Look, it’s far from a compliment
@Dave Benett/Getty Images for Perfect Magazine
After dropping a new album and announcing a tour, Lily Allen has well and truly returned to the music scene with West End Girl.
Largely thought to be a breakup album based on her marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour – with the singer describing it as a blend of ‘fact and fiction’ – West End Girl has fast become one of this year’s top albums. Alongside bops like ‘Tennis’ and ‘Ruminating,’ the 14 tracks have also left fans with more than one question. Just what is the dojo she sings about on ‘Pussy Palace’? Who really is Madeline? And what exactly is a 4chan Stan?
On the track titled ‘4chan Stan,’ Lily sings about finding receipts in her lover’s bedside drawer for gifts that weren’t given to her. Asking him about the other woman in his life, Lily asks, ‘Why don’t you tell me what her name is? This is outrageous/ What, is she famous?’
Jumping into the chorus, Lily then unleashes what could be the cruellest insult to date: ‘What a sad, sad man/ It’s giving 4chan stan.’
Understandably, it’s a song that’s left some listeners confused. ‘Guys, someone help me. What is a 4chan stan?’ asked one fan on Instagram Threads. ‘I just found out what “Stan” means, and i’ll never use the world again’ another wrote.
In the spirit of West End Girl, let’s unpick…
So, what does ‘4chan Stan’ mean?
Before jumping into 4chan, let’s address the easy one. The word ‘stan’ is a combination of the words ‘stalker’ and ‘fan’. Largely based on Eminem’s 2000 song ‘Stan’ about an obsessed fan, it usually describes someone who is extremely devoted to someone or something.
In Gen Z lexicon, being a ‘stan’ isn’t a necessarily a bad thing. It’s often used to describe a positive obsession with someone or something – ‘I’m a huge Taylor Swift stan’ or ‘We stan a feminist film’. Combine it with 4chan, however, and it’s not quite as fun.
Now let’s get into 4chan. Gaining popularity in 2011, 4chan is an online forum, famous for its less moderated imageboard. The premise isn’t too dissimilar to Reddit, but while Reddit requires users to create an account to post, 4chan is known for being much more anonymous.
And with anonymity comes antagonism. Alongside popular internet memes and online ‘hacktivism,’ 4chan has also been linked to some more extremist and controversial content, including Red Pill and incel groups. It’s not a platform intended to be used by these communities, but it’s a platform where certain communities have thrived.
In one study done earlier this year, platforms such as 4chan were described as a ‘breeding ground for extreme ideologies’. 11.2% of posts contained hate speech, with sexism found in 12% of hateful posts.
Another study on 4chan from King’s College London spoke of ‘escalating concern across national governments about the rise of far-right extremism’. They also issued a warning to readers, noting ‘Some of the content we reproduce from 4chan is extremely offensive and can be classified as hate speech.’
In April of this year, The New Yorker also published a piece on 4chan’s less savoury content, writing, ‘Illicit material was never hard to find on the internet, but 4chan served as an early hub – or “dumping ground” might be more apt. The site was inundated with pornography, pirated files, and uncensored screeds about dating or politics.’
So combining ‘4chan’ and ‘stan’, it seems Lily is saying the man in her song is giving vibes of a man obsessed with 4chan (and perhaps it’s more nefarious content). If one thing’s certain, it’s far from a compliment…
Charlotte Roberts is a writer at Grazia UK, specialising in SEO. She spends her days covering everything celebrity, culture, and entertainment – from film review roundups to cast explainers.
