Earlier this week, historic laws were passed to give all Australians working in a business a legal right to disconnect from their work duties outside of hours. Also this week, pop star Chappell Roan‘s scathing statement on social media, reminding her fans that she “didn’t owe them shit” despite the career path she’d chosen. So while Australians can celebrate a step towards that elusive work-life balance, can celebrities ever expect their own right to disconnect?
The right-to-disconnect laws are a wonderful move for Aussies everywhere. As of August 26, Australians working in businesses of a certain size are legally allowed to ignore their boss’ calls, texts and emails once they log off for the day.
The first country to introduce these laws was France in 2017 — as you may have guessed from that one episode of Emily In Paris — but many other countries have followed suit since. The law change is especially important as the right to leisure and downtime is literally a human right, according to Article 24 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
While our laws only apply to businesses of 15 people or more, the human rights declaration remains. So where does that leave us with celebrities like Chappell who have spoken out about their inability to switch off from their work in the public eye and received backlash from fans in response?
The expectation of relatability and connection in the digital age
Chappell Roan’s rise to pop stardom has been meteoric. Back in 2020, I remember watching her sing “Pink Pony Club” from her tiny New York City bedroom on TikTok. Now, Chappell is performing on arena stages around the world with multiple tracks from her debut album The Rise And Fall of A Midwest Princess on the Billboard charts. As a fan, it’s been amazing to watch her come back from being dropped by her label in 2020 — and come back with a campy pop vengeance. However, it’s an experience I’m sharing with hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of people.
Part of Chappell’s success came from growing her TikTok audience. She’s hardly alone in this, with artists like Ice Spice and homegrown talent Peach PRC turning into TikTok virility into mainstream music success. On top of that, labels actively look for social followings when choosing to sign new artists. The role of artist AND creator is tough for many to manage, but when you suddenly hit the big time a la Chappell, it becomes almost impossible to manage.
Chappell gained worldwide stardom at a bonkers rate and as a result, it all compounded in a true parasocial relationship clusterfuck.
Chappell’s social media presence, her on-stage persona and her art become conflated with who she is at her core, leaving fans believing they have a real, tangible connection to the rising celebrity. And, worse still, they feel they’re owed something from her when they see her in the flesh.
“I’ve been in too many non-consensual physical and social interactions, and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you shit,” the “Hot To Go” singer recently wrote on Instagram.
“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 don’t agree with the notion that I owe a mutual exchange of energy, time or attention to people I do not know, do not trust, or who creep me out — just because they’re expressing admiration.”
While some fans are fully in support of Chappell’s statement — including fellow artists Hayley Williams and Shawn Mendes — others have been less understanding, arguing that posing for pictures is the least she could do to thank fans who have so ardently supported her.
Not only do I believe that behaviour isn’t fair to expect from such a public figure when you see them in the flesh, but I also believe this discussion is inherently gendered. Women in the public eye are expected to be more available, more gracious and giving to their fans. The same expectation applies to women on a micro level making their own boundaries clear within relationships or in the workplace.
Ultimately, I don’t think many of us can really empathise with having our lives changed so completely in such a short space of time. We can only imagine how scary it would be to be followed down the street, have your family stalked, or have people take sneaky photos of you without your content.
With her entire being as her brand, Chappell has no ability to truly switch off from her work— even after making her boundaries and expectations of fans crystal clear.
Will celebrities ever escape the parasocial relationship?
Celebrity parasocial relationships may feel like they’re more common than ever thanks to social media, but these kinds of relationships are as old as the concept of celebrity itself. One of the most notable examples was the 1960s bout of Beatlemania. The mania both made The Beatles’ careers and ended them, with the most notable example being the fan assassination of John Lennon. And yet, in 2024, fans have access to their celebrity faves in ways unimaginable 60 years ago.
These days, it is incredibly easy to gather information about celebrities. Between social media, interviews and paparazzi, celebrities being highly accessible is basically an expectation — and it has been for decades.
However, not all celebrities are on an equal playing field. Stars like Taylor Swift have reached a level of stardom that requires that she have security detailing and a private jet. Others like Margot Robbie elect not to have social media anymore in an effort to protect what little privacy she has. Chappell Roan and stars quickly rising up the celebrity alphabet, are trapped in this awful spot of being super accessible and hyper-famous without many protections in place.
Encouragingly, it seems like celebrities are beginning to question these expectations and set their own boundaries.
Following Chappell’s statement, Paramore musician Hayley Williams reflected on her own Instagram Story: “This happens to every woman I know from this business, myself included. Social media has made this worse. I’m really thankful Chappell is willing to address it in a real way, in real-time. It’s brave and unfortunately necessary.”
It’s not just musicians.
Back in May, multiple videos of acclaimed actor Anne Hathaway setting boundaries with fans and paparazzi went viral. In them, she can be seen calmly and firmly telling fans to step back and give her space rather than crowding her. In return, she promised she’d sign everyone’s autograph — as long as they did it by her own rules.
For some, straight-talking attitudes around the fan-celebrity dynamic by celebrities are a bit confronting but, similarly to Australia’s right to disconnect laws, I think this is a step in the right direction. In the coming months, I anticipate that more celebrities will be following Chappell’s lead to put their foot down on the expectations fans hold over them and I can’t bloody wait.
As the old meme goes, celebrities are just like us. They’re human. And right now, most of them don’t have a right to disconnect from their work. Being publicly known and adored might be the life they chose, but it doesn’t mean they’re not entitled to human rights — and a bit of common decency.
The post Aussies Now Have The Right To Disconnect From Work. What About Celebs Like Chappell Roan? appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
