In elementary school, Taylor Swift was one of my biggest heroes. I knew the lyrics to every song off of Fearless and would crank the volume all the way up when “You Belong With Me” or “Love Story” came on the radio. I would eagerly anticipate the drop of a new music video and watch it again and again, several times a day, once it was finally released. I remember the day Taylor released her album Speak Now. My mom and I picked up the CD from Target and when I returned home, I immediately popped it into our archaic boombox. I sat on the floor of my bedroom and let the new music fill my ears as I studied the lyrics to each song in the CD lyric booklet.
I was absolutely infatuated with Taylor. Not only did she make countless pop hits that were fun to sing along with and dance to, but she also wrote the music from her heart. As a young child with a budding interest in writing and storytelling, she was everything I hoped to be.
People didn’t just dislike Taylor’s music, they seemed to dislike her personality entirely. My social media feeds were filled with random people purging their incessant hatred towards Taylor. People ridiculed her for always “playing the victim” and being “two-faced.” And I started to blindly agree with all of them. I went from being Taylor’s #1 fan to just another uninformed Taylor hater.
Taylor Swift was not a conniving villain aiming to backstab all of her exes. She was a female artist trying to take back a narrative that had been largely twisted and taken out of her control. Is Taylor Swift a perfect person? Absolutely not, no one is. But it’s interesting how quickly the media condemns a woman for standing her ground, while her male peer can freely call her a “bitch” in a song. It’s interesting how men can openly date as many partners as they please, and when a woman does so she’s labeled a “slut.” The hatred towards Taylor was a byproduct of a world that is angered by female autonomy, whether people are aware of that anger or not.
So, where do I stand today? Taylor Swift is back to being one of my favorite artists of all time. Not only do I truly love her new music, but I marvel at the way she has bounced back in the face of negativity. In my opinion, her latest album folklore has some of her best songs of all time. They aren’t the pop hits that you’ll hear overplayed on the radio or in retail stores, but rather stories that make me feel emotions I didn’t think I was capable of. There are songs about love, anger, loss, sadness, and time slipping away, all of which are relevant themes amid this emotional pandemic. I’m not saying that any of us owe Taylor Swift anything, but if you’re interested in hearing a genuine narrative from a woman who has long been denied one, I suggest giving folklore a chance.