My K-pop obsession started with Super Junior’s “Mr. Simple” and “Sexy, Free, and Single.” For four months, I would come home after school and rewatch both music videos on repeat. My viewing habits eventually evolved beyond YouTube. I opened a Tumblr blog just so I could watch that same music video through GIF segments. On Tumblr, I found a community where someone was always willing to talk about K-pop, and I often spent hours scrolling through fan content. Before long, I had joined another dozen or so online groups. I photoshopped edits of my favourite “ships” using my amateur design skills, was heartbroken when Super Junior’s 2014 tour didn’t include my city, and learned the entire choreography of their greatest hits released between 2011 and 2015, just in case I ever needed to showcase my talents. I’d turned into a stan.
A stan is, as Oxford English Dictionary first defined the term in 2018, “an overzealous or obsessive fan, especially of a particular celebrity.” The term was born out of Eminem’s 2000 hit song, aptly titled “Stan.” In it, he narrates the story of an obsessed fan named Stanley. The lyrics are about his desperate plea for Eminem to be his role model. His passion soon spirals out of control, leading to his eventual demise. Another interpretation, as described in an episode of NPR’s All Things Considered, is that the term combines the words “stalker” and “fan.” But, for me, and for many other people of my generation who live in the world of fandom, the term has evolved into a sort of badge of honour. We make fan pages, go to every concert, spend hours online—especially on Twitter—reading through comments about our favourite artists, and are first to come to their defence whenever anyone has anything bad to say.
