Imagine working your way up to get that career you dreamed of.
You went through failures and rejection. You had as many moments of success as those where you doubted it all.
But then you finally made it. And as you relish in your victory, hard work and talent, there’s a photographer swearing you out.
Let me paint the picture a bit more clearly so there is no confusion. You are at work, an event that is a little out of your comfort zone, but nonetheless it is a part of the job so you deal with the discomfort and go. But then in the middle of the function, when everyone’s attention is on you, someone in the crowd yells not only a rude, but vulgar phrase at you.
That is incredibly inappropriate, correct? It’s nothing short of unacceptable in not just a professional setting, but really any setting at all. There is no need for foul language or disrespect in any situation, but at the least, we can agree that swearing and rudeness should be left at home.
What do you do? You stand up for yourself, because why would you tolerate that?
Now imagine you’re criticized for that act of self-defense.
If any of this sounds familiar it’s probably because this isn’t a hypothetical or a question of will.
This is what Chappell Roan went through at her 2024 VMA red carpet shift while taking a break from her tour for the award ceremony Sept. 11.
That night, Roan went on to take home “Best New Artist”, but was also up for three other awards including “Best Trending Video” and “Song of the Summer.”
So the question arises, if this young artist is so popular and well-liked, why would she be verbally assaulted on the carpet before the ceremony?
I don’t have the answer to that, but I can tell you how she responded, which was clear as can be and with more power than the original.
The video of the red carpet incident starts with a photographer shouting “shut the fuck up,” while Roan was adjusting her dress.
“You shut the fuck up,” Roan told the photographer, pointing at him warningly. “Don’t. Not me, bitch,” she added after a pause.
In a red carpet interview, Roan expresses her anxieties about walking the carpet because of the yelling and one thing the singer has also made clear is her unwavering will to stand up for herself.
“[Roan] has been vocal about establishing proper boundaries between herself and her fans, a courtesy that now likely extends to the paparazzi,” said Rolling Stones Magazine Writer Daniel Kreps.
And as a reminder, this is all happening while she’s at work.
Rolling Stones Magazine, which currently claims Roan as their cover star, published an article explaining the incident and celebrities’ responses which included support for the Midwest Princess.
“Singer Noah Kahan was among those showing support to Roan on social media following the incident, relaying his own encounter with the paparazzi,” said Kreps.
Kahan went on to recall a moment when he was with his mother getting yelled at in a similar fashion.
So why do we build people up just to then tear them down?
Roan has jumped the charts this year. In June, Billboard released an article highlighting five statistics since the artist’s starting boom of success including her 55,000 copies sold of “The Rise and Fall of a MidWest Princess”, which multiplied her opening sales 18-fold.
It could be because of jealousy, photographers yelling at their subjects and fans terrorizing their idols. It could be insanity, we just love them so much we have to mentally, physically and emotionally threaten them. Or it could just be because some people don’t know when enough is enough or don’t bother being anything but rude.
Chappell Roan’s VMA experience is an example of how celebrities who get put on a pedestal and in the spotlight are mistreated and scrutinized for defending themselves from behaviors that would otherwise be acknowledged and dealt with.
Cases of stalking, verbal abuse and general creepiness are behaviors that would be questioned for the average person but a successful singer, actor or musician’s fame and money must make up for their fear or self-respect, right?
They, after all, are people too and at the end of the day acting and singing is just their job.
