Fake pop stars, real lessons

Swarm shows where the fictional idol trope truly belongs: in horror. vox.com/culture CULTURE   I’m a longtime fan of fiction that deals with public figures. In fandom, there’s a whole form known as “real person fiction” that often seeks to imagine what the lives of celebrities and other public figures are like behind the scenes. Such fiction typically explores this interplay between the figure, her persona, and the public’s consumption of that persona. It’s not always pretty, but it’s always fascinating. Ari Saperstein’s piece on [the cultural treatment of pop princesses]( understands the fascination but also the dehumanization that can attach to a pop idol. Building on Amazon Prime’s Swarm and its close study of Beyoncé and her fandom, Saperstein traces the trajectory of female pop stars in the media, and the flawed portrayals that too often uphold an untenable image of these women as unknowable, purely sexualized divas. Saperstein outlines Swarm’s inversion of that pattern, and how the troubled fan at its center stands in for an entire culture’s projection onto the star of desire, fantasy, and resentment. The result? Placing the fictional pop star in the genre where she “clearly belonged all along: horror.” —[Aja Romano](, culture writer What fake pop stars say about our real world [Ni’jah, the fake Beyonce of Swarm]( Amazon Studios The new Amazon Prime series Swarm starts with a familiar disclaimer turned on its head: “This is not a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.” First and foremost, it’s a nod to one Mrs. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter and her Swarm doppelganger Ni’jah. Everything about Ni’jah is a [thinly veiled allusion]( to Beyoncé — from her [glittery bodysuits]( to [familial elevator fights]( to [surprise album drops](, the similarities are endless. But the disclaimer goes beyond just the singer, referring also to the world that revolves around her. Ni’jah has a devoted BeyHive fan base that calls her Queen BeyBee and floods social media to discuss every morsel of information about her. In depicting not just celebrity, but the cult of celebrity, Swarm has started to figure out how to portray a figure that’s long been misunderstood and misrepresented by TV & film: the Fake Pop Star. We all know the Fake Pop Star. You’ve seen her in The Bodyguard, A Star Is Born, Get Him To the Greek, and plenty more. Every story about the Fake Pop Star tries to use her as a vessel to say something shrewd and insightful about culture. Instead, they become unintentional time capsules for our limited and misguided perception of pop stars. Swarm boldly goes where no Fake Pop Star has gone before by looking at the archetype through the lens of a deranged super fan named Dre. Part dark satire, part psychological thriller, Swarm embraces the truth about real pop stars we’ve been reckoning with over the past few years: that fame, fandom, and pop stardom is scary shit. All too often, the Fake Pop Star gets played for laughs; Swarm aims for — and gets — gasps. But to truly appreciate what makes Swarm so distinct in its depiction of a Fake Pop Star, you have to first understand the trappings and troubled history that plagued the Fake Pop Stars who came before. [Read the full story »](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Trans people deserve better journalism How the anti-trans movement took over legacy media. [Read the full story »]( What the new D&D movie gets — and misses — about the game The real treasure was the friends we made along the way (but actually). [Read the full story »](   Support our work We aim to explain what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters. Support our mission by making a gift today. [Give](   More good stuff to read today - [Your phone is ruining your vacation]( - [On Yellowjackets, teen girl friendship hurts like cannibalism]( - [9 easy ways to make your life a little better]( - [The 2023 Forbes billionaire ranking: Crypto down, sports up]( - [The taunt that eclipsed the NCAA women's basketball championship, explained]( - [Passport wait times are up. Here's what you need to get one.](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=culture). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.