Recently I saw a photo of Taylor Swift; she was on a plane and the photo had been turned into a meme. The caption read “Snakes on a plane.” Whatever social media feed I’m scrolling there always seems to be some form of Taylor Swift hate. She’s been turned into memes, jokes, and the ultimate reference when talking about someone with a large romantic past. We hear all about her past relationships, her girl squad and every other form of drama. We read her posts, and posts from her friends, and we form an opinion on who she is. (Whether good or bad).
Almost all of her music is about her past relationships, which makes it easy to think that that’s all that she is. While her music can be a great way to caption Instagram photos, and the best thing to listen to when you’re upset with your love life, there’s more to her. Writing about some of her life experiences does not mean she is not more than that.
What we don’t always remember is that we don’t actually know Taylor Swift, or Kim Kardashian, or any other big name celebrity. While we might follow them on social media, and feel like we know who they are, we don’t. All we know is what social media tells us, and what the media tells us. While it’s nice to imagine that we know a celebrity better than we actually do, we have to remember that we don’t. Even if we claim to be their number one fan.
It seems like every time Taylor Swift is seen with a new guy the media swarms, bringing up her old relationships and reminding us of everything that she’s ever done. We get the news from sources that want readers/viewers, more than they want to portray her as someone who’s unlucky in love or trying to find someone to make her happy. We don’t know which is the real story. This often means giving one sided stories and not having all of the facts (because this is the private lives of real people).
While I would love to say I personally know Taylor Swift, this is not reality. All we have is what we are told. Online bullying extends to celebrities who deal with these rumors and claims about their character everyday. It may not feel like bullying because these people seem far away, they’re famous and have seemingly fabulous lives. But they can see the comments on their posts just like anyone else. They can feel the attack and prejudice we place when we make our assumptions about them online, and although they might be rich and famous is still affects them. It would hurt to have a negative comment on your Instagram post, so why would you post something similar to someone else.
The next time you want to call Taylor a snake, remember you don’t have all the facts, and it’s not your place to judge.