Is stanning bad for your mental health?

[Jamie Lynn Forever]

I swear people pick celebs to stan as if they are picking a character in an RPG (role playing game). They see their choice of which celebs to stan as an extension of themselves because they have this image of themselves that they want to project to others. They become identities, and we all know how vigorously people will defend their own identities. 

Without trying to get too big here, I think the 2010s will be defined by identity politics and the increased number of ways we can define ourselves which is of course good and bad. Stan culture is just one of the many new ways people are choosing to define themselves. 

Stan culture is so unhealthy for a number of reasons but namely that we forget our faves are humans, too.

We treat them like untouchable gods or objects belonging to everyone, but when they show themselves for being flawed humans like the rest of us we discard them. Then it won't be long till we place someone new on that pedestal. It's kinda vicious. 

I wonder if we, as a society, will ever move away from worshipping celebrities ? 

I follow a bunch of fan accounts for TV shows that I like and these people have slowly morphed from just standard fans of the show to people who treat the actors like they're their friends. You know how some people see Taylor Swift as their friend / sister? That, except worse... 

There's this one girl and she goes to like ten of those Comic Con type things a year and does a cosplay each time. There's this group of actors that she always meets, and then one in particular, to the point where they all know her name, her job, family issues, etc and it's so damn weird to me.

[Midnight]

Yeah I agree, for me there was a point when I said to myself, I am only here for the music and nothing else. I don't care about people's private life's I am not interested in how much success they have or how much money they make, who there married to or nothing about them.  I only care about the work they put out.

[BONO Productions]

This explains why some people love to hop on bandwagons when an artist suddenly becomes the biggest thing atm because they feel like they're part of that fame or achievement. 

They find that sense of belongingness and somehow being a fan of a certain artist turns into a status symbol. 

[MSTAR]

1 hour ago, NotLouTaylor said:

I swear people pick celebs to stan as if they are picking a character in an RPG (role playing game).

Just that sentence was sufficient to make me react with "😂" omg

[PokemonSpears]

Well, fanaticism in general is a form of obsession

The devotion to someone or something isn't critical, objective, and usually there's little to no tolerance to any criticism someone else can make of the subject of the fanaticism. They like and consume everything about it (that's why if you don't like a certain Britney album or "don't recognize it" as hers, then you're just a casual listener a true fanatic would like and accept everything from their idol ).

Now stan is used very loosely nowadays, but it originally comes from that Eminem song and THAT was a true extreme case of fanaticism, which obviously involves several mental conditions.  

[Blackout2006]

It’s just another form of obsession, and obsession is already a very unhealthy and satanic way of thinking

[MSTAR]

32 minutes ago, PokemonSpears said:

Well, fanaticism in general is a form of obsession

The devotion to someone or something isn't critical, objective, and usually there's little to no tolerance to any criticism someone else can make of the subject of the fanaticism. They like and consume everything about it (that's why if you don't like a certain Britney album or "don't recognize it" as hers, then you're just a casual listener a true fanatic would like and accept everything from their idol ).

Now stan is used very loosely nowadays, but it originally comes from that Eminem song and THAT was a true extreme case of fanaticism, which obviously involves several mental conditions.  

Ok so I’m not fan but a casual listener then as I don’t like Glory and this era with its awful music videos. Well to be honnest, there are many things that I don’t mike and don’t consider that Britney did it, so we can consider me as someone who appreciates Britney and her creations, right?

I think I’m more someone who appreciates Britney and her creations than a fan of her.

[PokemonSpears]

8 minutes ago, MSTAR said:

Ok so I’m not fan but a casual listener then as I don’t like Glory and this era with its awful music videos. Well to be honnest, there are many things that I don’t mike and don’t consider that Britney did it, so we can consider me as someone who appreciates Britney and her creations, right?

I think I’m more someone who appreciates Britney and her creations than a fan of her.

I mean, I think that in the latest years, fan has become a term for the casual listener, or just liking anything, being a celebrity, a franchise, etc. and stan has become the term for the most extreme type of fanatic, and even so, it's rarely used to describe someone who actually needs like, psychological help.

But being a fanatic in the true meaning of the world, also applies for those religious fanatics, or for politics, or any kind of idea or sports or activity etc.

[MSTAR]

12 minutes ago, PokemonSpears said:

I mean, I think that in the latest years, fan has become a term for the casual listener, or just liking anything, being a celebrity, a franchise, etc. and stan has become the term for the most extreme type of fanatic, and even so, it's rarely used to describe someone who actually needs like, psychological help.

But being a fanatic in the true meaning of the world, also applies for those religious fanatics, or for politics, or any kind of idea or sports or activity etc.

Yeah I understand completly, the words are always evolving. But yeah what I meant on my reply, was that if we see the real meaning of the word "fan", that doesn’t fits me. I’m not a real fan of Britney, just someone who really appreciates and like her songs, creativity, and how she is sweet, because I’m realizing that I’m not a fanatic, I don’t agree with many facts on her actions/songs/music videos so yeah, I’m just someone who appreciates her.   

[Cheshire-B]

I don't think being a stan is an actual mental illness but it can be the symptom of something else.

Like you have a certain mental condition and being a stan is a way for this mental condition to express itself.

Don't know if what I want to say is clear ? 

Like some people can't help themselves pushing the light switch 50 times before leaving it on or off, but it's not the "light switch illness" it's a symptom of something else: the actual mental illness, the light switch is just a way for it. 

[OnlyBeyonce]

Does he want put me in the conservatorship? 

[A.a.A]

54 minutes ago, Cheshire-B said:

 

Like some people can't help themselves pushing the light switch 50 times before leaving it on or off, but it's not the "light switch illness" it's a symptom of something else: the actual mental illness, the light switch is just a way for it. 

You mean obsessive compulsive disorder?

And I see what your saying. Stan culture is really just young people that have no other interests and they rest their happiness on others, not just celebrities. This is a mentality that probably goes through their whole lives with everything they do.

At some point in their lives they will grow up and be too busy to stan anyone, when you have a job, bills, hobbies and interests, do you really have time to obsess over someone?  No grown human has the effort or the time to do that, when they do, there is your mental issue.

[Cheshire-B]

11 minutes ago, A.a.A said:

You mean obsessive compulsive disorder?

And I see what your saying. Stan culture is really just young people that have no other interests and they rest their happiness on others, not just celebrities. This is a mentality that probably goes through their whole lives with everything they do.

At some point in their lives they will grow up and be too busy to stan anyone, when you have a job, bills, hobbies and interests, do you really have time to obsess over someone?  No grown human has the effort or the time to do that, when they do, there is your mental issue.

No I don't mean that being a stan is related to obessive compulsive disorder, it's just an exemple I choose to explain my point from a different point of view. 

But from what you say "young people that have no other interests", it could be that but having no other interests is kind of worrying in some ways. It doesn't mean they're mentally ill, but that something in their life is happening. As you said it's really a problem if this "stan" thing stick up through adulthood. 

I think the level of "stanning" and the fact that it should be worrying or not really depends on the stan himself/herself and his/her story. 

[Jordan Miller]

@NotLouTaylor I changed the topic title from "Is stanning a mental illness" to "Is stanning bad for your mental health?" 

Let me know if you are ok with that or if you insist on it being the original title. I changed it because I felt like "mental illness" was used in a way to make it seem like a bad thing. I don't want people who struggle with their mental health to feel down by reading this topic. I actually think this is a great question (hence why I decided to feature it on the homepage).

My initial reaction is... no, stanning someone doesn't necessarily impede your mental health. All things, including famous pop stars, are neutral by nature. It's up to the individual to assign emotion and meaning to this person. That's why you can have two stans who hardcore LOVE the same person, yet one is toxic and one genuinely means well. 

So you can have someone championing the #FreeBritney movement, but doing so in a way that's actually detrimental to the movement and ultimately hurts fans, Britney, her team and family, everyone involved (even themselves). Then you can have others who also believe in the same movement and what it stands for, but do so what rational thinking, reflection and understanding. 

[JSDSandiego]

Stanning becomes toxic when you have to attack other celebrities when they are doing well, or lie to make your idol seem superior. 
Theres a million examples I can give, but 2 recent ones that came to mind first:

&

 

[Baronesse]

I always thought "stanning" pop stars is supposed to be kind of tongue-in-cheek, having unironic obsessions with celebrities does sound unhealthy. 

[Anitta Elusive Chanteuse]

If you say you “stan” someone in a non satirical way, and you live and breathe through this person’s success and accomplishments, and get seriously mad over stuff they do or didn’t do, you may need to reevaluate whatever the f.uck is it that you are doing with your life, because something clearly went wrong 

[Britneylandia]

I think sometimes it is too much, definitely. 

[Nando.]

I dont agree, because I never did it on purpose, like the op states

I never chose to stan for someone, it happened just like falling in love

and mine came from childhood so yes, I indeed do feel a connection to Britney and the spice girls for example

I feel like I literally grew up with them, its a role model and to a certain degree I think its healthy

I want to see Britney thrive, whenever shes feeling good and happy I get happy, for me its simple as that

like a cousin or a childhood friend

there are of course exceptions, I did stan other artists when I was growing up that I dont care about anymore because we grew apart in a sense

But Britney introduced me to who I am, and so did the spice girls. Today I am a proud feminist and catch myself saying things I learnt from them without knowing from a young age, the message stayed with me

[Itscuzim31]

You hit the nail on the head when you said “extension of self”. Why else do people get so caught up in their fave going number 1 and taking the time to like stream their albums on loop while doing other things or buying multiple copies of the same album (but not too many to not count on billboard!!)  it’s like their own identity is tied into the successes or failures of their fave in the eyes of the public. Toxic