I’m going to be honest from the start here – I’ve never really been a big fan of the sugary-sweet pop/country singer. I’ve nothing against her per se, it was always just because of how her catchy tunes were so annoying, and inescapable.
It all started with ‘Love Story’. Even the title made me feel a little bit sick, but the insanely happy tone of comparing a crush to Romeo and Juliet (that most famous of love stories that’s misinterpreted by everyone ever, even the ones who studied it for their GCSE English Lit coursework) just pushed me over the edge and tainted the name Taylor Swift for me forever. I know I’m being dramatic, but to be fair I was a dramatic, angst-ridden 14 year-old at the time.
As I got older, I never really bought into the new ‘girl power’ image people seemed to be suggesting she was promoting. Like, you’re wearing sneakers instead of high heels? Good for you, you’re so unique and not-like-other-girls, Taylor. Give me a break. And yes, I’ll admit that I was one of those people making fun of her for writing songs about her ‘millions of exes’ and how constantly bitter she must be, which now I realise was so wrong, and just a part of the internalised misogyny we’re all guilty of.
Because the double standard is real – artists like Ed Sheeran sing songs almost exclusively about girls, and ex-girlfriends, and no one bats an eyelid. But with Taylor, all the press seem to be interested in is who this new song is about, and speculating who the next ‘victim’ will be to have a song written about them. In my opinion, the songs are awful, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have the right to write music and lyrics that are personal to her, without the whole world judging her for it.
It takes guts to put yourself out there like that, particularly for a woman, and I admire and respect her for it. Particularly her new single and the video for ‘Blank Space’ which is basically a middle finger to her critics that have made her out to be this crazy girl with ‘a long list of ex-lovers who’ll tell you [she’s] insane’.
What I don’t agree with however, is her decision to take her music off Spotify. It is incredibly hypocritical of her to say she believes music should be paid for with money that goes to the artist, and then charge upwards of £60 for a ticket to see her perform. Streaming isn’t evil, people listen to music and if they like it they’ll often buy it, buy concert tickets and merchandise, making the artist plenty of money. It’s the record labels we need to point the finger at for exploiting artists, but that’s a different argument. The point is, it’s a pretty selfish move on Taylor’s part if you ask me, and asking young girls (the majority of her fanbase) and/or their parents to pay out that much for a ticket is a bit of a slap in the face.
So I still have very mixed feelings about the country-turned-pop star, but I think there is a line between what is appropriate to criticise her for, and what certainly isn’t. (And I will sing along if one of her hits comes on in a club, because the catchiness will forever be holding me hostage).
Sources
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/11/spotify-ceo-taylor-swift-albums-daniel-ek
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-ORhEE9VVg
Image Sources
http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml
http://www.spin.com/articles/taylor-swift-spotify-payment-streaming/
http://www.edgeoftheplank.com/2014/10/taylor-swift-1989-deluxe-edition-album.html
Edited by Amelia Bauer-Madden