History of Taylor’s music career
Taylor Swift has been a part of the music industry since she was 14 years old, and has been continuing to write music to this day. She started in 2004 and by 2006 she got her first Top 40 hit for her song ‘Tim McGraw.’ Taylor was 16 years old when she released her debut self-titled album and started gaining popularity. She has continuously grown in her music through switching musical styles, focusing on different eras, and conveying many different types of emotions in every new song and album she releases. She now has 9 studio albums, if you do not include the ones that she is rereleasing currently.
In November of 2018, Taylor lost ownership of her masters when Scooter Braun sold them after she left Big Machine Records. Taylor Swift was told that she was not allowed to publish her own songs that she wrote from Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta. She felt extremely upset by this and decided to start rerecording her albums again so she could officially own her albums.
Taylor has proven numerous times that she is committed to her music and fans, will continue to write her own music and perform it. Taylor has won numerous awards, including over 10 Grammys and multiple artist of the year awards. She continue to provide new content for her loyal fanbase to enjoy and love.
THe misogyny taylor swift has faced
Taylor Swift has dealt with copious amounts of misogyny within her career. Many people (especially men) have made comments in regards to her songs and her skill level, that would never be heard of if Taylor were a man. Whether it regarded her songs, who she is, or her credibility, someone has always input their misogynistic view that says she is not a talented musician.
It has been heard numerous times that Taylor Swift is “emotional” or “the crazy ex girlfriend” based on the songs that she writes. Taylor has written multiple break-up songs that portray the feelings that she went through during breaking up with someone or being broken up with. These songs are based on her own personal experience, but, so many have downsized her lyrical storytelling as “dang how many break-ups has that girl been through,” or “why would anyone date Taylor Swift when all she is going to do is write a song about them.” These phrases are common when discussing Taylor Swift, but these points would never be brought up if a male artist was singing their breakup songs. So why is Taylor depicted as a “crazy girl” instead of as a normal person experiencing pain from the ending of her relationship?
Taylor Swift has also been shamed for being who she is. She was told to not share her opinions on political topics and has constantly been interrupted by men in the room trying to tear her down. In the 2009 VMAs Taylor Swift was interrupted by Kanye West when receiving her Best Female Video Award. By doing this Taylor was not able to enjoy her award as she should have, because a man that had no business being on stage with her decided to take over her moment and success. Taylor was only 19 when this happened to her, and that moment is still well known in so many people’s minds when they think of Taylor. A moment that should have been remembered as her winning and giving her speech uninterrupted. In her Miss Americana video, she discusses how happy she was winning the award and then says, “I wasn’t so excited anymore.” She keeps her calm about the situation because she “doesn’t want to start anything” but many people still put their input on the situation. Taylor was very affected by this experience, and she had to deal with it because someone decided that they were allowed to take her moment away from her.
Even Taylor Swift’s credibility as a songwriter has continuously been questioned, and she has had to reevaluate herself constantly to be a successful singer/ songwriter in the music industry. But, even with all of the work that Taylor has put in, she has still been questioned on her work ethic, her dating life, and her songs. As for her work ethic Taylor has mentioned how difficult it is to be a woman in the industry because she always has to play a character or change a part of herself in order to stay relevant and promote her albums. She is known for her “eras” that she has been through in her albums, but how many male singers have to go to this length to keep their career? Taylor has discussed how exhausting it is to be in this industry because she always has to focus on being a shiny new thing for people to enjoy.
Taylor’s dating life has also made people not take her as a serious artist. Rather than admiring her for having a normal and healthy dating life that she is able to write honest songs about her feelings and experiences, she instead gets slut-shamed and attacked for “going through men.” However, many male artists talk about the numerous women that they have gotten with, and rather than shame, they have received praise. This shows that Taylor writing about her experiences and receiving shame shows how misogynistic society is, and the lens that they view her in. Rather than listening to her songs and trying to see the story that she has written about, she is shoved off as another crazy girl who can not keep a man. Taylor Swift has been with Joe Alwyn for numerous years and is still painted as a girl who can not keep a long-term relationship. Taylor should be allowed to write about her emotions in an honest way, rather than get shamed for getting heartbroken.
Recently, Damon Albarn made a comment as to how Taylor Swift does not write her own music. While this statement is completely false, it is an example of how blatant sexism in the music industry and sexism directed at Taylor Swift is. Misogynists in society will constantly aim to tear down successful women in any way that they want. It went from “Taylor Swift only writes about her breakups” to “She doesn’t write her own songs”. This change of narrative shows just how far people are willing to go to discredit Taylor Swift’s talent as a musical artist. Her credibility has been constantly challenged, which is a prime example of how successful and talented women are treated in the industry.
Taylor’s responses to the misogyny she has faced
Taylor Swift has had many ways of retaliating back against the misogyny she has faced in her career. She has responded to many who have made misogynistic comments against her, she has written songs about her experiences, and she keeps proving those who underestimate her wrong. She continuously works hard and wants to do better than she has before. Even with all of the people trying to compare her to other musical artists, the only person she has to compete with is herself.
Taylor responded to Albarn’s comment about her not writing her own music on Twitter. She told him “I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is false and SO damaging.” Her growth in calling out those who lie about her has grown so much since she has been an artist. Many of Taylor’s fans also responded to Damon’s quote defending Taylor’s credibility and talent. This is not the first time that Taylor’s credibility has been attacked, and it needs to be acknowledged that this is due to the misogynism in the industry that makes people feel as though they have the right to tear down successful women.
Taylor Swift has also made numerous songs in response to how men have treated her, but one that calls out the misogyny she has faced, rather than individuals would be her song ‘The Man.’ This song is a part of her album ‘Lover’ and tells a story of how she would be praised for her talents if she was a man. She calls out the numerous double standards that she has witnessed and told Vogue “If I had made all the same choices, all the same mistakes, all the same accomplishments, how would it read?” She put this thought process into her song and showed the different ways that she would be viewed if she were a man. The lyrics say, “They’d say I hustled, put in the work. They wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve.” She says this because of how hard she works to produce music, and how underappreciated she has been for her efforts. Her lyrics also say, “They’d say I played the field before I found someone to commit to.” Since Taylor Swift has been notorious for her dating history and many have made unsolicited comments in reference to her dating life, she writes how she receives these comments because she is a woman, because men would just get told that they “played the field.” Taylor directed the music video for this song in which she transforms herself into a businessman that is referred to as “Tyler Swift” where she can inconvenience people unapologetically and no one calls “Tyler” out for it. The music video won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction in 2020, proving that Taylor deserves all that she has won through her hard work and honesty.
Overall, Taylor Swift is an extremely talented singer/songwriter who has been attacked by the misogynist culture embedded in the music industry. She has constantly worked hard releasing albums, rerecording her albums, and showcasing the talent that fans have loved for over ten years. Her growth as a person and in her music is inspirational and shows that she deserves all of the praise she receives. She has changed the music industry for the better and it is so exciting to see what she will do next.