Taylor Swift’s latest album ‘Lover’ which was released in August earlier this year has seen critical acclaim across the board from publishers such as Vogue, Rolling Stones, and Forbes. It has been praised for its combination of catchy pop-synth tones and emotionally expressive lyrics which appear rather contemptuous in line with the Nashville star’s 2018 Democratic endorsement after a string of increasingly politically vocal statements.
Her album ‘Lover’ tackles a range of contemporary socio-political issues which have been becoming increasingly hot topics in recent years. ‘Lover’ is Ms. Swift’s most politically expressive album and responds to issues she believes are becoming all too commonplace. The most notable topic is sexism and the double standards that lie between male and female artists in the music industry. This is a topic that Swift is unfortunately all too familiar with; having recently won a sexual assault lawsuit against former radio host David Mueller who publicly vilified Swift after accusing him of sexual misconduct. The singer was awarded a symbolic ‘single dollar’ in damages which she states “the value of which is immeasurable to all women in this situation”.
Whilst the album may be her most overt opinion on such opinion, it is certainly not the first time the star has spoken out. Having been subjected to an intrusive media campaign exploring her relationship situation and private life since her rise to fame in 2008, Swift has repeatedly criticized media organizations for their invasive investigations and degrading articles. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Taylor explored the subject, expressing her admiration for being able to connect to fans in person where she wasn’t a tabloid villain.
“So often with our takedown culture, talking shit about a celebrity is basically the same as talking shit about the new iPhone. So when I go and I meet fans, I see that they actually see me as a flesh-and-blood human being. That—as contrived as it may sound—changed [me] completely, assigning humanity to my life.”
Such cases of prejudicial behaviors are becoming increasingly commonplace as major media outlets regurgitate clickbait that supports an underlying gender-based prejudicial narrative. The inflammatory remarks often directed towards women in the entertainment industry and women in powerful positions as an extension, particularly in Swift’s case, can be broken down into three main categories. The first is a sexist naivety narrative in which women such as Swift are dismissed with their opinions being ignored due to the narrative painted around them. This is most evident in Swift’s recent Democratic candidate endorsement which was slammed by the mainstream news outlets, namely Fox News and CNN who disregarded her opinions voiced in her 2018 Instagram post which called for equality describing her as a girl who “has no idea what she’s talking about”.
“I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening, and prevalent.”
The second major theme is public humiliation. This is an extremely common double standard as singers such as Swift is heavily targeted for their personal life. Swift describes herself as having become “an international lightning rod for slut-shaming”. The negative media spotlight on romantic relationships is almost exclusively directed toward popular females. This theme almost forms a positive feedback loop with the aforementioned subject as a narrative is painted around Swift’s personal life in order to generate inflammatory articles to increase tabloid sales which in turn leads to legitimate actions or opinions being disregarded on the basis of them challenging the status quo. To put this simply, whilst Swift has distinguished herself for her extraordinary and intelligent ventures, she will almost always be dismissed as some ‘stupid girl who sleeps around too much’.
“Our priorities can get messed up existing in a society that puts a currency on curating the way people see your life,”
The final category is the vilification of achievements which also often serves as a double standard. This typically involves undermining a woman’s achievement solely due to their gender or perceived public image. For Taylor, this has specifically involved being referred to as a “crazy ex-girlfriend” or “pretentious bitch” due to her exuberant levels of wealth. Instead of recognition for over 10 Grammy awards and representing the most awarded female artist at the VMA’s, Swift’s achievements and philanthropy are often subject to diminishment for various trivial reasons aforementioned.
Throughout ‘Lover’, Swift comments on the prejudice she and other women face. This ranges from catchy tunes with subtle undertones to feminist anthems such as her single ‘The Man’. Lyrics found in the song such as “I would be complex / I would be cool / They’d say I played the field before / I found someone to commit to / And that would be okay / For me to do,” illustrate Swift’s perspective on the double standards she faces in this society. The lyrics allude to the disparity in the public perception of women who date multiple men versus men who date multiple women. Swift draws this back to comment on celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio who often finds himself involved in relationships with considerably younger women. The lyrics “And we would toast to me, oh, let the players play / I’d be just like Leo, in Saint-Tropez.” demonstrate the clear double standards in our society where Swift is frequently criticized for the actions men such as DiCaprio are often praised for.
“I guess what I wanted to call attention to in my speech at the Grammys was how it’s going to be difficult if you’re a woman who wants to achieve something in her life—no matter what,”
‘The Man’ confronts these inequalities in a direct and debonair manner, acknowledging the hardships countless successful women face. The lyrics “If I was out flashin’ my Dallas / I’d be a bitch, not a baller” perfectly encapsulate the third theme of female celebrity victimization. Swift ties this point up succinctly and powerfully, ending the bridge with the line “They wouldn’t shake their heads / And question how much of this I deserve” which is an idea many of her fans, including myself, find extremely accurate.
The duplicitous character assassination of Taylor Swift is a story for another time, however, it doesn’t take much digging to connect the dots to understand the crumble of Swift’s reputation. Swift’s power and success were the ultimate hammer and chisel which set her villainous public image in stone. People will always love to hate the once-beloved pop star, Swift will serve as a textbook case of victim-blaming through the overwhelming examples of people exorcising mental gymnastics in order to convince themselves that Taylor Swift is a bad person in face of all evidence the contrary. Swift's troubles stem from a toxic media culture and societal attitude which seeks to diminish successful women at every step and can be described as soft-core sexism, the stepping stone between overt discrimination and a tolerant society. As these prejudiced are ingrained within western culture, they are certainly not going to be easily overcome. Such prejudices form out of a lack of critical and objective thought and are based on decades of media indoctrination. However, as society shifts towards a more tolerant and accepting culture as a result of ongoing civil rights and feminist movements, these prejudices will soon diminish in prevalence.