pop culture surprises and feminist musings
this is not a hate post; don't come for me, swifties just hear me out!!!
This past weekend, Taylor Swift went out with Travis Kelce publicly, and the internet is still going wild.
Usher erasure aside (I am so excited to see him perform the halftime show, and I believe I truly manifested this, having had a summer filled with listening to Usher), people are making comments saying this overshadowed Kim Kardashian's video cameo for the announcement.
What do those two instances have in common? Let me explain how my brain works to understand the point of all this.
There are several posts online about the two events. I roll my eyes at people still trying to create a narrative of feuding women in 2023.1 Then I remember how the feud started. Kim's loyalty to her then husband Kanye West. Taylor Swift is not married. In fact, she doesn't want "the 1950s shit" that people want from her. That lyric makes me think of feminism.
I find that song dizzying. Its intention is not to be cruel. Taylor Swift referring to marriage and family as "1950s shit", dismisses the many women still forced into marriages in the 2020s. Women have more agency, yet many cannot afford to live on a singular income. In the 1950s, the safety of marriage was needed for many women, so the image of the perfect homemaker was standard. Even now, with the feminist movement, there are still several women who are not able to be independent from men.2
Taylor has been accused of white feminism before. Maybe this time, it's harmless but doesn't have intersectionality in mind.
Despite all this, I don't believe Taylor should be crucified for her white feminism. She's a country turned pop singer. Yes, she has a massive pull in the media and amongst her fans. But her genres of music have never been pioneers for political change. Pop music is meant to be enjoyed by the masses and not stir the pot. Country music... or at least its modern-day appropriation (that I could go onto a whole other tangent about), is known for its heteronormative, misogynistic lyrics with undertones of racism within the genre and music community.
This is where the Swifties should really tune in to what I'm trying to say.
As an artist, Taylor Swift's music has contributed to feminism. It's brought women together over pure enjoyment and excitement. Women and girls of all ages, all races, and despite socioeconomic status.
Her music relates to all different kinds of women because of the vulnerability of emotion. It gives women the freedom to feel and express themselves without shame. Most of the time, regarding relationships. Which shouldn't be a spot of criticism. We are relational beings. Relationships, whether platonic or romantic, are essential.
Women are much more open to allowing themselves the space to be vulnerable about their emotions. It's beautiful. It's relatable. We may not date the same people, or even close to the same, as Taylor Swift, but the sentiments of those relationships transcend that.
Her lyrics are personal and touching. They create an example for the current and next generations of women and girls to continue unashamedly expressing themselves.
Equality should not mean we match the toxic behaviours of masculinity. Instead, let us be more like Taylor Swift. Use the beauty of our emotions to create. Be vulnerable with one another, not because of gender but because it's human.
Real Housewives franchises are exempt from this; Andy Cohen needs a way to make money
To put it all simply because this topic is much more complex and many people more qualified by myself have written on this issue