Taylor Swift is one of the biggest female artists in the world today. She is listed as having 138 billboard Hot 100 songs and has the most charted songs as a female artist in the US according to billboard. So why is she still not taken as seriously as other artists in her industry?
unnecessary hate
As a proud “swiftie” (the nickname for Taylor Swift fans), I am often perplexed at how many people make fun of Swift for writing about boys or having immature music. I always wonder how people can get this image of her in their mind. Have they never listened to her music? Do they not realize that several other people write solely about their love lives? While I don’t expect everyone to know about the lore and history behind all of Taylor’s music, I do hope that the haters are willing to learn.
Since 2009, when she was interrupted by Kanye West, the rhetoric against Swift has become a lot worse. She has been crucified by the media for who she is dating, what she is writing about, what she wears, and where she goes. It got so bad that Taylor had to hide herself for a whole year to escape the severe hatred that West sparked. Then, she lost the ownership to her music. Swift received all this hatred because she was doing something that every man in her industry was already doing: writing about her experiences. She has acknowledged the misogyny she faces many times, but it does not seem to reach many people. To me, it is obvious that the singer does not receive the same treatment as her male counterparts.
One word: Misogyny
A lot of the hatred against Swift is rooted in misogyny. The men who hate her only have two general reasons for feeling that way. The first is that they do not appreciate her music, as it is all about her exes. Although it is okay to have a distaste for her music, this opinion is unfair. Many male artists write songs about their exes and do not receive the same hatred. The second reason is that they are fans of the men who wronged Taylor. These men include Kanye West and John Mayer, who both harmed a young Taylor Swift’s reputation when they were in their thirties. This opinion is completely unjustified considering how obvious it is that these men were in the wrong. I am a fan of both of these men as well as Swift, but liking them is no reason to hate her.
What people overlook
It is important for people to realize that Taylor is an amazing role model for young women. Not only is she extremely generous and charitable, but she goes against the hate she receives daily to continue her passions. She is re-recording her music to gain ownership and continues to write new songs as well. Although she may have been a pop-country performer who only wrote about heartbreak in the past, she now writes about many different genres and has possibly the best lyricism and storytelling of any singer today. Her more recent albums have deep story lines and a versatile vocabulary that almost anyone can enjoy.
it’s okay to not be a fan
I do not expect everyone to love Taylor Swift and her music, but they should not hate her. She has done many charitable and role-model-worthy things, and continues to do them. If the people who hate on her would take a moment and look into her life and music a little bit more, I think their opinions might change.