Stan - the Gender-Neutral Fandom Term We Needed
A couple years ago I wrote a piece on my evolving views on the terms “fanboy” and “fangirl.” My conclusion was (and you can read the full piece here) that even if the terms are used for anyone, regardless of their gender, by classifying certain fan behaviors as male or female, it’s still an inherently reinforcing damaging gender stereotypes.
Ever since that piece I’ve been thinking about my own relationship to the term “fangirl.” Sometimes I still use it to describe myself. In particular, when I went to a ONEUS concert last month, the second they came on stage the entire crowd started screaming and it felt like an ultimate stereotypical fangirl moment – me screaming along hundreds of mostly women at the sight of a kpop group.
But more and more I’ve been using the term “stan” to describe myself to people, and I’ve concluded that this is the gender-neutral fandom term that we needed.
One of my original concerns was the idea that just using the term “fan” is too general. Being a fan encompasses so many different behaviors and levels of interest, so it lacks specificity. Enter the word “stan.” A stan is defined as an extremely enthusiastic and/or devoted fan. Obviously, unlike fangirl or fanboy, the term stan does not have any gender signifiers. This helps dilute the harmful stereotypes that “fangirl” and “fanboy” perpetuate. In addition, as nonbinary people become more visible, we are all becoming more cognizant of the need to use gender-neutral language and to be inclusive of those who are gender non-conforming. In my professional life, I see this with writing standards switching to the use of “they/them” as opposed to “he or she/his or hers.”
But the difference goes deeper. Fangirl and fanboy are terms that are often used to describe both the gender of a fan, but also a particular type of fan behavior. Stan, however, is a term that denotes a level of engagement, whatever that engagement may be. There is no “this kind of fan behavior means this thing.” It’s just that you are a particularly hardcore about something. This makes it a more inclusive term, as there are so many different ways of expressing one’s fandom.
The third thing I like about the term is that it is both a noun and verb, just like another key fandom term, ship. It’s minor, but it’s convenient, but I also appreciate, from a writer and lover of words perspective, that it shows how actions and identity can be intertwined.
Language shapes our world and how we perceive and interact with each other. It’s a minor thing, but it’s nice to have a way of describing my fandom without interacting with harmful stereotypes, and that includes all people, not just some of them. New stereotypes will emerge around the term stan, such things are inevitable. But whatever they are, they will be based on a more inclusive concept of what fandom looks like. And that can only be a good thing.
