One thing I find very fascinating
is how quickly public perception on certain celebrities can shift from positive
to negative to positive again. This mob mentality is indicative of social media
and how opinions are shared at large. I am not sure of the timeline exactly,
but it seems Taylor became America’s sweetheart after she was “humiliated” on
stage by Kanye. However, this positivity seemed short-lived. In middle/ high
school there was a period where it seemed pretty common to not like Taylor
Swift. The critiques of her were rooted in thinly-disguised sexist claims: she
is a man eater, she is a crazy ex-girlfriend, she gets around too much. I always
was uncomfortable with this because I disliked Taylor, but not for these
reasons. I dislike her because her public image did not seem to match with what
I thought she was actually like. During her last two albums, I would argue she
gained popularity again and she was viewed more positively specifically in
terms of her promoting a “cool normal girl” aesthetic through posting pictures
of her cats and her embrace of popular feminism through songs like “shake it off”
and her omnipresent girl squad. However, I have noticed that public opinion on
Swift seems to have shifted towards distaste again. I think part of this was due to a
look at her feminism and how it lacked inclusivity. For example, she dances through
disembodied black bodies and attempts to twerk in the Shake it Off video. Also, she
made apathetic statements regarding police brutality, the Pulse massacre and
the women’s march. Also, the Kanye West/ Kim K/ Taylor debacle that happened
last year, that I think revealed what I had always suspected, hinted that there could be something fake and manipulative about Swift. If anything, it showcased that she is well aware of the victim identity she possesses. Anyway, I found this very
very interesting article about how Swift has been able to position herself as a
(white) victim and how this narrative has been used in both song and news publications
to make her career. It is an interesting read, here is the link.
Note: I think Taylor is an
incredibly talented song-writer and I loved her last album. I think a decent portion of the hate she gets is rooted in double-standards and sexism in the music industry. However, I also think it is important to be critical of what we consume.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/elliewoodward/how-taylor-swift-played-the-victim-and-made-her-entire-caree?utm_term=.rqJ6WwX0O4#.liMj8kaorw
https://www.buzzfeed.com/elliewoodward/how-taylor-swift-played-the-victim-and-made-her-entire-caree?utm_term=.rqJ6WwX0O4#.liMj8kaorw
I read this article too last week.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the best articles I have read in a long time - it not only highlights a starkly high number of cases in which Taylor Swift contradicted herself in her feminist proclamation, but what's more, it dissects the way in which she is able to do exactly so to further her career.
Personally, while I have been peripherally aware of Taylor Swift's deviancies throughout time, it was not until America's sweetheart Kim Kardashian pulled the blinds that I truly realized her duplicity.
As the article puts it, "Following the fallout with West and Kardashian, this positive perception of Swift is now in tatters. The feud exposed the truth that white fragility is the most imperative component of Swift’s success."
This article is an interesting read. I too, have always found Taylor Swift's narrative to the public to be a bit shaky. I have never identified with Taylor Swift nor have I ever liked her. However, I do enjoy her songs. What I find most interesting about her using the victim narrative to her advantage is that regardless of the fact that she plays it as society attacking her as a whole, she continues to show herself fighting against that image as well. At concerts she gives motivational talks that are shared countless numbers of times on social media. She also uses her "bad girl" squad to back her up when she is in the line of fire. The thing that I have seen through for a while that makes me dislike her the most is that her girl squad does not back each other up. There is countless accounts of backhand conniving and schemes against one another that makes the whole point of "girl power" pointless. It makes all of her talk for nothing because it is very apparent now to the public that all of her image is contrived.
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