The cost of being a celebrity is having your life on the public stage. Privacy is consistently violated, strangers “know” you, and public performance is your job. While these are relatively accepted parts of being a public figure, what should not be part of the celebrity job description are harassment, stalking, and unwanted encounters.

Consent within the celebrity world has recently been at the forefront of conversations due to Chappell Roan’s rise to fame. She is the perfect example of how a public personality owes the public nothing. Her rise started with her signing to Sony in March 2022, which allowed her to release new music to February 2023. Her first headline tour sold out every show, and Roan went from lesser-known musician to gay-pop icon in less than a year. Now that she has acquired her fame, Roan has put out a statement saying she needs to “draw lines and set boundaries”.

Not only have fans had nonconsensual interactions with her, but she has also been stalked and her family has been made to feel endangered. The harassment from her fans has gotten to the point where Roan stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that a “part of me hopes I never have a hit again because then no one will ever expect anything from me.” Nothing crosses the line for certain fans—interrupting time with her partner, crashing her friend’s birthday party, etc.—and my question to them is: what gives you the right? Being a celebrity does not mean that a person is for the public’s whims. I, personally, would never go up to someone I have never met before and ask for a hug or interrupt their conversation with a loved one. I, personally, would never act like I knew a stranger because I’ve seen their posts online. We always hear the phrase “celebrities are people too,” but when does that golden rule-type treatment actually become the standard decorum?

If the general populace thinks celebrities are for our pleasure and entertainment, this leads to a toxic trend that spirals into downright illegal behavior. If Roan could set boundaries that respect her right to have a life without the backlash of being “fake” or “ungrateful”, there may not be as many people like Julius Sandrock, Taylor Swift’s stalker who drove to her Beverly Hills home with a knife in hand, or Joshua Corbett, Sandra Bullock’s stalker who broke into her home with every intention of sexually assaulting her. I believe the problem of consent and celebrities is a no-brainer–it is about the precedent. 

We need to create an atmosphere of consent, respect, and peace when interacting with the celebrities we love for their talent, art, or what they stand for. I know this goes back to kindergarten, but treat them as you would want to be treated. See them in the street? Give them a compliment if they are not preoccupied and if they offer more—like a picture or a hug—accept and stay respectful with physical distance and your words. You accidentally see them with a partner they have not talked about? Don’t leak it to the public! Honestly, I stick with one rule when it comes to celebrities: treat them as you would treat someone you barely know at your workplace or school campus. Give them a compliment if you feel what they have done warrants it, don’t pretend to know them even if you mutually follow each other on social media, and follow the golden rule of respect.

Now, I am not saying that setting this type of respectful behavior as the precedent for celebrity interactions will get rid of all the criminal or non consensual interactions, but like setting the table, it encourages the right manners for the situation. There will always be naturally evil people out there, and I hope those can be dealt with in a just manner.  However, if most of the general public–including us–take on the responsibility of creating a thoughtful, consenting atmosphere online and in reality when it comes to all interactions with celebrities, we could curb the toxicity that discourages our favorite artists and people from creating more of what we love.