The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
the b-side
Wednesday, October 7, 2020 — 11

YOUR WEEKLY

ARIES

Financial ups and downs cause 
headaches this week, Aries, but it’s 
within your control to get your 
money better organized. Working on 
your time management may free up 

time to indulge in a 
lucrative side hustle, 
which will help.

AQUARIUS

GEMENI

Expect strange coincidences or 
fleeting corner-of-the-eye glimpses 
of otherworldly beings. Your spiritual 
growth is moving quickly, Gemini, 
and help on this topic from a 
sympathetic and encouraging family 

member is very welcome.

SAGITTARIUS

CAPRICORN

SCORPIO

CANCER

Events in your social circle take a 
surprising turn and you may find 
yourself wondering if you really know 
someone at all, Cancer, given their 
odd behavior. Give everyone the 

benefit of the doubt. There’s 

method in their madness.

TAURUS

Unexpected news from your partner 
puts your relationship in the spotlight, 
but there should be cause for joy 
mixed with the shock. A tumultuous 
week is in the cards, Taurus, but there 

are memories to made 
here too.

VIRGO

PICES

LIBRA
LEO

Tensions between your work and 
home life decrease, finally, thanks to a 
boost in your income which makes it 
easier to balance your competing 
priorities. Look ahead with 

confidence, Leo – it just 
might be possible to have 
it all, after all.

Read your weekly horoscopes from astrology.tv

You’re changing your mind so often 
this week that you’re struggling to 
keep up with yourself. This intellectual 
instability is a good thing though, 
Virgo, in as much as it shows that you 

are keeping an open mind. 

Don’t be afraid to revisit 
old opinions.

Someone forgives you out of the blue 
– but do you forgive yourself? The 
energies this week encourage you to 
look ahead and to stop fretting about 
the past, Libra. You may have made a 

mistake, but so do we all. Be 

kinder to yourself.

Romantic surprises and passionate 
encounters – what’s not to love about 
this energy? It’s set to be a very loving 
week, Scorpio, whether you’re in an 
existing relationship or looking for 

new love. If you’re single, a 

friendship may turn into 

something much more.

A happy accident or fortunate 
coincidence works in your favor, 
Sagittarius, but you’re reminded that 
you could create more of your own 
luck if you were better organized. 

Work on clearing your 

clutter so that you can 

spend more time 
manifesting your 
dreams.

Fun is very much a team effort this 
week, so say yes to invitations and 
don’t be afraid to join in. If a travel 
opportunity presents itself, Capricorn, 
you’ll be busy weighing up the pros 

and cons – but don’t take so 

long that you miss out on 

an incredible chance.

Chaos at work subsides into 
something more doable and normal, 
but there’s still a lot of hard work to be 
done. Fortunately, Aquarius, your 
loved ones are very understanding 
and will back your need to spend 

more time on your career. 
Don’t lose your focus.

News travels fast, Pisces, but double 
check your facts before you spread 
gossip which may or may not be true. 
There’s an air of excitement as you 
wait for an announcement – and it 
should hopefully be good news. 

Changing circumstances 
benefit you hugely.

WHISPER

“I’m in love with my best friend.”

“Even cowgirls get the blues, but
 I’d be happy with you.”

“Whoever’s reading this: you’re 
doing amazing & I love you.”

THE B-SIDE: ICONS
THE B-SIDE: ICONS

Icons: A love letter to River Phoenix Twitter stans 

and superfans

The world has a thing for 

martyrs. People treat it like a rite 
of passage if you make it into the 
27 Club with Jimi Hendrix and 
Kurt Cobain. But River Phoenix 
never even got to see his 27th 
year.

Phoenix died from a drug 

overdose on Halloween when he 
was only 23. His death was, and 
remains to be, so sensationalized 
that you can even watch the 
guys at Buzzfeed Unsolved try 
to contact his ghost. National 
news stations aired the 911 
call that his brother Joaquin 
Phoenix (“Joker,” “Her”) made 
from the Viper Room, the club 
owned by Johnny Depp (“Pirates 
of the Caribbean,” “Edward 
Scissorhands”) where River had 
collapsed. Long before social 
media, River’s life and death 
were treated like a sideshow 
attraction between commercials.

River was a reluctant icon. 

He hated his own celebrity 
(and the idea of celebrity at all), 
but he used it as a platform for 
his activism that could only be 

compared to the likes of Jane 
Fonda 
(“Klute,” 
“Grace 
and 

Frankie”) or Marlon Brando 
(“Streetcar Named Desire,” “The 
Godfather”). He spoke openly 
and passionately about animal 
rights and environmentalism 
in a time before there was a 
vegan option on every menu. 
Maybe he knew that PETA 
booked him because of his name 
as the precocious 17-year-old 
nominated for an Oscar, but he 
swallowed his pride because it 
was what he believed in.

Humility isn’t always included 

in definitions of masculinity. 
River could have performed 
the 
hypermasculinity 
of 

contemporary stars like Arnold 
Schwarzenneger, 
Sylvester 

Stallone, Patrick Swayze or Tom 
Cruise, but he didn’t. This isn’t 
to say that he wasn’t masculine; 
he could play a young Harrison 
Ford in “Indiana Jones and 
the Last Crusade” with all 
the heroism we knew from 
the action star, but with this 
added fragility that’s difficult 
to achieve in a short, ten-
minute cameo. River brought an 
intense, overwhelming amount 

of 
vulnerability 
that 
would 

underscore, rather than negate, 
his strength in each and every 
one of his roles. He made male 
tenderness iconic.

“Stand by Me,” based on 

the Stephen King novella “The 
Body,” is meant to be an ensemble 
film, but River’s performance as 
a tough but well-meaning kid 
from a dysfunctional family lit 
him up on everyone’s radar. The 
story started the “You wanna see 
a dead body?” trope as a group of 
middle school boys search for a 
local boy’s corpse in 1959. River 
may not be what most people 
remember most about the movie; 
it’s more recognizable as a clear 
influence of friendship-centered 
adventures like “The Sandlot” 
or “Stranger Things,” and as 
a parallel to other adjacent 
films like “The Goonies” or (of 
course, because of its source 
material) “IT.” Director Rob 
Reiner 
(“When 
Harry 
Met 

Sally”) captures the playfulness 
and devastation of childhood 
through the image of some boys 
walking down railroad tracks 
together with the dramatic irony 
of their knowledge that it was a 

train that killed the boy they’re 
looking for. 

At its core, “Stand by Me” is 

about love. And while the other 
cast members did an amazing 
job, there’s just nothing that you 
can compare to River’s delivery 
of the line: “I just wish I could go 
someplace where nobody knows 
me.” He admitted to using fake 
tears in the scene (he was only 
15 years old and it was his first 
major role in a feature film), but 
you believe it when he says it. 
Maybe it’s that boyishness that 
had everyone magnetized to 
the screen. He was a kid in 1986 
pretending he was in 1959, and 
you wonder if he was thinking of 
himself as his father, if this spoke 
to that feeling when you first 
see your father cry, when death 
stares you in the face, when, for 
the first time, you really, truly 
understand empathy.

I can’t help but wonder if 

“Stand by Me” was River’s way 
of reckoning with his childhood 
in the same way it is for everyone 
who watches the film.

THE B-SIDE: ICONS
Icons: It’s Dolly Parton’s world

If you asked any American to 

draw a picture of Dolly Parton, 
they’d probably scribble the same 
thing down. Big lipsticked smile, 
big blonde hair, big gaudy heels 
and, of course, her iconic big 
boobs. She is the image of camp in 
a way that only someone with her 
sass, confidence and incredible 
charisma could pull off, much less 
trademark in the way she has. She 
may have made her mark on the 
music industry with a song called 
“Dumb Blonde,” but Parton is 
nowhere near it. 

She knows what she’s doing 

at every moment — building her 
legacy step by step with a vigor 
which mirrors that of competitive 
cheerleaders 
and 
pageant 

Pomeranians. In Dolly’s words, “It 
takes a lot of money to look this 
cheap.” Her sparkling individuality 
(and rhinestones) may have set 
Parton out at the beginning of her 

career, but it is what has kept her on 
the map as times have changed.

The enduring image that Parton 

has created over her long career has 
permeated every era, surprisingly 
even this one, as her star rises 
with those who grew up listening 
to her and those who follow her 
on Twitter alike. For someone 
so brash and unapologetic, it 
is impressive that Parton has 
maintained this universal appeal 
throughout the years, especially 
given the polarizing nature of 
celebrity today. 

She’s a classic American icon 

with an even more American story: 
from the one-room cabin she was 
born in to a multimillion-dollar 
empire including theme parks and 
cookware, she’s the poster child for 
working your way up, no matter 
the obstacles. Everyone loves Dolly, 
and if her track record means 
anything, they will continue to love 
her forever. 

On the heels of her recent 

holiday release, A Holly Dolly 

Christmas, Parton has been on 
a lot of minds lately. It’s the first 
Christmas album she’s recorded 
in 30 years and reminds us of the 
overwhelming warmth that her 
clear, beautiful voice brings to 
listeners. The songwriter began 
her career as country musician 
Porter Wagoner’s “girl singer” 
on his variety show, developing a 
working relationship that lasted 
decades, but soon found her own 
path and eventually split to build 
her career as a solo artist. In fact, 
Parton wrote “I Will Always Love 
You” after leaving Wagoner’s side, 
reportedly during the same session 
that “Jolene” was also thought up. 

Parton shows up like this 

constantly in the history of country 
and pop music, permeating the 
industry with her charm and sass, 
no matter the occasion. She has 
hundreds of compositions that 
bring in millions of dollars a year, a 
theme park called Dollywood in the 
Smoky Mountains for family fun 
and classic Southern hospitality, 

a spa, a deal for personalized 
greeting cards with American 
Greetings and, soon, a cookware 
and home decor line with Williams 
Sonoma. 
The 
woman 
does 

everything, and her personality has 
eclipsed her music in some ways, 
despite its legacy and importance 
in the development of American 
country. Her singing voice may 
have established Parton in the 
public eye, but now her speaking 
voice is what keeps her there. Dolly 
Parton is a person, sure, but she is 
also an image, a feeling and a brand.

These business ventures and 

Parton’s hold on the public sphere 
have spurred somewhat of a Dolly 
renaissance in the past few years, 
even as the singer hit 74. For an 
older woman to keep that kind of 
relevance in the increasingly sexist 
and ageist world of celebrity is quite 
a feat, and her popularity doesn’t 
seem to be waning anytime soon. 

Read more online at 

michigandaily.com

Read more online at 

michigandaily.com

MARY ELIZABETH JOHNSON

For The Daily

CLARA SCOTT
Daily Arts Writer

DYLAN YONO
Daily Arts Writer

Growing up, one of my favorite 

songs of all time was Eminem’s 
hip-hop classic “Stan,” which tells 
a twisted tale from the perspective 
of a genuine superfan (or perhaps 
“stalker-fan”). Stan as depicted 
in the song is not the kind of fan 
anyone would want to identify 
with — he doesn’t get a happy 
ending.

It came as a surprise to me 

when I started high school and 
saw the word “stan” had entered 
the lexicon of celebrity fandoms. 
Stanning is a level of devotion to an 
artist beyond that of your everyday 
fan. It’s not quite the devotion of 
the term’s namesake; most stans 
firmly disapprove of stalker-like 
behavior. So what does it mean to 
be a stan?

“It’s kind of unhealthy to be 

honest,” Engineering sophomore 
Sophia Do said between laughs. 
“It’s a bit of an obsession.”

To stan means to love and 

support an artist in everything 
they do. It can take the form of 
supporting their music doing well 
on the charts, or feeling happy 
when they see their favorite 
artist do anything, down to the 
most innocuous activities. Stan 
communities exist for virtually 
every popular artist, and they even 
have their own demonyms. Justin 
Bieber stans are Beliebers, Taylor 
Swift stans are Swifties, Harry 
Styles stans are Stylers and BTS 
stans are ARMYs, just to name a 
few.

Do, a K-pop fan, stans artists like 

BTS, Red Velvet and BLACKPINK. 
K-pop fans in particular have a 
reputation among other fandoms; 
they’re 
widely 
perceived 
as 

some of the most devoted stans. 
According to Do, it’s a consequence 
of the Korean idol industry tightly 
controlling their artists’ images. 
“Idols have a persona they put on,” 
she explained. “It’s not actually 
them. Which makes people more 
curious.” The limited genuine 
interaction that K-pop idols can 
have with their fans gives them an 
air of mystery, and it bolsters their 
stans’ enthusiasm.

Where K-pop stans revel in 

every glimpse of their idols, if 
you’re a Justin Bieber stan, he 
might just Cash App you.

“The Biebs follows me on 

Twitter,” 
Engineering 
senior 

Isha Mishra said. “That was 
exciting. I remember I cried when 
it happened.” To promote the 
release of his latest single, “Holy,” 
Bieber partnered with Cash App 
to give away 250 thousand dollars. 
Mishra tweeted her Cash App, 
and Bieber sent her 500 dollars. “I 
was over the moon. I was crying, 
crying, crying.”

Mishra is a part of Stan Twitter, 

a subgenre of Twitter in which 
stans connect to talk about their 
favorite celebrities. They’ll share 
their favorite celebrity’s pictures, 
talk about their music and stay 
up to date with what their icons 
are doing, often on a day-to-day 
basis. It’s a boiling pot of tweets 
ranging from fiery hot takes and 
firm opinions to impassioned 
celebrity adoration. Much of the 
dialog is between people who 
don’t know each other in real 
life, but connect online over their 
common stanhood. It contrasts 
with “local Twitter,” stanglish 
(stan slang) for “normie Twitter” 
where users follow their real-life 
acquaintances (locals).

For Mishra, Stan Twitter is 

a home, a place to escape to. “It 
gives me a sense of community,” 
she said. “I tell them my everyday 
life, any time I have a problem 
or something, they’re one of the 
first people I’ll go to.” Even if she 
only gets to see her friends from 
Stan Twitter at concerts, their 
friendship is genuine. “I love them 
so much. We send each other 
things for our birthdays. We talk 
all the time. I just consider them 
my friends, not just like, ‘oh, I met 
them on the internet.’”

Harry Styles stan and Nursing 

freshman 
Delanie 
Schreiber 

echoed Mishra’s fondness for 
Stan Twitter. “It’s nice to be in 
a community of people who feel 
the same way that you do and are 
excited about the same thing,” 
Schreiber 
said. 
Like 
Mishra, 

Schreiber has also made long-time 
friends on Stan Twitter only to 

meet them years later at concerts.

Making friends and finding a 

community is as big a part of stan 
culture as the idols themselves. 
For many, friendship with other 
stans naturally goes deeper than 
a shared interest. “Harry Styles 
isn’t just music, you stan for Black 
Lives Matter, you support gay 
rights, because so does Harry 
Styles,” Schreiber explained. “If 
somebody supports an artist that 
supports those, you know that you 
have the same views and interests 
on things.”

Even though most of these 

artists are hugely popular, for a long 
time, being a stan was sort of like a 
niche hobby. Stan communities on 
Twitter or other social media help 
bring like-minded people together, 
but finding that space in real life 
can be tricky.

Do always felt some judgment 

from her peers for listening to 
K-pop. But today, K-pop is at the 
forefront of mainstream — BTS’s 
“Dynamite” is sitting comfortably 
at the top of the Billboard Hot 
100. When she first came to the 
University her freshman year, Do 
joined a K-pop dance group on 
campus with her roommate. She 
didn’t end up sticking with it, but 
her roommate did and made lots of 
friends through it.

There are numerous K-pop 

dance groups on campus, and 
though not every person in a dance 
group is necessarily a devout stan, 
it’s still a great way to find people 
who appreciate the same artists. 
For stans of Western artists, 
finding other stans doesn’t even 
need a dedicated space for it: Stans 
are everywhere.

Even in her first month on a 

mostly virtual campus, Schreiber 
has already met other Harry Styles 
fans. “I’ll meet people that I won’t 
know that they’re a Harry styles 
fan, and then they’ll mention a 
little thing,” she said. “And I’m like, 
‘Oh? Are you a Harry Styles fan?’ 
and we just click.” Recently she 
connected with another Nursing 
major who recognized her Harry 
Styles t-shirt. Amid all the usual 
freshman year small talk — the 
tiresome monotony of who-are-
you, where-are-you-from, what’s-
your-major — finding someone 
with a shared interest was a 
breath of fresh air for Schreiber. 
“You’re immediately in a different 
conversation, it’s not awkward, 
you have something to talk about,” 
she said.

Stan culture and the stan 

community is a place of comfort 
for many. Still, like any large 
community, it’s not without its 
problems.

LSA 
freshman 
Pranav 

Balachander stans artists like Dua 
Lipa and Taylor Swift, but he’s 
hesitant to call himself a stan. “I 
don’t necessarily engage in the 
typical stan culture behavior that 
you see on Twitter, but I am a stan 
of these artists,” he explained. 

Though they find solidarity in 

their respective stan communities, 
all 
of 
my 
interviewees 

acknowledged the capacity of 
stan culture to be toxic, both for 
the stans and the celebrities they 
follow. Balachander has seen that 
toxicity play out on Twitter in 
many forms.

One of the biggest provocateurs 

of conflict and competition among 
stans is actually the Billboard 
Hot 100. “Stan culture almost 
unilaterally focuses on charts 
without looking at the bigger 
picture,” Balachander said. Charts 
like the Hot 100 or Billboard 
200 rank singles and albums by 
somewhat 
objective 
measures 

of record sales and streaming 
numbers. When artists don’t do 
well on these charts, “they’re 
automatically branded as flops,” 
he said. (When they do rank 
highly, they’re “smashes.”)

For stans, it’s natural to want 

to see your artist do well. “The 
whole fanbase kind of rejoices at 
their success,” Do said. “And then 
you feel like it’s a big community 
and connected to all these people.” 
But by the nature of the charts, for 
one artist to be at the top means 
displacing another. And if an artist 
doesn’t chart, or their rankings 
slip, then competing stans are 
quick to call them a flop.

Read more online at 

michigandaily.com

