As an actor, Mia Goth is synonymous with horror. She's widely celebrated for her memorable – not to mention meme-able – performances in provocative projects such as Pearl, X, and Suspiria, while her eccentric off-screen persona has won her fans from all corners of the internet. However, there are serious cracks showing in this once-unified fanbase.
Last week, reports emerged that background actor James Hunter is suing Goth for allegedly kicking him in the head while filming a scene together in April 2023 (per Variety). Hunter claims that he suffered a concussion after Goth kicked him while filming the A24 sequel MaXXXine. In the lawsuit, Hunter reportedly alleges that Goth “taunted, mocked and belittled” him after he complained about her behaviour. Goth has yet to publicly respond to these allegations.
A sub-section of Goth's fanbase responded to the allegations with one word: “Mother”. Unless you've been enjoying a digital detox, you've probably noticed that this word – along with variations of “serving”, “slay”, and “cunt” – is enjoying a rebirth across social media. Over on X (formerly Twitter), “Mother” is one of the greatest honours that can be bestowed on famous women. Just ask Ayo Edebiri, Quinta Brunson, and Gillian Anderson.
All in all, it's a bit of harmless fun. But what happens when – as is the case for Mia Goth – “Mother” is accused of assault?
As the allegations against Goth made the rounds on X, the divisions within her fanbase became stark. One X user wrote, “I don’t care if Mia Goth kicked that person on set… that’s mother,” while another said, “How you let Mia Goth bully you LMAOO that’s mother idc”, and one added, “Boo hoo Mia Goth will always be mother.”
Meanwhile, others expressed their disgust at the way this language was being used to trivialise allegations of assault. One X user wrote, “Mia Goth allegedly assaulted a worker and you see people making jokes and calling her mother… stan culture and parasocial relationships have your brains cooked,” another added, “I’m such a Mia Goth fan but saying she’s mother for [allegedly] kicking someone in the head is chronically online behaviour” while one wrote, “The way some people immediately are calling Mia Goth “mother” and dismissing his battery assault case is not cute or funny btw.”
We all know that fandom – or ‘stan-dom’ – can easily veer from the realm of reality. Remember all the abuse levelled at Olivia Wilde after she dared to date Harry Styles? Or when ‘fans’ tried to hold Jenna Ortega responsible for her co-star's alleged behaviour? And don't get us started on the needless speculation about Taylor Swift's sexuality.
Things tend to get iffy when fans view parasocial relationships with celebrities as actual relationships. As Dr Louie D. Valencia, Associate Professor of Digital History at Texas State University, told GLAMOUR: “We weren't really created to be thinking about strangers on the other end of the planet – who we've never met and who we see as somehow connected to our lives.”
Dr Kadian Pow, a Sociology and Black Studies lecturer at Birmingham City University, further reflects on this dynamic, noting that we “consume celebrities not just from a simple enjoyment or entertainment level [but] on a consumptive level where they are almost a part of our identities […] we need them to represent everything that we identify with.” And what happens when these celebrities diverge from our perceptions of them? “We have to find a way to realign what they mean to us to fit with what we want them to mean to us.”
So where does “Mother” come into all this? Dr Kadian notes that this phraseology – often attributed to gay men – is firmly rooted in the Black and Latino Ballroom scene in New York City, particularly how queer people would refer to “feminine icons that inspire their drag, aesthetic and their embrace of femininity.” However, thanks to a number of factors (RuPaul's Drag Race, for one), this language has entered the mainstream lexicon and is used by anyone – regardless of their sexuality.
For the most part, this is no bad thing. But as Dr Kadian points out, “People can also use that language to kind of dismiss more serious allegations.” Moreover, X has an “identity of extremely smart, quick-minded, funny and vicious people” for whom “words are their art form”. She continues, “No matter what positive thing you can see on TikTok or Instagram or whatever, bring it to Twitter, and they will find a way to destroy it because that is part of the culture of that particular platform.”
The problematic fan response to the allegations against Mia Goth also highlights society's general discomfort with the idea that women – especially women we like – can be abusers. “So often, women are in the place of a victim,” Dr Kadian explains. Fans are so used to women being “the bearers of wrongdoings of men” that “they find a way to see them as being in the right or to dismiss [the allegations] or ameliorate the wrongdoing.”
Clearly, the problematic online response to the Mia Goth allegations is rooted in stan culture, whether it's out-of-control parasocial relationships, the cattiness required to go viral on X, or the dearth of language for talking about our faves. And yep, we're scared.
GLAMOUR has reached out to a rep for Mia Goth. This feature will be kept updated.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
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