I know her, you know her, we all know her: the one chart-topping singer about whom everyone has an opinion. The subject of talk show debates and spotify- controversies, everyone’s favorite fake Tennessean. Regardless of how you feel, Taylor Swift is a forceful presence and has been since the mid- 2000’s. She has amassed nine studio albums that have topped charts across the world, making her one of the most popular music artists of the 21st century. The first of her two 2020 albums, “folklore” was just named “Album of the Year” at the 2021 Grammy Awards.
Her accomplishments and notoriety have not shielded her from animosity, as petty as it sometimes is. For nearly a decade Taylor has been criticized for her dating life, many believing she has had an “excessive number of boyfriends”. In a notorious 2013 segment of “The Ellen Show,” Taylor is made to play a game involving men she has been involved with. Taylor appears quite distressed during the segment, expressing her discomfort with the situation multiple times. She is ignored, and Ellen continues to press her to discuss her private life. Ellen’s motive seems to be to pressure Taylor into giving a body count, not to have a meaningful or lighthearted discussion. The whole scene strikes the viewer as aggressive and invasive.
DeGeneres is one of many people in the public eye to make jokes at Swift’s expense, particularly about her dating life. You can find ex-boyfriend jokes about her from SNL to The New York Times. But if these jokes are this pervasive, are they really jokes at all? Where is the line between a joke and an insult? Taylor Swift is far from the only famous person with many suitors- men are praised for being womanizers, so what makes her unique? Why do we care at all? We often see women who strongly dislike Taylor Swift, but when pressed for a reason, they attribute it to not liking her as a person more often than not being a fan of her music. Women like Ellen DeGeneres, who would otherwise identify as feminists, participate in her humiliation. I think the answer lies in internalized misogyny, or the enforcement of sexist rules upon yourself and/or other women as a result of it being normalized in a patriarchal society. In other words, growing up in a female body means having people, most often men, police your actions, your words, your appearance, and more to maintain power structures designed to benefit men. After several years of being surrounded by patriarchal policing you begin to enforce these norms upon yourself and others because it can feel so painfully normal. Patriarchal discourse teaches women that dating too many men is “slutty” therefore women enforce this unofficial rule onto Swift alongside men.
Now, there is nothing wrong with disliking her music- it’s not for everyone and that is a value judgement you must make for yourself. However, I would ask you, reader, to reevaluate why you hold contempt for Taylor Swift. Do you dislike her because you’ve been encouraged to do so? Do you dislike her because of what others say about her? Perpetuating internalized misogyny will harm you first and others second. Maybe take a second listen to folklore and read some Adrienne Rich before getting back to me. Here’s to critical feminist analysis!