Originally posted on the North Texas Daily website.
Stan culture has convinced many that being constantly updated and invested in your favorite celebrity’s life is a good thing. But what if that celeb is a minor?
Stars like the “Stranger Things” kids, “Avengers: Endgame” actress Lexi Rabe and until recently turning 18, Billie Eilish have all worked hard to get to where they are in their careers. They have also all worked hard to deal with unnecessary backlash to the fact that no matter how well-known and famous they are, they’re still kids.
“Stranger Things” actor Finn Wolfhard has been dealing with crazed stans since day one. In 2017, a viral video of Wolfhard ignoring some fans as they wait for him outside of his hotel surfaced on Twitter. The original Tweet has been deleted, but said “Imagine being 14 and heartless that you can’t even stop for your fans who made you famous in the first place! WOW,” followed by Wolfhard’s account being tagged.
The person who tweeted this was slammed with backlash and support for Wolfhard commenced almost immediately, but the most interesting part of this story is that this person didn’t see that she had done anything wrong. Famous or not, any grown adult finding and then waiting for a minor as they walk into their hotel is a glaring red flag.
Simply typing “Millie Bobby Brown” into Google instantly brings up a suggested search for “Mille Bobby Brown dating.” Searching that then brings up almost a dozen results detailing the 15-year-old’s short dating life, filling in the holes for her adoring fans wanting to know more about her life. There’s nothing wrong with being interested— in today’s social media age, it’s fun to feel included in celebrities’ lives and be updated. I do it all the time, but there is a way to take it too far. Some fans have gone as far as complaining that she isn’t dating her on-screen boyfriend Wolfhard. Other fans choose to obsess over how she dresses, apparently in a style that’s “too grown up” for their taste. Brown addressed those comments calmly by telling them to “scroll past it” if they didn’t like what she did with her life.
Lexi Rabe, better known as Morgan Stark from “Avengers: Endgame,” is only seven years old and has already had to fend off adults from online bullying. An Instagram post that her parents made addresses the immature complaints that the Rabe family have received about not giving out autographs to fans or acting upset when giving them. Complaining that a child isn’t giving you the attention you feel that you deserve is childish in of itself.
Although Billie Eilish is now 18, I still think that she needed to be included considering the way that people were acting before she turned 18. Videos of people counting down the seconds until she was “legal” or “on the market” flooded my social media as people got excited that the “deadline” for them to start sexualizing her was finally within reach. Even before she was 18, people still complained that she wasn’t showing enough skin or enough of her body, something that Eilish actively tried to prevent by wearing baggier clothes.
This doesn’t mean that if you’re over 18 you can’t support minors. Just be aware of the fine line that you don’t have to worry about with older celebrities. That line includes waiting for them outside places, following them down streets or harassing them for autographs. Even adult celebrities try to limit those interactions as much as possible and it’s the reason that most bodyguards make as much as they do.
But younger celebrities don’t always have the luxury of constant security. They want to go to school, spend time with their family, hang out with their friends and date, which are all normal things to do. Respect their privacy and simply, don’t be creepy.