In 2000, Eminem’s mega hit “Stan” chronicled the actions of a crazed, obsessed fan who imitated the rapper’s every waking move until his disastrous death. The song’s title became a buzzword used for anyone who exhibited traits of an irrational follower of any public figure, especially musicians and athletes. But now, thanks to the Oxford Dictionary, “stan” isn’t just a facet of pop culture, as the word was just officially recognized and added to their database.
The new dictionary definition describes the word as “an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity.” Their examples include “he has millions of stans who are obsessed with him and call him a rap god” for its use as a noun and “y’all know I stan for Katy Perry, so I was excited to see the artwork for her upcoming album” for its use as a verb. Now, at least the dictionary recognizes the point of the enormous Kanye West shrine in your bedroom closet. If only the same could be said of your parents.
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