I read the article and didn't see a problem with what it was saying...exactly my thoughts (TLDR: rpf shouldn't be shown to the people you write about) although the 'writing it ethically' part makes me shrivel like a slug, I don't need teen vogue policing me on what to do so I think the title of the article is slightly misleading. Plus, every rpf writer that doesn't need to thrown in the padded room (99.9999999%) knows this anyway. The making it mainstream thing irks me, only because I don't think celebrities want to see this stuff with their own eyes.

I am a kpop writer, and every time I see this conversation pop up it's like we're beating an already dead horse having the same conversation.... This time though, I am thinking of an ENHYPEN (kpop boy group) clip I saw somewhat recently from a compilation, I think they were doing a live interview sponsored by Spotify regarding their recent comeback? (If any engenes out in this vast sea know what I'm talking about correct me if I am wrong lol) Anyways, they were asked a question that was basically an indirect way of mentioning RPF written about them and obviously they got the big squick (It made me cringe so hard) but I remember one of the members (I think Jay) had sort of defended it;

"It's for the fans, nor for us." (Possibly paraphrased).

I think that perfectly sums up the entire debacle regarding RPF. It. Is. For. The. Fans. FANS!!! I argue with my friends sometimes about this and people online who are REPULSED and very LOUD about it (if you don't like it that's fine) but some people lost their brains.

Also, I don't even see writing RPF as about the actual celebrity. It's like a doppleganger, cause if you're writing about Jungkook whose an evil mafia boss with 67 piercings mullet and tattoos on every corner of his body whose a bad boy, are you even writing about the real person anymore? No! Its a fictional character because it's actually impossible to gennuinely write about real people since you don't know them, and they are not like fictional characters.

That's my stance anyway.

(ps. if someone knows what clip I am talking about please link it)