So we all have those artist that we fangirl over, and then are disappointed when they do something stupid (i.e. Bieber…still love him though). And if you know me, you know that I am a HUGE fan of Taylor Swift, and I have been since her curly hair teardrops on my guitar days. I find her music to be real and relatable and I love that she is confident and strong in the person she is. However, her new song “I Don’t Want To Live Forever” with Zayn, is a song that I cannot under any circumstances support. Now don’t get me wrong, it is a great song and the lyrics and tune are catchy. However, I am hesitant to even call it a great song because of the movie and story it supports.
For those of you who don’t know what soundtrack this song is from and instead just heard a new catchy song on the radio let me give you some important info. This song is for the “Fifty Shades Darker” soundtrack. Yes, you aren’t mistaken that is the sequel to “Fifty Shades of Grey”. Before you all go crazy on me because I even dare write about a movie with such a horrific storyline, let me tell you why this information is important. When an artist sings a song for a soundtrack, they are telling the world that they support what the movie is about. Whether the artist actually supports the movies ideals doesn’t matter, because if they agree to sing a song for it they are automatically supporting it. If you haven’t seen the first movie or read the books, which I haven’t and never plan to, let me tell want I learned from Focus on the Family’s Plugged In website. Basically, I learned that the male lead is relentless in securing a relationship with the women lead, but once he has this relationship, he is only interested in sex and not a true meaningful relationship. It is suggested that many of the things he does would be considered sexually abusive. I have a problem with everything I just wrote. I cannot believe I am able to tell you all that there is a movie (and many more than just this one) that support these things. It is absolutely horrible for people to get entertainment out of a real life problem that has ruined and shattered tons of women and men’s lives.
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I know that the creators of these movies may have had other intentions in bringing this story to light, but I don’t believe that they have successfully showed viewers that this is not something to look at as “not a big deal” or “just a movie.” These movies have romanticized the idea of a sexual predator. However, I have not seen the movies and have not talked to the author and director so I can never fully understand their intentions. However, this is how I see it from the side of a young girl seeing trailers on TV and hearing that one of my favorite artists is singing a song for the soundtrack.
Honestly, it’s devastating to know Taylor Swift would support a movie like this. According to what I’ve seen on her social media and in her speeches and interviews; she most definitely considers herself a feminist. Okay, so I think before I move on I should make one thing clear; I would not consider myself a feminist; however, there are certain aspects that as a woman of God I believe should be upheld. For example, no women should be treated in the way this male character treats women in these movies. Women should be treasured and not taken advantage of. I 100% believe that Taylor Swift would agree with my last two sentences, but her supporting this movie does not prove that to be true. I can’t seem to justify the fact that as a woman who is all about feminism; why is she so perfectly fine with supporting a movie that shows how a woman is weak and incapable of standing up for herself and saying no. This movie is glorifying a young woman being taken advantage of and even this song shows her weakness.
Therefore, I cannot support this song, even if I love Taylor Swift. I will not download it, I will turn the station when it comes on in the car, and I most definitely will not be watching this film. I still love my TaySway and will continue to support her as an artist, just not this specific song. I also want to point out that I know I am guilty of supporting songs with nasty messages that do not reflect my values. I mess up just like everyone else; none of us are perfect. I am by no means judging anyone for liking this song or any song for that matter. I just wanted to put the idea in your mind to think about what and who you are supporting when you download that song or keep it on that station. Because it is not “just a song.”
