The 66th Annual Grammy Awards recently occurred on February 4th, and of course, people are seething and angry. With whom in particular? None other than singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. At the award show, when accepting her 13th Grammy award, Taylor announced her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. Recently, there’s been much discourse surrounding Taylor’s behavior at the Grammy Awards. Some have expressed that Taylor turned this event aimed to celebrate music of all genres and honor historic legends into the “Taylor Swift Show.” Taylor even shared at her N1 Tokyo show that if she did not take home any awards on Grammy night, she would have announced the album there, a plan many thought was better fit for an album announcement as everyone present would be there for Taylor specifically.
Recently, Taylor has been under much discourse and scrutiny, reminiscent of the hate during the Reputation era. This hate seemed to begin when individuals calculated her carbon emissions of her private jets and how this could dangerously this could impact the environment. Now, people feel as though Taylor’s “America’s Sweetheart” narrative is growing tired. Many people have gone on social media outlets such as TikTok to create videos discussing people needing to see Taylor as she really is: a luxurious billionaire and not the every-day girl (because what average girl has private jets and designer clothes?)
Others believe that Taylor has never claimed to be a good person, and instead has even profited from stating that she’s the opposite. In the Grammy winning album Midnights, Taylor shared many self-loathing songs. In the single “Anti Hero”, Taylor writes, “Did you hear my covert narcissism disguised as altruism.” Simply, Taylor shares her narcissistic tendencies that she deems good for all involved.
I, for one, believe that Taylor is simply an all-encapsulating, inspiring singer-songwriter whose work will never fail to move me. Criticism and holding celebrities accountable are necessary, important, and should occur in spite of one’s net worth. With that said, it should also be done respectfully and kindly. It is important to recognize that celebrities hold different responsibilities than the average person and should use their platforms wisely and positively.