Chappell Roan Sets Boundary Between Public and Private Personas in Forceful Statement
As Chappell Roan continues to navigate her ever-increasing popularity, the singer established a boundary between her public and private personas in her most forceful statement to fans yet: “I feel more love than I ever have in my life. I feel the most unsafe I have ever felt in my life.”
After making similar remarks about “creepy” harassment, “crazy type of behavior,” and “stalker vibes” in recent interviews and social media posts, Roan broke down the situation in her own words in a lengthy Instagram post Friday night.
More from Rolling Stone
DJ Cassidy on That Crazy DNC Set Last Night: 'Emotion to a Typically Emotionless Process'
Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan Deliver Full-Circle Duet of 'Hot to Go!' at L.A. Show
“I turned off comments because I’m not looking for anyone’s response,” she said in the statement’s caption. “This isn’t a group conversation. I understand that this is jarring to hear from a person in my position. I’m not afraid of the consequences for demanding respect.”
In the statement, Roan wrote, “For the past 10 years I’ve been going non-stop to build my project and it’s come to the point that I need to draw lines and set boundaries. I want to be an artist for a very very long time. I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you shit.”
She continued, “I chose this career path because I love music and art and honoring my inner child, I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.”
Roan then attempted to delineate her public and private personas: “When I’m on stage, when I’m performing, when I’m in drag, when I’m at a work event, when I’m doing press… I am at work. Any other circumstance, I am not in work mode. I am clocked out.”
“I want to love my life, be outside, giggle with my friends, go to the movie theater, feel safe, and do all the things every single person deserves to do,” Roan stated. “Please stop touching me. Please stop being weird to my family and friends. Please stop assuming things about me. There is always more to the story. I am scared and tired.”
In a TikTok video earlier this week, the singer told fans, “I don’t care that abuse and harassment, stalking, whatever is a normal thing to do to people who are famous or a little famous, whatever,” she said. “I don’t care that it’s normal. I don’t care that this crazy type of behavior comes along with the job, or the career field I’ve chosen, that does not make it OK. That doesn’t make it normal. That doesn’t mean I want it. That doesn’t mean that I like it.”
Roan reiterated that sentiment while closing out her statement Friday, “There is a part of myself that I save just for my project and all of you. There is a part of myself that is just for me, and I don’t want that taken away from me.”
Best of Rolling Stone