'Stan' was added to the Oxford English Dictionary 17 years after Eminem's hit song
0
Beliebers have two things they can credit Eminem for today: Justin Bieber's current hairstyle and coining the term that helped usher in today's high organized and powerful fandom culture. Stan is now officially in the Oxford English Dictionary.
It's defined as, "An overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity." It can be used as a verb, too, as in, "I know Eminem is a rap god, but I really stan for Dido."
The term originated from Eminem's song, Stan, about a dangerously obsessed fan. It's since been softened and incorporated in the fandom vernacular to describe a particularly devoted fan of an artist. Members of Rihanna's Navy, the Bey Hive, Arianators, Directioners all self-identify as stans. Read more...
More about Fandom, Language, Dictionary, Eminem, and Culture