.
She claimed people had been harassing her, stalking her and her family, and shouting at her in public.
Chappell made it clear to her fans that she had the right to refuse autographs and photos in public. She also claimed that although fans listen to her music, they do not know her, and she does not know them.
These claims were controversial. Some fans even claimed that Chappell should be grateful for her fans, and harassment comes with the territory of being a celebrity.
This began a hate train that followed Chappell Roan even though she is still one of the most successful people currently.
Fans have now called her out for not endorsing any candidate in the upcoming US election. Her comment section on her social media platforms has been a mix of supportive and hateful since.
Although hate is something that we have just learned to accept with social media, it’s becoming increasingly more prominent amongst queer female celebrities.
Reclaiming Lesbian
Chappell Roan’s sexuality is not normally part of the narrative when there is controversy surrounding her; however, it’s clear this is a problem.
Fans from all backgrounds refuse to recognize her sexuality. She has stated that she is a lesbian but is often referred to as bisexual. Although some may not think of this as a big deal, it can be for those who identify as lesbian.
This mistake can easily be excused as Chappell sings about both men and women in her music. However, now that Chappell has stated she is a lesbian publically, we can only hope she is referred to properly in the future.
Fletcher
Chappell Roan isn’t the only female queer artist to be unfairly dragged through the media circus lately. Queer pop artist Fletcher has faced more than her fair share of controversy over the past year.
Best known for her controversial song ‘Becky’s so Hot’, Fletcher was set to release her second studio album ‘In Search of the Antidote’ in March of this year.
During the celebrations for the album release, fans accused Fletcher of being involved in a cult. They also accused the new album of being heavily influenced by said cult.
The album walks us through Fletcher’s healing journey and her relationships.
The celebrations were cut short when Fletcher defended herself and the album and assured fans she wasn’t in a cult.
It’s hard to imagine the time and effort needed to make an album, especially one as raw as hers.
It’s a shame that people who call themselves fans of Fletcher would create such stressful times during her album release.
Unlike Chappell, Fletcher identifies as queer. Fans have called her out in the past for refusing to label herself a lesbian. It would be easy to assume that she when listening to her music as she mainly sings about her relationships with women.
Queer is a valid identity and fans should respect how these artists identify. Although it’s easy to assume you know someone through their music this is not the case.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish found fame when she was only 14 and has been under the microscope of the media ever since.
Throughout the years, fans speculated that Billie was queer, and the singer came out on multiple occasions stating she wasn’t.
Although Billie confirmed in 2023 that she was attracted to women, fans are invasive with their assumptions about her sexuality.
In her recent song with Charli XCX, ‘Guess’, Billie was accused of queer bating. The song focuses on guessing the color of underwear. Fans slammed Billie for one of her lines in the song, suggesting she would sleep with Charli XCX if she wasn’t straight.
It’s fair to draw the assumption that if Billie has mentioned liking women in the past, what fans may interpret as queer bating is just Billie expressing herself.
Billie Eilish has grown up in front of the whole world. Throughout this time, she will have experienced many different phases and figuring out what she likes and doesn’t. This is something we all experience, so maybe fans should consider this before tearing her down for expressing herself.
I wish no one knew anything about my sexuality or anything about my dating life. Ever, ever, ever. And I hope that they never will again. And I’m never talking about my sexuality ever again.
Billie Eilish in an interview with Vogue
Misogyny in the Music Industry
These women may be victims of misogyny that has been apparent in the music industry since the beginning of time.
Female artists have always been held to a higher standard than males in the media. They are judged for the way they look, their talent, and their parenting skills.
Over a decade ago, at the height of her fame, Britney Spears was torn apart by the media for her decisions. Media outlets also posted the worst moments of her life in their magazines and websites.
Although Britney Spears is not a queer woman, it’s important to understand how the media often targets female artists.
Today, Britney Spears is in a better place due to multiple reasons and doesn’t feature in the media as much.
However, it does raise the question, of whether she would have received as much hate if she was a male artist.
Looking Forward
There seems to be a mixture of reasons why queer female artists have a harder time in the industry. They represent not only women but also the LGBT community. This can lead people to hold them to a higher standard than other artists.
It is also important to mention that non-queer female artists experience similar problems. The media often exploits their relationships and sexuality.
Hopefully, as the world progresses, artists from all backgrounds will be safe from over-protective fans and the judgemental media.
If we want to keep listening to our favorite queer female artists, we need to take responsibility as fans.
