'Extreme fandom' is what led to Bebe Rexha and Ava Max attacks, says expert
"Extreme fandom" is what led to the brutal and horrific Bebe Rexha and Ava Max attacks, says an expert.
Over the last week female musicians have been under attack - literally - by concertgoers who decided to physically assault them in completely unprovoked circumstances.
Just last night American singer-songwriter Ava Max was slapped by "fan", with him even scratching the inside of her eye.
And just mere days before, a phone hit Bebe Rexha on stage after a "fan" lobbed it at her, leaving the singer with a nasty black eye and needing stitches.
But what could be causing these extreme outbursts? Senior therapist & relationship expert Sally Baker from Working On The Body has spoken exclusively to Mirror US about these attacks and what could be causing them.
Man who hit Bebe Rexha with a phone is arrested after singer injured on stage
Bebe was the first singer to be attacked while on-stage, with her getting a black eye as a result (Instagram)
Ava Max suffered an attack last night, just days after Bebe's shocking incident (PA)“Fandom, extreme fandom is kind of fuelled by social media these days,” Sally told Mirror US.
“There can be a growing expectation that there are no boundaries between fans, and the people that they adore [and] the people they go to concerts to watch, because they’re on social media all the time and it doesn’t feel like they’re separate people.
“And it makes some people feel entitled that they can do anything they want to these popstars, and even hurt them,” she added.
Sally then went on: “And you really wonder what leads to this behaviour,” before unpicking it more.
“It’s almost as if online trolling, being mean to people online, the whole thing that happens, has just gone up another level.
“And it’s really shocking post #MeToo and violence towards women and girls and what we’re trying to achieve with safety to women and girls, that two young women have been attacked in this way.”
An expert has now weighed in on the attacks (Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Senior therapist Sally thinks that 'extreme fandoms' could be the root cause (Getty Images)Sally then added that it’s “traumatising for them” when they’re performing on-stage and doing what they love.
"It's going to leave a scar on them," Sally added, before noting how it will leave both a physical and a mental scar.
"This is shades of PTSD and trauma here," she went on, adding: "They were performing and that's probably, for them, their safe place. The thing that they love to do most."
She then noted how it will "probably be a thing for them" going forward.
Bebe Rexha shares snaps of injury after being hit in the face with a phone
"So we've got a sense of entitlement that some fans feel, and we've also got the knowledge, and we know that this is true, that if you hurt someone publicly, or worse, or do something really terrible to someone in public, you can become famous in your own right."
Sally then added that we must see if wanting fame for themselves was of any kind of motivation for the attacks.
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