Stan culture has made a bad name for itself, and it is completely understandable why. There have been many instances of people getting targeted and harassed, mostly online, by a group of fans of a certain artist. The unhealthy obsession and fetishization with a certain artist crosses boundaries and may even lead to adverse effects, affecting both the artist and the fans.
But, I am here to show the positive side of stan culture, and especially stan twitter - the side that helped me in learning to express myself, made me realize the importance of educating myself on social issues, and assured me that it is completely okay and valid to find happiness and comfort in a particular artist and their art. So, here is an attempt to make you see stan culture from a glass-filled point of view.
Image source : georgetownvoice/illustrationbySeanYe
A bit of context before I write more. I am a band person in case you didn’t see the ‘tea about the team’ section on our home page. I have been a fan of One Direction and their solo music since 2019 and last year, BTS found its way to me. And being a ‘stan’ of both these bands have helped me a great deal, especially when I hit my lowest points during the lockdown and when I felt overwhelmed after moving far away from home for college. During my journey of being a fan, I created my accounts on stan twitter and other social media platforms and have had my fair share of interactions with other members of the community.
Years ago, activism wasn’t a prominent thing in stan culture. But now, things have changed drastically. The stan communities of different artists have come together in times of need and have contributed positively. One such example is the online campaign #MatchAMillion by the BTS Army. The fandom showcased their excellent ability to organize themselves and work towards the goal of matching BTS’ donation of one million dollars to the Black Lives Matter Movement. They were successful and over USD 2 million was raised for BLM between the band and their fandom in just two days. Organizing fundraisers and helping out non-profit organizations on their favorite artist’s birthdays is in trend these days among the stan communities.
Image source: Twitter/TheWhiteHouse
Stan twitter taught me what school didn’t. It taught me how important it is to care about the things that may not necessarily affect you but do affect others. Homophobia, racism and the importance of mentioning pronouns in your bio in support of the non-binary community are a few of the many things that I learned by being on stan twitter.
“We never wanted to follow the stereotypes put on boy bands like choreographed dance routines, same clothes, same everything” - One Direction, throughout they were active, made sure to break certain stereotypes present in society. Harry Styles, in December 2020, was on the cover page of Vogue in a lace-trimmed blue gown with a black tuxedo jacket which inspired people to not put barriers on themselves when it comes to clothing but it also received backlash for being a ‘downright attack on masculinity. This caused many fans to speak against the absurd comments and what may be perceived as just his fans standing up for him, we need to see the bigger picture. This incident led to conversations about the beauty of fluidity and how clothes have no gender with the fans being at the forefront. The stan community became a safe space for people who wanted to express themselves through their appearance and their words and people still encourage their online peers to make decisions they want to, even if it’s just with words like “YES YOU GO BESTIE WE LOVE TO SEE IT SKJJDDKDJ”.
Image source : Kevin Mazur/AMA2014/WireImage
The stan community consists of the most talented writers, editors, designers and creators from various other fields. Many people have shared how being a part of stan culture and making edits of their favorite artists have helped them in acquiring and refining their skills. Fans, especially college students, set up their business accounts on online shopping platforms (like Etsy) and sell fan-made merchandise and the money they get help them with their student loans. Teamwork is another thing you will see in the strongest form when it comes to fandoms. Before the release of a new album by their favorite artists, these fans make streaming goals and collectively put in genuine efforts to meet these goals.
Image Source: Musicrow/TS-Nashville-concert
During the lockdown, it was so easy to feel lonely and lost. Surely I had friends and families to talk to but there were times when I wanted a break from everyone. This is where the stan community helped me. I have met some of the kindest, most beautiful souls online, who have always been there to listen to me when I need it. The best feeling of being a stan is sharing something so special and close to you with millions of strangers across the globe, having that unsaid connection with them.
Now, this has been my personal experience with stan culture and I won’t deny that it does have a dark side to itself. If someone had a bad and opposite experience to this, your feelings are valid and I sincerely hope you feel better.
On a lighter note, below is a poll and let us know the albums you like in the list (we are sorry for not including your favorite album, let us know in the comments!). You can vote for multiple albums, we love to know our audience!
Which one of these albums do you like?
Her Loss - Drake and 21 Savage
Map of the soul: 7 - BTS
AM - Arctic Monkeys
Harry's House - Harry Styles
You can vote for more than one answer.
An interesting piece!
this was so well written! I'm looking forward to
well written!
very well-written, I hope society sees stan culture positively as well.
Ha.. ha.. one direction… harry.. 😂.. very well describe about stan culture but obsessive fan of any personality is not good..😉