Chappell Roan Is Mother for Teaching Us How to Dissent

Last week, pop’s latest It Girl Chappell Roan stopped posing for photos at Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour film premiere to sternly confront a photographer who yelled at her at a Grammys after-party a few months earlier. She wanted an apology before loudly warning him, “Don’t do that to another artist again.”

This wasn’t the first time Chappell interrupted a step-and-repeat to tell off a photographer, and of course, the internet had its opinions. While some argued her reaction was “too much,” others praised the “Hot to Go!” hitmaker for standing her ground early in her career. “Actually love seeing women confront men who have wronged them in a society where women are taught to just take mistreatment quietly and with a smile,” one fan wrote. “She makes me want to stop being a coward. Thank you, Chappell Roan.”

So let’s be real: Treating famous young women like this is the norm, but it’s all too rare to see a celeb stand up for herself so publicly. I was 8 years old when the tabloids declared a night out for Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton a “bimbo summit.” That’s how I learned what the word “bimbo” meant. I saw Britney shamed for experiencing mental illness, Paris mocked for having sex, and Amy Winehouse ridiculed for her struggles with addiction. During my childhood, it was normal for public figures to be harassed by the media—and it was normal for men to be cheered when they clapped back. Creeps, stalkers, and cruel photographers were a fact of life for public-facing women who were told to be grateful we were paying attention to them at all.

But something shifted for me earlier this year when I heard a photographer tell Chappell to “shut the fuck up” on the VMAs red carpet. She yelled back at him, saying, “You shut the fuck up. Don’t try it. Not me, bitch.” As soon as it went down, I was transfixed. Here was a famous person—a famous young woman—standing up for herself in real time. At that moment, I thought about how my mom would yell at middle school bullies who harassed my sisters and me. I can’t remember what they were bullying us for, I just remember that we were so embarrassed by my mom’s very public clapback. So often, the path of least resistance—saying nothing and moving along—seems like the best option to protect our peace. But watching Chappell stand up for herself, I saw another woman refusing to accept disrespect or abuse from other people and the same willingness to stand up for herself.

While debate swirls about how famous women should deal with abuse or harassment from paparazzi, there is no question that it’s rampant. In my role as a news editor covering pop culture, I’ve heard grown men make sleazy and overtly sexual comments about famous musicians and actresses dozens of times. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to confront them. I was afraid of how they’d respond or what they’d call me. I was scared that other journalists or photographers in the room would think I was difficult or ungrateful for my job. Looking back at it, I wish I’d acted more like my mom or Chappell and called out their skeevy behavior.

When I was young, stars like Britney and Amy had no choice—they struggled in silence to protect their public images and preserve their notoriety. It wasn’t until 2023—16 years after she infamously shaved her head and chased paparazzi with an umbrella—that Britney was able to speak openly about her miserable experience in the public eye. "I had people telling me what they thought of my body since I was a teenager,” she wrote in her memoir, The Woman in Me. “Shaving my head and acting out were my ways of pushing back.” The lesson for young Britney admirers like my friends and I was as simple as it was destructive: Smile, nod, say “thank you” for any attention, even when it’s invasive and abusive. We wrongfully accepted that behavior as normal when it couldn’t be further from the truth.

I hate how long it’s taken for public-facing women to openly push back against this toxic attention, but I’m thrilled it’s finally happening. Last year, Phoebe Bridgers kindly asked people to leave her alone at the airport while traveling to her father’s funeral. When they, again, followed her through LAX with a camera, she doubled down on her point in an interview with Rolling Stone: “There’s a way to [be a fan] without filming me without my permission behind the back of my head, chasing me down the street.”

When these women push back, they remind me there isn’t always strength in silence. At 18, an ex told me I’d “do well” in my journalism career because I was “easy on the eyes.” I bit my tongue at the time, but now I wouldn’t be caught dead letting anyone treat me that way. Showing up for yourself won’t set you back where it matters. Whether you’re a rising star on a red carpet or an up-and-coming writer trying to gain experience, Chappell, Phoebe—and, of course, my mom and older sisters—have taught me that keeping the peace isn’t worth being disrespected.