As an avid Taylor Swift fan, it’s not uncommon for me to get negative comments about being a fan of the Grammy Award-winning singer. From the public making jokes that she only sings about her many breakups to producers and other singers discrediting her work, “Swifties” have really heard it all. But why does Swift face such controversy when many other singers don’t? She is often ridiculed for being annoying or dramatic by listeners and celebrities alike. So what is everyone’s issue with her? The truth is, Taylor isn’t the problem — we are. The media and other patriarchal stereotypes have made people hate Taylor Swift for no reason.
Swift is often criticized for her early lyrics surrounding boys and romance, and she is accused of being a serial dater. But Jake Gyllenhaal, one of her ex-boyfriends, has had the same number of relationships that Swift has had, yet he is never criticized for it. Instead, he is complimented for being an amazing actor. Swift has been in a long-term relationship for years now, but is still tied down to her past.
Furthermore, Swift is called “boy crazy” for often writing about romance, even though artists like Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran sing about similar topics, which Swift has mentioned in interviews. While her earlier lyrics did involve romance, Swift was thrown into the spotlight at a very young age, and several of her relationships were with older male stars. This power imbalance led to many heartbreaking songs like “Dear John” and “All Too Well.” Why should we blame a young girl for speaking out about the pain and toxicity she was dealing with? Male vocalists are allowed to write pieces criticizing their exes but Swift is not. These are all prime examples of how sexism has played a part in Swift’s image — we hate Taylor Swift for the same reasons we love male celebrities.
Some hatred for Swift stems from the infamous interactions with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. After publicly shaming Swift onstage due to her winning an award he believed should have gone to Beyoncé, West wrote song lyrics sexualizing her in his song “Famous.” He sings, “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that bitch famous.” This is obviously gross and crass. The music video included naked silhouettes of Swift, and the campaign that went along with the video’s release painted her out to be the perpetrator of the situation. Instead of rallying to her side, people attacked her even more. #TaylorSwiftisOverParty trended on Twitter for days, all because of an award, a song and writing credits. She vanished from the public eye because of her tarnished image. Hating her became mainstream, or cool. Why? It once again goes back to patriarchal media stereotypes. They picked on her because it was easy. She had a good girl image and was easily attacked for her looks and behavior. Nikki Glaser even said that she criticized Swift’s body by calling her too skinny because she was jealous. In other words, celebrities, the media and fans alike saw her as a target.
Some people say they hate Swift because it took too long for her to make her political beliefs public. She rarely collaborates with women, and she has been called a white feminist for rarely speaking about race, class or other issues beyond gender. While she has shown her support for many activism causes, it did take her some time. She also seems to only speak out when issues blatantly affect her. But is it her job to be a political activist? Swift is first and foremost a music artist, so taking stands in politics or activism is technically not her job. While she definitely should have made her views known, since her opinions could make a difference, she is not perfect, and these are not reasons to banish her from the public eye. Many male celebrities don’t make their views known or even speak out against activist groups, yet their image is pristine. Once again, if Swift were a man, she would never be attacked like she is now.
Thankfully, it is no longer cool to hate Taylor Swift. She has spoken out about her treatment by other celebrities, fans, the media and the music industry as a whole. In her documentary, “Miss Americana,” she talks about the extreme pressure she and other female artists face to constantly change and stay relevant. She also discussed how her “reputation” era was all about reclaiming herself after the harmful treatment from Kanye West. More recently, Swift has begun rerecording her early works to retake ownership from her controlling producer. While rerecording, she also wrote and directed a short film highlighting parts of her earlier life to make it clear to fans why her young romance songs were important. She has also written songs like “The Man,” which includes lyrics like “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can / Wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man / And I’m so sick of them coming at me again / ‘Cause if I was a man, then I’d be the man.” In other words, she is sick of being treated like less because she is a woman. These are truly all pieces of her redemption arc, and hopefully, she will continue to grow.
Taylor Swift deserved her redemption arc, since she never should have been attacked in the first place. Her image was damaged due to other people’s misogyny and stereotypes. In the words of the artist herself, “They’d paint [her] out to be bad / So it’s okay that [she’s] mad.”
Nicolette Cavallaro is a junior majoring in integrative neuroscience.