In 2016 Kanye West released “Famous” a song that has gone down in history for causing one of the biggest feuds in Hollywood history. The reason for this is his derogatory use of the word “bitch” while referring to Taylor Swift. Swift, who had won album of the year just a year before coming out to condemn West for using that word, claiming she never gave him permission to use it. In response, Kanye West’s wife at the time Kim Kardashian released a video “proving” Kanye’s innocence and subsequently canceling Taylor Swift. The internet went crazy, almost as if people had been waiting to cancel the immensely successful musician. All of Swift’s socials were flooded with the snake emoji, it became a trend to hate her. This fire was only fueled by celebrities such as Kardashian and West egging people on. Shortly after all of this Taylor Swift went underground and was not heard from for a whole year. In 2018, she reappeared with a new image, something completely different from the pastel princess the world saw her as. Swift took the snake image the public gave her and used it as a way to reclaim her image. While this comeback helped her salvage her reputation a little bit, it was not until her 2020 documentary “Miss Americana” that her side of the story was really shared. This documentary revealed that Taylor never gave Kanye permission to use the word “bitch” when referring to her. Society canceled Swift for standing up for herself and never gave her the opportunity to explain her side.
Cancel culture as of late has become a big part of our society. The act of “canceling” or calling out someone with a large platform for doing something deemed as insensitive has been our generation’s way of taking away their power and influence. While it is important to hold people who have influence accountable for their actions, it is equally as important to take a look at the effects of cancel culture. We make ruining lives a trend simply to feel as if we are morally superior to those in power. Swift was canceled for something that ended up being completely false. As a society, we have to understand that celebrities are real people and make mistakes the same as any of us. By “canceling” them we revoke their right to make amends and learn from their mistakes.