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The Midwest Icarus?
The foretold rise & fall of the Midwest princess
In the last few days, popstar Chappell Roan appeared on the podcast Call Her Daddy where she had some… interesting things to say. Roan’s comments (multiple ones) garnered severe backlash. While her comments on motherhood seemed condonable for some, her comments on politics were grossly unforgiven. Is this the “fall” for this Midwest princess? To understand, we must first go back.
The Rise
While 2024 might’ve been brat summer, the moment until then undeniably Chappell Roan’s. While everyone was dolled up in pink fringe and cowboy hats for the Pink Pony Club, Roan skyrocketed to fame. Her Lady Liberty look will forever be iconic for this generation — as are the numbers she pulled for festivals like Lollapalooza. She emerged hot and cool and totally authentic, despite her pseudonym and wacky wardrobes (a nod to the art of drag). In an age of artists streamlining the cool girl popstar, Roan just hit different. Grief and anger and passion rolled into one with hits like “Femininomenon” and “Casual.” She wasn’t the next Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter, she was Chappell.