Growing up, music was a defining component of my life. Not because I have a particularly melodic voice or am a piano prodigy, but because my friends and I built an entire micro-culture within our elementary school.Â
This micro-culture revolved around musicians such as Justin Bieber and the boys of One Direction. The Tiger Beat posters scotch-taped on my bedroom walls witnessed numerous arguments over which member of One Direction belonged to each member of our fifth-grade friend group. All of this occurred as “One Less Lonely Girl” played from my iPod touch.
This reverence for musical icons has been alive for generations, stretching from the craze around Elvis, the Beatles, and NSYNC to the boy bands of the 2010s and the pop stars we love today. As you may have already deduced, historically speaking, the musicians around whom these micro-cultures formed have been mostly male.
As fun as it is to gush over Harry Styles and his tattooed abs, it is difficult to ignore the problematic fact: many girls were denied a pure female community during formative years. So many moments with their friends were centered around men in pop culture.Â
In the instances when female celebrities slipped into the conversation, it was too often debated who wore what better, or salacious and over-dramatized gossip. The proliferation of casual misogyny and man-centric thinking that this culture facilitated was inconspicuously toxic, seeping into the subconscious of many young women. Thankfully, the tides seem to be turning. Â
In recent years, there has been a pop revolution. Taylor Swift, leading the charge, has become a renowned musician and a figure of guidance for young women. She connects generations of girls through her music and activism, standing tall as the icon we could have all used growing up.Â
Swift is strong, talented, intelligent, shrewd, and does not sacrifice an ounce of femininity as she sings in a bedazzled bodysuit. Her cult of “Swifties” has grown into one of the largest and most fiercely devoted fan bases of all time. It is founded on the tenets of female empowerment, expression, and connection.Â
It is women like Swift and other musicians who have gained popularity in recent years.
Olivia Rodrigo, Chappel Roan, and Sabrina Carpenter have all spearheaded a shift in the pop-culture paradigm, reclaiming pop music and making it a more feminist space.
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