Chappell Roan, Moo Deng, and the Pit of Despair
Chappell Roan is one of the most famous people on the planet right now. Over the last few months, Chappell Roan has rocketed to worldwide stardom off the back of hits like Hot To Go(which is still stuck in my head) and Good Luck Babe. In the last six months she has achieved a level of stardom that is completely unfathomable to anybody that hasn’t experienced it.
Moo Deng is one of the most famous animals on the planet right now. Over the last two months since her birth, Moo Deng has exploded onto the scene. She’s fresh, she’s fiery, she’s spunky- Moo Deng is a fucking star. Everybody loves Moo Deng.
“Would you enjoy fame” is a very interesting question to ponder. As fun of a thought experiment as it can be, like most things it is a question that is impossible to answer without experience. Nobody really knows how they would respond to worldwide stardom if they’re not famous, just like nobody knows how they will behave in a fight until they get punched in the face. This summer, fame punched Chappell Roan in the face. In August, the pop star took to Tik Tok to describe a small portion of the harassment she has faced from strangers claiming to be fans that she has come across in public. In the weeks since, quotes from these videos and various other interviews have been aggregated and reposted on various social media sites in what seems like a coordinated campaign to make people annoyed with her.
I don’t think I’d like being famous, at least not in the way that Chappell Roan is. Being a performer in and of itself is an incredibly tiring pursuit, and when you add in pop superstardom on the level she has achieved you get a well-woven quilt of exhaustion. The human brain is not designed to perceive widespread fame. Imagine walking down the street and one out of every 50 people knows you, notices you, and wants something from you. This is Chappell Roan’s life every day, except instead of one in 50 people it’s one in 10, and instead of just wanting something from you, they’re demanding it. When she says “women don’t owe you shit” she’s also making a statement about the reality of being a celebrity. Someone’s prevalence in art or entertainment does not make them a 24-hour drive-thru handshake and hug stand- that’s not her job!
Much like Chappell Roan Moo Deng, the two month old Thaiwanese pygmy hippo has become acquainted with the various pitfalls of fame. Like Chappell Roan, Moo Deng’s rise to prominence was almost overnight. In recent years, many different species of baby animals have gone viral on the internet. These viral animals allow the zoo in which they are housed to run a pseudo-guerilla (hehe) marketing campaign. In doing this, zoos tend to see a rise in guests and ticket sales. Moo Deng is the most recent of these baby animals and she is a star. If you haven’t seen a Moo Deng video, let me describe all of them- an angry glistening bean bag runs around and bites shit. The bean bag also hates water. Ok now that you’re caught up, would you believe me if I told you Moo Deng was being treated like a human celebrity? One of Moo Deng’s key traits is her crankiness. According to staff at Kaow Kheow Open Zoo, patrons have begun to throw things at Moo Deng to elicit this cranky response. Moo Deng is a one-dimensional figure to them, much like how Chappell Roan is a one-dimensional figure to her fans. Moo Deng is a cute, cranky baby hippo, so what does she owe the public? More cuteness and more crankiness. Chappell Roan is an energetic singer and performer, so she owes the public that energetic attitude and more songs.
I’m not sure if Chappell Roan’s comments could have been more perfectly timed. For anybody doubting the validity of her complaints, they get a perfect illustration of the pitfalls of fame and how “fans” and “fandom” are often a very negative thing for the subjects of this form of attention. Moo Deng is a two month old baby pygmy hippo- she does not know sin. She’s never done a thing wrong in her (very short) life, yet due to factors beyond her control she is now famous and forced to perform for those going to see her. Chappell Roan chooses to make music and she chooses to perform, but much like Moo Deng she didn’t sign up for this type of fame. She’s not running for public office, and neither is Moo Deng. The lesson here is that Chappell Roan is right- celebrities don’t owe you shit, and if I could take it a step further, neither do famous baby animals.
