In the span of a week, a viral concert interaction has made a teenage Billie Eilish fan the most famous red-bandanna girl since Rosie the Riveter. At Eilish’s October 9 concert in Miami, a man grabbed at Eilish from the barricade, pulling her into the crowd. While security physically handled the situation, the internet latched on to a young woman wearing a red headscarf who followed to verbally reprimand him.
Eilish’s supporters have reason to be protective. Like many A-list artists in the age of Chappell Roan, she’s tried to assert boundaries as a public figure over the course of her career — sharing her desire for the internet to discuss her body and relationships less, criticizing “invasive” paparazzi, and even being granted a five-year restraining order against a stalker. Overnight, “Red Bandanna Girl” has become, yes, a meme but also a symbol for fans’ outspoken defense of their idols. “I know that you have my back,” Eilish told the crowd during a recent show. “And you just prove it to me over and over.”
At a subsequent Miami show, during a speech that many fans felt was inspired by Saint-Surin, Eilish thanked her fans for their support. “I know that you have my back, and you just prove it to me over and over,” she said. “It just means so much to me. The way that you guys protect me and care about me is so, so special, and I feel exactly the same way about you.”
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How did fans react?
Although Saint-Surin said she was initially worried about being perceived as an “angry Black woman,” Eilish fans rewarded her for her reaction. In less than a week, Saint-Surin has gained more than 660,000 followers on TikTok, many of whom thanked her in the comments for confronting the offender. In the immediate aftermath, she had fans bowing to her in person. At the Orlando stop of the tour on October 14, multiple fans paid tribute by wearing red bandannas.
Meanwhile, the phrase has entered the vernacular of other fandoms with “red-bandanna-girl energy” and, in response to Tate McRae being pulled by a fan, “i’ll red bandana girl the f–k outta you.”
