Do you have what it takes to be a V.I.P.?

Fan studies scholar Matt Hills (2014) recognizes that fan affect is something that shifts over time. Fandom is a process that "has typically been theorized as communal, cultural, and social: this means it can be studied as a pre-existent, lived identity... [and] trajectories of fandom have been replaced by reified, fixed models of what it means to be a fan" (9). If fandom is a process, that means that ebb and flows are inherent to the relationship between fans and the recipient of their affection. This relationship takes many different modes of expression.

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There are fans who worship. Those who generate publicity, save concert tickets, purchase collector's merchandise, all in the name of closeness.

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Some fans take this to the extreme. For instance, take 26-year-old Richard Joseph McEwan, the man who broke into Taylor Swift's New York townhouse in 2019. McEwan had a shower, took a nap in her bed, but didn't steal anything. The intruder was arrested but must have budgeted for that: "his recompenses were a few hours in repose among his idol's accouterments" (Cashmore 2019). Being regarded with affections bordering on deification is a priority, though not one a celebrity wishes to acknowledge. Fame often begets more fame, if only because the media does the begetting.

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In cases such as television shows, fans will petition for showrunners to cut the program short before it loses its integrity. This is fan euthanasia, a process that threatens the livelihood of many screenwriters, producers, and actors. This is still a threat to the hidden apparatus previously mentioned in branding, but the difference is idols are singular deities, substantially narrowing who receives the brunt of both worship and euthanasia alike.

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Some fans love so hard that they develop a more profound relationship with the fandoms they participate in. Stalker Sarah, deemed "the most famous fan in the world" by The New York Times has been accepted into the paparazzi circle for her ability to serve as a global tracking device. Her pursuits have also caused her a lot of internal fan euthanasia. When Sarah shared a photo of Justin Bieber kissing her cheek, Beliebers sent her many threats of violence. But even the ugliest of spats do not deter Sarah.

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Sarah is on good terms with many celebrities because of her kind approach to her hobby (she does not sell her pictures). When bumping into Harry Styles finishing dinner in 2013, she approached him directly.

 

“I don’t want to bother you or interrupt your meal,” she said. “Would you mind taking a picture with me on your way out?” He told her that would be fine, and Sarah walked back over to me. Styles still looked uneasy. The woman next to him had her hand on his knee and was kissing his cheek. Styles had been the subject of great romantic speculation since his breakup with Taylor Swift, in January, and the two dozen paparazzi waiting outside would love to have this shot, which, Sarah later told me, could easily fetch $15,000 in the United States and maybe double that in Britain.

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Styles looked at Sarah from across the room as she slid her iPhone purposefully into her purse, ceding the exclusive to another photographer. He resumed kissing the girl. It might seem puzzling that Sarah would turn down such easy money. But in Hollywood, fame itself is an even more valuable currency, and not taking the picture is Sarah’s way of protecting hers. Why risk a dream come true for a one-time score? Before leaving, Styles came up to her and leaned in for a picture. This was what she had come for. The next day, the Internet was teeming with photos of him leaving the restaurant with Kimberly Stewart. In the background, over his shoulder, you can just make out Sarah’s face, looking on.

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In Hollywood, fame itself is the most valuable currency, and Sarah has developed her fame through osmosis. 

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