Stan (fan)

A stan is an avid fan and supporter of a celebrity, tv show, group, or a film or film series. The object of the stan's affection is often called their "fave". Based on the 2000 song "Stan" by American rapper Eminem,[1] the term has frequently been used to describe artist devotees whose fanaticism matches the severity of the obsessive character in the song. The word has been described as a portmanteau of "stalker" and "fan".

Behavior

A website known as "Stan Wars" or "stanipedia" sprouted up to host discussions and flame wars between rival fanbases.[2]

Usage

Colloquially, the term can be used as both a noun or a verb.[2] Stans of a particular singer are often given more detailed names, such as "Arianators" for fans of Ariana Grande[3][4] and "Belieber" for fans of Justin Bieber. Some artists, however, do not have specific titles attributed to their stans; fans of Kylie Minogue have been called Kylie Stans.[5][6] Even for fandoms with specific titles, the "artist stan" formula still applies.[2]

Prevalence

Some of these monikers are almost universally known and used by fans of the artists as well as outsiders. Other nicknames are not commonly used, neither by outsiders nor by the concerning fan-base, such as Kylie Minogue's so called "Kylie Stans", Madonna's so called "Madonna Fans" Maroon 5's so called "Maroon 5 Stans" or Nick Jonas's so called "Nick Jonas Fans" usually appearing on social media networks such as Twitter and Tumblr,[2] The term "stan" is also used to describe fans of K-pop. The term is not to be confused with Sasaeng fans, which are overly obsessed fans who stalk and sometimes bring harm to idols. Stans, however, are merely highly dedicated fans.

The term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2017.[7]

Celebrity reaction

Celebrities have positively reacted to their "stan" followings. Notably, English singer-songwriter Jessie J had this to say about her stans, "They support me and buy my albums and singles, and they stand outside hotels, and they come to shows, and they get tattoos of my lyrics and they cut their hair like me. You have to love your fans. That's why I call them my Heartbeats, because without them I wouldn't be here."[8] In 2012, a stan for Jessie J broke her leg to emulate her own leg injury. The fan tracked down Jessie J's personal address and sent her a photograph of the self-inflicted injury. The singer was horrified and decided to increase her security.[9][10]

Singer-songwriter Lorde has a different opinion on the matter of giving her followers a nickname. She discouraged it by saying "I find it grating to lump everyone into a really awkward, pun-centric name" and affirmed she will never name her fanbase.[11]

References

  1. ↑ O'Keeffe, Kevin (August 25, 2014). "Directioners, Arianators, Mixers, the Skeleton Clique, Katy Cats, Oh My: Stanbase Names, Ranked". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hawgood, Alex. "Scratching the Celebrity Itch". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (2017-05-24). "Arianators assemble: Ariana Grande’s fans weave a web of support". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  4. ↑ Leaver, Kate (2017-05-25). "Ariana Grande fans are grieving together and their strength is beautiful". Metro. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  5. ↑ Martin, Samantha. "Daily Tweetcap: Lady Gaga Stans For Kylie Minogue". Pop Dust. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  6. ↑ Anitai, Tamar. "12 Unforgettable Moments In VMA History: Live Snakes, Baby Bumps, Meat Dresses, Oh My!". MTV Buzzworthy. Viacom. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Stan, an Eminem song from 2000, is now in the Oxford English Dictionary". BBC News. BBC. June 2, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  8. ↑ Anitai, Tamar. "Jessie J Talks 'Domino,' Dedicates Her VMA Performance To The Heartbeats". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Sciarretto, Amy. "Jessie J Increases Security After Fan Breaks Leg to Be Like Her". Pop Crush. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Tinny, Aaron. "Jessie J fan: I broke my own leg to be like you – Star's stalker hell". The Sun. News International. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
  11. ↑ http://www.mtv.com/news/1720322/lorde-fan-names/
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