I Was A Taylor Swift Hater

This post was edited on 3/21/23 by lasagnalover1

While thinking about some of the most influential female artists of our time, names like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Ariana Grande come to my mind. But along with their incredible careers and massive successes, I can’t help but think about their criticisms and animosity, mostly because I used to be one of those critics.

Sadly, I used to be a Taylor Swift hater. If you were to ask me “why?”, I would give the same generic answer, that all she does is write about her exes and men (as everyone who dislikes her would probably say). Overall, I thought she was just not worth the hype. The funny thing is, this is before I actually even listened to her music. I was simply a hater by association. I hated her because that was the popular opinion, especially the popular opinion with men.

While I didn’t understand this at the time, it’s clear to me now that my animosity toward Taylor was a direct result of my own internalized misogyny. Internalized misogyny happens “when women subconsciously project sexist ideas onto other women and even onto themselves”, according to University of Missouri – Kansas City.

“We have many preconceived notions about how a woman should exist that stem from societal expectations and gender norms. It is important to be conscious of this, and to be conscious of your thoughts and ideas not only about other women but also in regards to yourself”

University of Missouri – Kansas City

But after listening to All Too Well (10 Minute Version), I realized she is well indeed worth the hype, and All Too Well actually became my most streamed song on my Spotify Wrapped for 2022 (coming in at 105 times, a total of 1,050 minutes if anyone was wondering). This led me into a deep dive into all of her music, and while I was fascinated about how amazing it was, I was also upset with how much of her music I’ve neglected over the years. So with knowing how I was before, I’ve come to question why I was like this. Why did I go so blindly into hating her, and conforming to what many in the media wanted me to think about her? Again, the simple answer to this is internalized misogyny.

i love pretending to be shocked when i see someone who fights against misogyny and is a “feminist” but the moment Taylor Swift is included they attack her and imply she will be the exception and become misogynistic

— Mack ♡ ! (@itsmackiex) January 24, 2023

Back then, I would have never admitted to this. I disliked her because she dated multiple men and sang about her ex-boyfriends. So what? Why was I mad about another women’s success when making incredible music about her own experiences? I truly believe that this speaks to the internalized misogyny that younger girls feel, especially because I was not aware that I was like this. And I wasn’t outwardly taught to hate her, but it’s what I consumed through the media and from other male friends. I think that it made me feel like I was better than Taylor Swift fans, that it made me unique not to like her.

The internalized misogyny that many young women experience also tells us how misogyny as a whole plays a part in our society. I believe that the media takes advantage of younger undeveloped minds (whether intentionally or not), and promotes these misogynistic views to shame successful women like Taylor Swift. A major reason why I believe this is because Taylor is essentially calling these men out and putting them in an uncomfortable position, so in return they retaliate against her and shame her for creating music from her own experiences. By writing songs about men and their flaws or wrongdoings, she is seen as a threat to a male-dominated society, thus creating backlash and hatred that many young people will see and consume through the media.

@iheartradioca

Taylor Swift and her fans are calling out the show Ginny & Georgia. #taylorswift #ginnyandgeorgia #musicnews

♬ original sound – iHeartRadio Canada

As I’ve aged, these realizations about my own internalized misogyny have become abundantly clear. I’d like to believe that I’ve become less of a critic and more impartial, especially to other successful women like Taylor Swift who have given me no reason to dislike them. But I don’t think I would have been able to come to these conclusions on my own four years ago. This especially emphasizes the importance of educating young girls about misogyny and how it could blindly affect your beliefs.