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When fans of American pop superstar Taylor Swift saw her entering a bar in Long Beach Island, New Jersey on Friday night they were surprised. But no one was surprised with what came afterwards — Swift being swarmed by hundreds of fans who surrounded the venue.

The event was Swift’s long-time friend and collaborator Jack Antonoff’s rehearsal dinner with fiancé, actor Margaret Qualley. As fans spotted Swift going into the venue, word spread around town and the area quickly became surrounded by thousands of fans; after which police had to be called to handle the situation.

Seeing the situation, many Swifties (ie fans of Swift) started expressing their displeasure with the people who swarmed the ‘Anti-hero’ singer. One user quoted Swift talking about her struggles with fame while explaining the song ‘Peace’ in the Disney+ documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, saying “…apparently some of y’all didn’t see this”.

Another compared Swift to other celebrities whose privacy had been invaded while expressing their displeasure with the incident.

A Pakistani fan cracked a joke about Karachi’s law and order situation while expressing support for Swift against the “unwelcome crowd”.

It is important to note that Swift has expressed her discomfort with the struggles of fame many times. In her Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Swift talked extensively about not feeling “normal,” especially in a scene where her front yard in New York City was swarmed with fans.

Swifties have expressed their anger towards the incident and we think it’s important to talk about it too because this isn’t something that is limited to Taylor Swift. Celebrities around the world have to deal with ‘fans’ invading their privacy on a daily basis but just because it’s common, doesn’t mean it’s right.

In a recent podcast, cricketer Imam-ul-Haq narrated a story about people shouting “Parchi! Parchi!” at him while he was having dinner with his parents at a restaurant. The cricketer also mentioned that he has not taken his parents to watch one of his matches yet because he fears that chants of “parchi” will be hurled at them.

YouTuber Irfan Junejo has also mentioned his struggles with feeling like a spectacle in public spaces on various platforms. “…I used to feel that someone somewhere is always looking at me in a hateful manner, laughing at me,” he said in his comeback YouTube video in 2021.

While having adoration and love for celebrities is natural, respecting their privacy is also important. It is imperative to remember that while we may feel close to them through their art and content, they are not our friends. There needs to be a level of privacy that should be maintained; not just for their personal life but also to protect their mental health.

As fans of someone’s content, one often feels a sense of belonging towards the creator of said content. However, people often forget that these celebrities are only doing their job when they entertain us with their art. It does not give anyone the right to take away their personal life and treat their whole existence as a public affair. Although fans may feel that they personally know their favourite artist, they should keep in mind that just like they would not want their personal life to be interfered with by their work, the celebrities feel the same way; albeit on a much larger scale. The adoration for the fans exists among celebrities as well, but it should not go beyond a line where they have no privacy whatsoever.

Such situations, where the person is surrounded by thousands of people or is being made fun of in public, can have a long-lasting impact on their mental health and sense of self-worth. So, if you truly love a celebrity, be sure to always respect their privacy!