I love Taylor Swift. 1989 was one of the best reinvention albums in the last decade. I am in no way ashamed to admit I own every one of her albums. I credit her for my obsession with red lips. She is an incredibly talented writer. I want her wardrobe. She promotes the idea of #galpals. She let hundreds of fans into her own home, and even baked them cookies. But despite how much I love her, I still think Taylor Swift kind of sucks.
This has nothing to do with who she writes her songs about, or who she dated, or that she can’t sing, or any other illogical arguments as to why people hate her. The reasons I still have issues with Taylor lies in the fact that she still hasn’t outgrown her immaturity, as well as being a giant hypocrite. Let me explain.1. She genuinely thought Nicki Minaj was out to get her…and STILL didn’t learn from Nicki’s message.
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Remember the VMAs debacle this past summer? Nicki’s message was important in the dismantle of racism in the music industry. But, here comes Taylor, arguably the most influential celebrity in pop culture right now, making the entire issue about herself.
Nicki flat out told Taylor her tweets weren’t about her. Also, she explained to her that Taylor should speak on the issue, since Taylor has become the world’s biggest feminist™. Although Taylor apologized, I don’t think she understood what Nicki was trying to say. Granted, the Video of the Year nominations were pretty diverse, but the validity of what Nicki experiences as a black woman is not for Taylor to decide on.
2. Despite being labeled The World’s Most Famous Feminist™, Taylor still has issues with internalized misogyny.
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Taylor might be the queen of the #squadgoals, but the truth is, she can still be catty and petty.
“She's not a saint” / “And she's not what you think” / “She's an actress, whoa” / “She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress, whoa” / “Soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys on the playground won't make you many friends” / “She should keep in mind” / “She should keep in mind” / “There is nothing I do better than revenge”
Above are lyrics to her 2010 song “Better Than Revenge”, rumored to be about Camilla Belle after she and former Starbucks Lover, Joe Jonas started dating. Yeah, okay, she also allegedly wrote “Back To December” about him, too, but that does not excuse the message she’s trying to send to Camilla. To my knowledge, Taylor has yet to acknowledge how problematic the song is to her very impressionable teenage listeners. I had issues of internalized misogyny, too; however, Taylor was nearly 21 when this song released--most girls at that age have finally outgrown the idea that men are meant to be seen as competition.
The Taylor Swift™ brand of feminism uses very few buzzwords. Taylor capitalizes on her feminism to sell more albums. Of course, the industry is about churning out as much revenue as possible to remain relevant. However, if you're going to be a member of a movement for equality, you shouldn't place yourself above anyone else just because of your name.
3. For someone who consistently plays the victim, she certainly calls a lot of people out.
I understand the argument of her growth since 1989’s release, but she still manages to call out the victims of her wrath any chance she gets.
In a “Bad Blood” performance this summer, everyone’s favorite meme of 2015, “Left Shark” made a cameo. Taylor claims the song isn’t about Katy Perry, but the tea has already been spilled. Band-aids won’t fix that either, Tay...and Katy is just as responsible. To think, all this transpired over some backup dancers.
Should I even mention the 2013 Grammy’s? Yeah, I understand, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” was everyone’s closeted jam at this time--including mine. And yeah, I understand I am unhealthily in love with Harry Styles. ...But, it was completely unnecessary for her to call him out--in a terrible British accent, no less.
4. She is one of the most insincere people in pop culture. From taking her music off Spotify, to suing fans for making merch on Etsy, etc.
How am I expected to be a fan of someone when I’m terrified of them suing me for expressing my interest in them?
Earlier this year, Etsy had a major crackdown on its artists selling merch and fan-made items with Taylor Swift trademarks. Granted, Taylor isn’t the first to do this. Drake has opened lawsuits with Walgreens and Walmart, and Beyonce also threatened Etsy over a mug. However, Drake sued a billion dollar corporation, whose profits are much larger than a 16-year-old trying to make some money to buy a Naked palette, or even attend a Taylor Swift concert.
And as far as removing her music off Spotify, it was really selfish. Not everyone is capable of affording albums. As a student, I get Spotify premium for $5 a month. That’s a lot more reasonable than a $14.99 album I may listen to twice. In fact, it’s been proven that artists’ revenue is made up through ticket sales. Taylor said she did this for the “smaller artists,” but we know it’s about the money for her. As a fan, I begin to feel less connected to her, even though she goes on about how “normal” she is.
All right, rant over. I’ll still blast “Blank Space” in the shower, but I still believe in remaining critical of your favorite artists. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to push past this beef I have with Taylor Swift. Hopefully I’ll shake it off (Taylor Swift™ No copyright infringement intended. Property of TAS LLC Management 2014©).
