“I decided I’m going to build myself off of being a messy, campy, raunchy, thrift-store pop star. I created a world…and people showed the hell up.” – Chappell Roan
Chappell Roan has quickly risen to fame as a pop culture “femininomenon,” becoming an instant icon in the process. In just over a year, her influence on beauty, fashion, and the LGBTQ+ community has solidified that cultural icon status. Her unconventional beauty aesthetic is bold, theatrical, and campy, blending elements of Brooklyn, drag, and ‘80s glam — all while embracing her queer identity. Chappell Roan has changed the way we look at musicians, makeup, and media and what we expect from our celebrities, especially young women.
Roan is often celebrated as a feminist icon, with her music and stage persona consistently touching on themes of selflove, independence, and resistance against societal norms, particularly those related to gender and sexuality. Her music and performances are characterized by an unapologetic embrace of individuality and self-expression. Her fashion choices, makeup, and performance style challenge gender roles and beauty standards, inspiring others to reject societal pressures and embrace their own identities.
Roan’s songs explore themes of queer love, liberation, and the complexities of navigating a world that frequently marginalizes LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly women. Tracks like Red Wine Supernova and Pink Pony Club celebrate queer freedom while challenging societal norms. In Good Luck Babe! she examines compulsory heterosexuality, highlighting societal pressures on women and queer women to conform to heteronormative expectations. Through her embrace of drag and camp culture, both on and off stage, Roan reclaims these art forms, creating space for queer individuals, to celebrate their identities. At a moment in our history when female-focused queer spaces are disappearing, and women’s rights and LQBTQ+ rights are under attack, these public stances and the example that she sets for people to stand up and stand out are crucial.
An air of mystery surrounds the real life of the 27-year-old. Born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz in Willard, Missouri, Internet sleuths know relatively little about her upbringing, and the creation of her pop star identity reveals the intentionality behind that mystery. What we know is that Roan is self-made and self-defined. She was raised in a trailer park in Missouri and had a conservative Christian upbringing. Although the artist has only recently appeared on the pop-music radar, Roan’s “overnight success” actually took nearly a decade to develop, involving continuous writing, recording, and touring.
From being dropped by her record label to her current success, Roan’s journey exemplifies resilience and determination, inspiring others to pursue their dreams. She began her music career by uploading cover songs to YouTube and was signed by a record label at 17. After her debut EP, “School Nights,” failed commercially, she was dropped. She reinvented herself with the stage name Chappell Roan, in honor of her late grandfather, Dennis Chappell, and his favorite song, “The Strawberry Roan.” She became an independent artist, cultivating a fanbase and ultimately signing with Island Records to release her debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” in 2023.
Rebranding as Chappell Roan also allowed the aspiring star to create a more confident on-stage identity. This separation helped to inform her maximalist aesthetic and allowed more creative visual freedom. “Makeup really inspired my entire project and my journey to where I am today,” Roan wrote in a recent Instagram post. Andrew Dahling, Roan’s makeup artist for many of her major moments, emphasizes the creativity and larger-than-life nature of her makeup, describing it as a way to create a “superstar version” of herself. Her influence on makeup trends has been huge. Her ‘80s prom-meets-drag look for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, designed by makeup artist Sterling Tull, is regarded as one of the most iconic makeup styles of the last decade, frequently replicated by both fans and beauty pros. The look featured skinny brows, bold blue eyeshadow, and lipstick intentionally applied to her teeth.
While her appearance might be considered campy, her commitment to her communities and her natural inclination to stand up for what she believes in is inspiring. The singer has been vocal about the importance of better healthcare and mental health support for artists. She launched the We Got You campaign with the nonprofit Backline Care, aiming to support artists’ access to healthcare. She supports The Trevor Project, a national organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth. She also supports The GLO Center in Missouri, which serves the LGBTQ+ community. She has raised funds for For The Gworls, a charity that helps Black trans people with rent, gender-affirming surgeries, and more.
Chappell Roan is considered an icon for her unapologetic embrace of her identity, her unique musical style, and her genuine, relatable persona, which resonates with both LGBTQ+ and mainstream audiences, inspiring a new era of queer representation in pop culture. In her song Pink Pony Club, Roan sings, “Oh mama, I’m just having fun on the stage in my heels. It’s where I belong.” The world could not agree more; we are lucky to have this Red Wine Supernova illuminating and inspiring us all.
Words James Vincent
Illustration David Gilmore
