By Ana Wilson
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Taylor Swift has been a major symbol of empowerment for my generation ever since her red pick-up truck and picture-burning days. Her songs are what got me through my first love, and my first breakup. And, more importantly, some of her songs helped get me through losing my high school best friend (nothing validates a hate fire like “Bad Blood” on a loop). She has inspired me ever since I saw her “You Belong with Me” video, which made girls everywhere feel like you don’t have to be a raging sex bomb to be a cool girl.
Not only does Taylor uplift girls through music that condemns relying on boys and lyrics that promote individuality, but through images of her girl squad and general mantra of girl power. So, when girls around the world congregated for what was one of the largest demonstrations of female power in the history of EVER, her absence was a big deal and a big shock.
While celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Ashley Judd, Madonna and other all stepped out together to use their voices for something other than just their careers, Taylor hid behind a tweet and watched while people made a difference without her.
So much love, pride, and respect for those who marched. I’m proud to be a woman today, and every day. #WomensMarch
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) January 21, 2017
The march was the ultimate display of girl power, yet the queen herself was nowhere to be found. So, while her absence was a shock that made feminists around the world see “Red,” there’s a chance that her vacancy was actually a good thing. Hear me out.
This movement is for the average woman. The woman who handed you your Starbucks this morning who’s trying to get medical help and pay off college at the same time. Or the girl at the department store who needs resources to hide from an abusive boyfriend. Or even the girl who worked her ass off to get a great job where she is undervalued and paid less than her male counterparts.
The heroines here ARE NOT people like Taylor Swift. They aren’t the girls who fart sparkles and walk on red carpets and are the epitome of a perfect, pampered white girl. The real heroes are the people who are struggling, and the more we wait for people like Taylor to swoop in and make a difference, the more likely we are to misdirect credit from where it should really go. It belongs with us, the people who work every day to use feminism to make a DIFFERENCE, not to make money.
I liked Taylor’s mantra of live and let live; it’s why there are still posters of her with curly hair and sparkly guitars plastered all over my bedroom door. So, am I disappointed that the girl who always empowered me falls short when facing real political challenges? Hell yes. But it’s a good wake-up call, because people like her really don’t define the movement anyway.
So, before you go and retweet hate about Taylor, or rant on Facebook about how ballsy she can be when calling out boys in award speeches only to shrivel up at national challenges, think about using your words for something else. Share a personal story or reason why the marches matter to you, or someone special in your life. Or even just raise awareness! Because who needs brand names like Taylor Swift when we could have YOU? So get out there and make the difference that even the most powerful-seeming Americans can’t. If Taylor Swift can’t be as “Fearless” as she once claimed to be, leave it up to the rest of us to go on making a difference and using our voices for more important things than overly edited pop tunes.