- Kelly Clarkson was utterly starstruck after spying Meryl Streep at Golden Globes
- Fans on Twitter said the 35-year-old singer was a ‘stan’ – ‘a blend of stalker/fan’
- The trendy word is one of a crop of new social media terms cropping up
- But many admitted they were clueless – and begged for explanation
- Other social media words foxing over 30s include ‘Worldie’ ‘Woke’ ‘Lit’ and ‘Ship’
When Kelly Clarkson fawned over Meryl Streep at the Golden Globes on Sunday evening in Los Angeles, the American Idol singer was quickly – and affectionately – branded a ‘stan’ on Twitter.
While thousands on social media re-tweeted and liked the observation, one brave soul admitted that they that had absolutely no clue what the term – ‘a blend of stalking and fan’ – means.
And they sparked an avalanche; as others quickly responded also begging for explanation as to what the term meant.
Kelly Clarkson’s such a ‘stan’ declared Twitter after her enthusiastic accosting of Meryl Streep at the Golden Globes…but, one by one, people admitted they were clueless as to what the word actually meant
‘Oh my god!’: Kelly Clarkson had a serious fangirl moment on Sunday night as she spotted Meryl Streep on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles
Meeting an icon: The Breakaway singer finally summoned the courage to walk over and meet the Devil Wears Prada star
The debate over the word, which is thought to have first originated with Enimen’s 2000 song of the same name – about an obsessive love affair.
At Sunday’s Golden Globes, Kelly Clarkson’s jaw dropped when she spotted Meryl Streep in the distance as she chatted to Ryan Seacrest.
Wide-eyed, the chart-topping singer marched straight over and made her adoration clear, with a delighted-looking Meryl patting her face and offering a hug.
Clarkson was quickly branded a ‘stan’ on Twitter, and many applauded the starstruck 35-year-old for tracking down her idol without shame.
@Clement_Grosset, glimpsing the images, wrote: ‘That’s why we STAN’ while @badgalmartini penned: ‘Bless Kelly Clarkson. I stan her.’
@naomirowan_blog posted: ‘What does ‘stan’ mean. Previously I had only known it as a name, but I’ve seen it used in sentences more and more, and I’ve finally snapped. I NEED TO KNOW!’
@LunaMemegood ‘What does stan even mean? I can’t keep up with you kids and your fancy fashionable wordy words.’
@AFROJrod added: ‘Hello, millennial here that doesn’t keep up with the times. What does Stan mean?’
When it comes to words beloved by the under 30s, stan is just the tip of the iceberg with a whole raft of bemusing terms seemingly ever-generating.