Think of some of the most popular and influential women in celebrity universe today, and probably Taylor Swift comes to mind. While I personally can’t stand the woman, I do have to give her props for working so hard and using super clever marketing and advertising techniques to make herself critical to the tween, teen world of music consumption. After all, if someone’s not singing about a broken heart or not belonging to a popular clique at school, then who do teenage girls look to as a role model?? While I’m not a saint and I was there once (so I get this whole singing about journal entries I wrote when I was thirteen thing) I now have one more reason to dislike Taylor Swift. She can’t even define feminism.
Check this out, when asked if she was a feminist by Newsweek, Swift, replied that “I don’t really think about things as guys versus girls. I never have. I was raised by parents who brought me up to think if you work as hard as guys, you can go far in life.” Couple problems right off the bat…
First, she instantly establishes that feminism is “guys versus girls”, “men versus women”. The good old competition of the sexes. Feminists have worked so hard to undermine this myth, to make sure people understand feminism is about so much more, like equal pay, no glass ceilings, reproductive freedom and ending domestic violence, to name just a very few reasons. Feminism is not a bunch of women who are jealous of men and want to get even or compete just because, nor are the two sexes complete opposites who can never interrelate.
Secondly, she perpetuates this myth of the American Dream that I find to be so problematic, particularly in this context. Yes, people can get ahead by working hard and they can make their dream a realization by never sleeping, but not all people. Why? Because of systemic oppression that literally makes it almost impossible to either leave a socio-economic class or advance. For some women, the reality is that they will never achieve that upper-level job because of a glass ceiling enforced by sexism. Some people in America are so busy trying to make ends meet and provide for a family ( hello, single mothers) that they have had to drop out of school and take terrible jobs because maternity laws suck or they won’t be hired because they either have or might have children. Congratulations to Taylor Swift for making it, but she also had a giant backpack full of privileged advantages that many do not have access to.
But finally, what kills me the most about this statement is that Taylor Swift, like it or not, has so.much.influence. So much. She could have said something that would have cleared up so many myths about feminism, hell, she didn’t even have to identify as a feminist. I would have been fine with that. It would have been better than her leading to even more confusion for young women about what feminism is. Swift is hardly the first to do so however, Beyonce sends so many mixed messages with her “feminist” music and statements about wanting to empower women, but her hyper-sexualized and super con formative image send a different message about being a woman. I love this list of “Celebrities who want you to know they aren’t feminists.” . It’s annoying and sad. But there is hope.
Some celebrities are feminists and are actually working hard to clear up misconceptions, I found a list here. What do I want you to take away from this? I don’t like Taylor Swift ( oh and by the way, neither does Jezebel…. )
ShoutOut! James Madison University 
Hey! First of all, let me start by saying that, as a JMU alum and feminist, I read and love ShoutOut. And I really do appreciate the commentary on the influence of female pop stars. That being said, I take issue with this post on several accounts.
1. Although this is a blog, it’s my opinion that when discussing feminism (and other hot topics) it’s important to have a gentle tone. Anger and irritation are completely justified and legitimate things to express, but sarcasm and flippancy (which I find present in this post) are off-putting. In a personal context, no one should be able to tell you how to or how not to speak, but in the context of trying to educate or get a point across (which is the kind of blog I’ve always found this to be), I think it’s important to strive for an even, inoffensive tone. Sarcasm or overt annoyance kind of cuts off discourse and limits the opportunity for growth.
2. It’s okay to not be a fan of Taylor Swift’s music, I get that. Everyone’s entitled to different kinds of music. But Taylor Swift’s lyrics are not just about popularity and puppy love. It’s not unusual for people to pass judgement on the value of music if it’s something that they don’t personally like, but lack of personal preference doesn’t negate the ultimate value of something (or someone) on the whole.
That being said, it’s reductive to assert that Swift’s lyrics are solely about popularity and broken hearts, and I’m not asking you to listen to Taylor Swift’s music if it’s not your taste, but making a statement like that immediately discredits some of what you have to say. Taylor Swift writes about a MYRIAD of topics, including heart break and feeling like an outsider. (My current favorite: “22” from her new album).
3. Swift’s answer, in my opinion, was a good one. Not at all the best one, but here’s my line of thinking: Let’s presume that Swift is not a practiced feminist, which is totally fine! We can’t hate someone for not having been exposed to feminism or feminist academics. What is a very common, and not altogether inaccurate, understanding of feminism is that it is the fight women make against patriarchal systems of healthcare, politics, and family structures. Even from what might be a relatively narrow understanding of the concept, Swift is saying that she was brought up by her family to not see men as the enemy, to see herself as just as worthy of success and happiness. (I will concede that her answer may have, in a round about way, made it seem like feminists think men are the enemies of female success. Which isn’t cool.)
But it could be a lot worse. Was it the world’s most astute or well thought out answer? Again, no. But she was responding on the spot to a question by an interviewer, not making a prepared statement on her views of feminism. So if her influence on a young girl is to make her say “Yeah, I don’t really see a competition between me and the guys out there. I’m just as worthy as they are,” then it could be a lot worse.
Also, I think it’s important to note that unlike so many other celebrities her age or younger, Taylor Swift has never been in the public eye for an eating disorder or drug problem or alcohol issue. All I see is a private girl, writing songs that other people can relate to, being honest with the press, and working her butt off. To me, being respectful, showing up when you’re supposed to show up, being grateful, being true to your fans and yourself…I’m happy that girls (and boys, and adults) see her as someone to emulate.
4. I think that as feminists, we need to focus on educating instead of hating. Disliking is fine, and people telling us that we have to be cheery and forgiving all the time is an issue. But real change is about education, not anger. Perhaps a more productive thing to do than sound off on this blog about being irritated at Taylor Swift (although by all means, sound off to your friends!) is write an open letter to Swift and fans of Swift explaining the opportunity she has to influence young women, and perhaps clarifying some of the nuances of feminism.
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I certainly appreciate your support of the blog and I know that I speak for all the other authors here when I say we always appreciate dialogue and reader feedback! That being said I do feel that I need to defend certain points of my article that you took offense with.
While I certainly am sarcastic, as my penname might indicate, I strive to ensure that I am never sarcastic to the point that I might be offsetting or shut down dialogue. I certainly did not write this point with a sense of anger towards Taylor Swift. I did not intend not do I derive anger from my post or tone, but then again, it can be hard to always anticipate how one might come across.
I am frustrated with Taylor Swift and celebrities who have also given such murky and unclear answers on the issue of feminism and I wished to express that frustration. As I argue in my post, Taylor Swift had an amazing opportunity here and if she had wished to say “I’m not a feminist”, that would have been fine with me. Truly. What I did and do take issue with is how her answer does forward common misunderstandings about feminism, which is compounded into a more frustrating situation for me given her massive amount of influence among young women, and men as well.
I do recognize that Taylor Swift sings about many issues besides heartbreak, crushes, etc but I will also maintain that her primary market , her niche if you will, is singing songs about heartbreak, crushes, rejection, etc. She is good at what she does but it it not my cup of tea and I don’t think that making a statement about the vast majority of her songs is at all reductive. I have personally sat and listened to many of them and while there is some variety, I don’t think I’m entirely off base here. That being said, this is my personal opinion and anyone may take issue with that or decide that they do like her music. No problem. The heart of my post is that women in places of such influence need to be more aware of how they are going to deal with questions of feminism, which are inevitably asked.
Taylor Swift is a nice young woman and I respect what she does. I was “hating” (if we must call it that) on her answer, not her. Swift is a clever, talented songwriter who markets herself well and has been incredibly popular.I just wish she’d answered her question in a more productive way. And as for an open letter, it’s a great idea, just not one that I had at the time of writing this post! Thank you for your feedback!
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Personally, I’ve never been that big of a fan with Taylor Swift’s music (not Taylor Swift herself) but not for any of the reasons listed above. For me, I’ve always found her songs off-putting because of the lyrics I have heard. I admit that I’m not familiar with all of her songs (I’m sure not all of her songs are like this) and so my opinion on the matter is limited but I still find them troubling.
The first song that comes to mind is “You Belong With Me”. The song which seems to try and come across as “just be yourself” ends up stirring up an endless amount of slut-shaming. Her issues with the girlfriend are petty and shallow — the song opens up with the girlfriend upset about something the boy said and Taylor dismisses her emotions by saying “She doesn’t get your humor like I do”. As well, she sings “But she wears short skirts/I wear t-shirts/She’s cheer captain/And I’m on the bleachers” — in this, Taylor is blatantly comparing herself to another (clearly more sexualized) girl and declaring herself morally superior.
And then there’s her song “Better Than Revenge”. For one thing, the song focuses around the stereotypical “other woman” who “steals” Taylor’s boyfriend. She doesn’t seem to acknowledge that such an affair takes two to consummate and so rather than acknowledging that maybe the boyfriend wasn’t all that worth it, she focuses her anger and hatred on the other girl. And let’s not even get into how she acts as thought her boyfriend was her property when she actually sings the words “stealing” in reference to the situation. I also find this song somewhat ironic, as it seems almost as if Taylor is singing from the perspective of The Girlfriend in “You Belong With Me” but, as typical with her songs, she is the morally superior and the other woman is in the wrong. Now this song is FULL of slut-shaming. There is literally a line where she sings “She’s better known/For the things she does/On the mattress” — implying that this other girl has no inherent worth because of her sexual history. Taylor again judges herself as the better, as she accuses the other girl of not being a Saint and that “no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity”.
I take a few issues with her song “Picture to Burn” as well. The fact that the album version has a line where she sings “I’ll tell [my friends] that you’re gay” as an act of revenge to her ex-boyfriend is appalling.
Now I hear she’s released a new album and I’m hoping that with age she’s matured and started to move away from all of the slut shaming tropes I pointed out.
Look, Taylor Swift’s music is catchy and she clearly has some talent. As well, she’s found a niche audience of young women who admire her and listen to her music. It’s mostly for that reason that I have such a huge problem with her songs — she should be using her talent and fame to reach out to the girls listening to her songs to discourage such thinking. Since she clearly says that she hates the idea of “girls vs guys” I’d hope that she would, as well, hate the idea of “girl vs girl”. However, her songs seem to constantly be perpetuating this idea of competition between our gender which is a terrible message to be sharing. She should be empowering young girls to be proud of themselves without having to step on anyone else. I’m hoping she’ll come that realization on her own and move her music in a better direction that young girls can emulate proudly and without any vindictiveness.
(Sorry for such a long comment!)
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