Most people claim themselves to be “stans” of certain celebrities, but what they often don’t know is that the original “Stan,” fictionalized in Eminem’s song of the same name, idolized the rapper’s Slim Shady persona so much that he drove himself and his pregnant girlfriend off of a bridge because Slim didn’t write him back. Now would you really want to call yourself a stan? I think the common answer would be no. 

Can stan culture become dangerous? Well, Merriam-Webster defines stan as “an extremely or excessively enthusiastic and devoted fan.” The word excessive often implies potential to be dangerous and stan culture has proven it so. Stan culture has become a toxic niche, but there is hope to reestablish it ourselves. 

You may be wondering, “Who is Stan?” In pop culture today, we’ve noticed a rise in the use of the word “stan”— lowercase “s.” Being a stan, a blend of the words “stalker” and “fan,” is more than being just a regular fan of a celebrity — it’s more like a total obsession, in a similar vein as having a parasocial relationship with that person. We see this in popular rapper Eminem’s 2000 “Stan” music video, from which the term also originates. 

This concept of stan is nothing new; it has just been redefined in many online communities today. If it were up to me, I’d redefine the term used for “stan” today, and I think that many who have watched the “Stan” music video would agree. The term comes from a place so dark and isn’t used in that way today. We see the colloquial use of the word “stan” as a less intense version of the original “Stan” and more so a bit of an unreasonable obsession, like every inch of 12 year-old me’s walls being covered in Justin Bieber posters. 12-year-old me clearly didn’t have an issue with this type of fan behavior, it’s just the danger the origins of the word “stan” imply which worries me. 

Now I’m not saying that stan culture needs to be eradicated, but we don’t want a bunch of actual Stans, capital “S,” running around the world, for obvious reasons. Stan culture allows for celebrities to use their platforms for good toward a specific audience, which is what should be promoted. Sometimes being a stan can involve just a slight obsession, whereas other times it’s more negative and intense. 

But why are we seeing such a rise in stan culture, and what makes stan culture so dangerous?

With such readily available information on the internet about anyone at any time, there is no surprise that we see this rise of the stan culture phenomenon. This trend of idolization can become difficult and unhealthy for both content creators/celebrities and their self-proclaimed stans. Researchers believe that being an extreme stan is tied to mental illness. Gayle S. Stever, Ph.D., states that “most persons who engage in celebrity worship at the borderline pathological level were probably already suffering from some sort of mental illness before they became so engaged in celebrity worship.” This goes to show the danger of using the stan community as an unhealthy way of coping or redirecting concerns from oneself onto someone else. 

Research has further shown that some stans may “harbor concerns about body image…, be more prone to cosmetic surgery … [and] narcissistic features, dissociation, addictive tendencies, stalking behavior and compulsive buying.” There is also danger in becoming emotionally dependent on one’s idol, especially because the image of people we see on social media is highly inaccurate. Social media allows us to portray the best version of ourselves and this unhealthy relationship between stan and creator is formed on minimal information and is completely one-sided. 

Stan culture is just as dangerous for celebrities. As stans claim their obsession with certain celebrities, they often switch to targeted hatred quite easily. This may be due to the fact that the relationship is not a real-life social interaction, so the switch from love to hate seems more feasible. Phoebe Bridgers stans are a recent example of this. Days after announcing her father’s death in January, Bridgers was at LAX on her way to the funeral. Photos were taken of her there with Bo Burnham, who is classified as one of today’s controversial men. Bridgers claims that her online stans “f***ing bullied” her over the photos — and that she “saw people who claim to love me f***ing dehumanize me and shame me and f***ing bully me on the way to my dad’s wake.” Bridgers said it best — “If you’re a kid and the internet somehow taught you that that’s an okay thing to do, then of course I hate capitalism and everything that led you to believe that it’s okay to do that.” Celebrities are stripped of their privacy and boundaries are often crossed. There should be expectations and limitations for the actions of stans out there.

Stan culture is not the most horrible phenomenon on the planet, as it allows for some sense of community and also an appreciation for entertainment discourse. However, as “screenagers” make their way toward being the change that we all hope for, we should work toward emphasizing the opportunities stan culture provides, reflecting on the potentially harmful actions of stans and monitor how our current stan culture may be affecting younger people while they are in their development stage.

Oh, and one last thing: let’s all just be mindful that there is a time and a place for everything. I mean, come on — Bridgers’ dad had just passed away and she couldn’t even be allowed to grieve that in her own peace. 

Aside from that, safe stanning to all!

Nicole Rios, FCRH ’25, is an English and biological sciences major from Westbury, N.Y.