First things first, I understand all of you. It's hard to not love a ten-time Grammy winning star; however, there is a lot more to this woman than just her decent songwriting and subpar vocal performances. Taylor Swift proudly identifies herself as a feminist, as shown below:
However, there is something extremely, pungently problematic about this. Taylor Swift's definition of feminism... is not quite the actual definition of feminism. She understands the tunnel vision, cursory view of equality. However, she does not take into account people other than herself and people in different situations than herself.
While I will acknowledge the fact that this woman is supporting a very excellent cause, at the same time, she is actually not supporting it at all. What Taylor Swift is exemplifying is: White Feminism. No, that is not a racial statement that I am making. White Feminism is feminism that only applies to white, thin, middle-upper class, cis women that disregard all other people. If you don't fit in that hole in the wall, you do not apply to this movement.
And now, I present to you her great feminist moments through her music. Taylor Swift says women should not pit women against women, because they have to stand up for each other. Which is GREAT! I am glad that she sees that. However, she seems to have forgotten that in many of her songs....With song lyrics like, "She's better known for the things that she does on the mattress," it becomes clear that Taylor Swift is fighting for herself, and herself only. (Side-note: She stole this concept from Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" music video). In another song, "Fifteen," Taylor discusses a friend, "Abigail gave everything she had to a boy, who changed his mind." What was her "everything?" Why is a woman's virginity her "everything?" This is a very problematic perpetuation of the myth that women have nothing to "offer up" other than their virginity. These are all wonderfully colorful examples of slut-shaming (a very white feminist topic). WHEN WILL THIS ALL END?Through all of this, Taylor Swift is not even doing a good job as a white feminist! If you are not a part of her #squad, you get kicked to the ground. What about celebrities actually using their platform to educate the world about feminism?
However, can we blame her? Taylor is a smart businesswoman. This is proven by her latest album, 1989, going multi-platinum and the success of her world tour. However, if she is going to proclaim herself to be a feminist, she should at least accurately represent.
If you are going to support this woman, at least acknowledge her problematic nature and behavior. And so I end this with some of Taylor's "great" moments.