A [failed] defense of Taylor Swift's haters

mushmallows

Sep 21, 20204 min read

It's been over a month since Taylor Swift surprised everyone with the release of her eighth studio album Folklore.

There were no hints, teasers, or fanfare with this release sans this tweet.

Folklore did not only surprise us by catching us off guard, but also by departing from what we knew of Taylor's musical identity, yet again.

Looking back , it shouldn't be *that* surprising at all. She has already demonstrated that she can write 'Indie-esque' songs (however you wish to define that). The songs in Folklore are reminiscent of the tracks tucked within her previous albums, like "All Too Well" from 2012's Red, "Clean" from 2014's 1989, and "New Year's Day" from 2017's Reputation.

These fan favorites hint at Swift's ability to create songs that are more delicate in comparison to the exuberant singles she is known (and judged) for.

There isn't much left to say that hasn't already been said about the album and the artist. It has been more than a decade of breaking news and thought pieces about Swift's life, about her romantic relationships, alleged celebrity catfights, and actual catfights.

With all that has been said about her, what has yet to be articulated are apologies or at least acknowledgments of how other celebrities, the media, and the public have been complicit in attacking her.

One celebrity, in particular, who we believe needs to apologize to her, is Kim Kardashian, who singlehandedly caused almost everyone (yes, including us) to doubt Swift's intentions.

The infamous 2016 call with Kardashian's husband, Kanye West, which was now found to be fake, caused the 30-year-old singer to go into hiding and skip her custom of releasing an album every two years.

Swift even went far as to say in the 2020 documentary Miss Americana that she had to "let go of an entire belief system."

The events that had led after Kardashian published the call and its transcript were Swift's pull to release her last album with her erstwhile ally Big Machine Records, Reputation.

How we have participated in these practices have, in turn (and not coincidentally), perpetuated beliefs that benefit the patriarchy.

Swift has certainly made questionable decisions in the span of her career.

These have all been written and talked about, but we would be remiss if we didn't mention the cringey era when she paraded her predominantly white and conventionally beautiful female friends everywhere.

Around the same time, I may have joined the anti-Swift bandwagon and tweeted half-baked opinions of how she is a self-serving white feminist. So as not to be a total hypocrite, I maintain my criticism of who Taylor Swift was then. Her actions and decisions at the time made her seem so. For me, they needed to be called out in the hopes that she and other celebrities like her use their platforms more responsibly.

But now, I am also humble enough to admit that I, too, was not as responsible with my own actions and opinions.

Just a few years ago, I chose to only read articles and tweets that confirm my own biases, which is actually something that we have to argue, is natural in humans. I consumed information without careful consideration that they may not necessarily reflect the whole picture. I was quick to count the number of men she has reportedly dated based on photos obtained without her or her partners' consent. I believed that all her career choices were calculated and her feuds with the likes of Kanye West and Katy Perry were just ounces of drama meant to sell her albums. I refused to listen to her songs again because I thought that she was being whiny and shrill.

She is a tall, beautiful, millionare singer-songwriter, what does she have to complain about? Oh, she's singing about her love life again? How basic.

I claimed that I simply out-grew Taylor Swift. I previously thought that being a smart feminist college student means that I also had to deny myself of superficial things such as pining over boys and believing in fairytales.

For years since then, I allowed her life to overshadow her artistry. So when she released Lover and Folklore, I've found myself unable to fully enjoy the music because it felt like a betrayal to my beliefs.

It is easier to maintain an aversion for Taylor Swift. Just with the list of articles we've shared below, you'll be able to formulate your very own logical explanation of why you don't like her.

What is harder to admit, perhaps, is that we have allowed ourselves to believe what the media has painted her to be. Surely, Taylor Swift isn't perfect, but so are many of our problematic faves, yet they don't get criticized as heavily as she does.

She is celebrated just as much as she is vilified.

Many of the things she is faulted for, she is faulted for because she's a woman. Her male contemporaries have written many love songs about their personal relationships and they don't get as much flak for it.

If we go further and talk about the female representation in pop songs, Swift is not the worst offender. Surely the virgin and the whore dichotomies in her early hits are dated and offensive but others get away with demeaning women and calling them hoes, bitches, whores, or sluts.

Again, I am not saying that criticisms of her are unfounded. What I'm saying is that if she is held under a standard, so should other artists.

As her two most-recent albums receive plaudits from the critics and the public alike, it is only responsible for us to admit that she was once the subject of our rant tweets.

We shouldn't pretend that we have been on the Taylor Swift bandwagon since "Teardrops on My Guitar" were the background music to our friends Friendster accounts. There was a time that liking her was simply "too basic." Let me tell you, it's okay to give in to the basicness of our emotions.

If you're still even a bit apprehensive towards her and her music, this is a good time to let your guards down. Her latest album is a good companion to whatever conflicting emotions you are feeling right now.

Sources:

Photos from:

Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Taylor Swift on Good Morning America for the launching of her Red Album, in October 2012 via Paolo Villanueva

A [failed] defense of Taylor Swift's haters

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