This was a great read! Even the relatable emotions she touches on in this album (heartbreak, depression) don’t feel as vulnerable because they’re not grounded in our reality, but hers; a reality the media follows and picks apart. And a reality that she intentionally profits from with her easter eggs and hidden messages. Also I love Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me but at the same time I’m like…girl you’re the biggest star in the world lol this is not a point you need to make
thank you so much! i agree with your point about WAOLOM (craziest abbreviation) and to me it kind of feels like reputation but if it was put through AI.
Thank you for speaking up on this one. Honestly I shy away from most Swift analysis, because it’s often too much for me. This time though, your introspection and nuanced insight was like a breath of fresh air. Usually I tend to be defensive of any woman celebrity who takes shit for being in the public eye, but not to the point where I must suspend all thoughts and ideas for the sake of my blind support at all costs. For example, how would that rule apply to people like Kari Lake or Ivanka? I think you’re right on about how not all criticism of Swift is inherently misogynistic just because she’s a woman (though I will call out misogyny when I do see it.) The Taylor Barbie, lol! If she’s getting billionaire level rich selling corporate merch and sucking wealth away from the middle class, no she is not anyone’s friend. At the same time, the concert photo of the two sisters is quite endearing. Two conflicting views can simultaneously be held as truthful for us all at once. Thank you for writing this excellent piece!
Love this Sarah!! I’ve been working on a piece about celebrity worship and Taylor Swift and this hits on so much of what I’ve been feeling! That billionaire is 1000% not your friend! 🤪
I love this piece! I agree 100% as someone who also loved Taylor Swift for almost my whole life. Her latest album didn’t hit for me as much as I thought it would (I still enjoy a few songs) and I think you pretty much put all my thoughts about it into words. I will still enjoy her music but more from a distance instead of on the front-lines like most Swifties lol
thank you so much! i love her always but things feel a bit convoluted and difficult right now. i’m right there with you and we can hang out in the distance together 🩷
as a self proclaimed swiftie dating someone who dislikes taylor, i resonated so deeply with a LOT of the points you brought up! especially in artists who struggle to change once hitting their peak of fame but MORESO fans who cling onto memories of "time" spent with this artist, using their work to get over a heartbreak or a painful time of their life. thank you for such a great read!!!
This needed to be said. So many display behaviours that are parasocial, and it's harmful. Coming from someone who loves TS and her music! Love the black dog and the albatross off of ttpd.
i loved reading this ! so many people dont realise the unintentional harm they are causing themselves by picturing a celebrity as their best friend, you can love somebody from a distance and admire them without worshipping them !
I kind of feel this way about Harry Styles. His music will always be good and I’ll forever listen to it but the music now isn’t relatable. Even though he says he’s enjoying making this music, it’s just a good album. Just not like his other. His merch is also plain, but I feel it’s more to let small businesses profit off of selling Harry items other than him taking everyone’s money.
Loved this! You articulated a lot of what I've been feeling lately, especially in relation to the over-corporatization of Taylor Swift The Brand lately. I don't think that the Swifties understand the harm that they inadvertently cause Taylor and her brand due to their hostile, and as you put it, terrifying nature. This hyperpositivity surrounding her is toxic and in my opinion, leads to lower quality art. I think that post-pandemic people are forgetting that the core of the music industry is art and artistic expression, even in shiny pop music. I think its borderline impossible to put out music at the quantity and pace that Taylor and her team are doing it while simultaneously ensuring that it is authentic and meaningful. Since the release of Midnights, she has put out FORTY-FIVE (45) new songs. In two years. That is absolutely an inordinate amount of music to put out and I think it is reflected in the quality of her music. Everything after Midnights feels very cheapened to me and it makes me sad because I have loved Taylor so deeply for so much of my life. I felt like the release of the different midnights records to make a clock marked the beginning of her sell-out era and it's sad to watch as someone who has been listening to her since I was like eight years old.
I find it really eerie that every bit of commentary on TV and socials I’ve seen on her new album was prempted with a PSA saying something like “We love Taylor, please don’t be mad at us Swifties”.
I think no artist should ever be exempt from criticism. And holding someone who is, rightfully, renowned for their talent, to a certain standard of quality seems absolutely reasonable.
I would want that for my art as well. There should always be someone who’ll be honest with you about your work.
Since you're not a stan and don't identify as a swiftie too might've missed the verified fan debacle for the reputation tour? Where fans were asked to outspend each other, essentially, in order to get better access to tickets. I would posit that's when the corporate Swift really took over, but it wasn't very noticeable outside of the narrow band of people that were affected.
oh i remember that.. i was never very active on swiftie twitter or whatever, but i kind of blocked that from my memory since i ended up getting rep tickets about 3 days before the concert. i definitely agree, corporate swift became very prevalent there and thank you so much for reminding me about that!
This was a great read! Even the relatable emotions she touches on in this album (heartbreak, depression) don’t feel as vulnerable because they’re not grounded in our reality, but hers; a reality the media follows and picks apart. And a reality that she intentionally profits from with her easter eggs and hidden messages. Also I love Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me but at the same time I’m like…girl you’re the biggest star in the world lol this is not a point you need to make
thank you so much! i agree with your point about WAOLOM (craziest abbreviation) and to me it kind of feels like reputation but if it was put through AI.
Hahaha I never thought of that before but that is SO true!!
Thank you for speaking up on this one. Honestly I shy away from most Swift analysis, because it’s often too much for me. This time though, your introspection and nuanced insight was like a breath of fresh air. Usually I tend to be defensive of any woman celebrity who takes shit for being in the public eye, but not to the point where I must suspend all thoughts and ideas for the sake of my blind support at all costs. For example, how would that rule apply to people like Kari Lake or Ivanka? I think you’re right on about how not all criticism of Swift is inherently misogynistic just because she’s a woman (though I will call out misogyny when I do see it.) The Taylor Barbie, lol! If she’s getting billionaire level rich selling corporate merch and sucking wealth away from the middle class, no she is not anyone’s friend. At the same time, the concert photo of the two sisters is quite endearing. Two conflicting views can simultaneously be held as truthful for us all at once. Thank you for writing this excellent piece!
thank you so much for this kind comment! i'm glad you enjoyed this piece! <3
Love this Sarah!! I’ve been working on a piece about celebrity worship and Taylor Swift and this hits on so much of what I’ve been feeling! That billionaire is 1000% not your friend! 🤪
thank you bhavya <333
I love this piece! I agree 100% as someone who also loved Taylor Swift for almost my whole life. Her latest album didn’t hit for me as much as I thought it would (I still enjoy a few songs) and I think you pretty much put all my thoughts about it into words. I will still enjoy her music but more from a distance instead of on the front-lines like most Swifties lol
thank you so much! i love her always but things feel a bit convoluted and difficult right now. i’m right there with you and we can hang out in the distance together 🩷
as a self proclaimed swiftie dating someone who dislikes taylor, i resonated so deeply with a LOT of the points you brought up! especially in artists who struggle to change once hitting their peak of fame but MORESO fans who cling onto memories of "time" spent with this artist, using their work to get over a heartbreak or a painful time of their life. thank you for such a great read!!!
so glad you enjoyed!! thank you so much for reading <3
This needed to be said. So many display behaviours that are parasocial, and it's harmful. Coming from someone who loves TS and her music! Love the black dog and the albatross off of ttpd.
thank you for reading !! good taste in your ttpd faves!
i loved reading this ! so many people dont realise the unintentional harm they are causing themselves by picturing a celebrity as their best friend, you can love somebody from a distance and admire them without worshipping them !
definitely, thank you so much for reading!
this PERFECTLY encompassed my feelings surrounding the new album as someone who loves taylor and her songwriting
AW thank you! I'm glad this resonated with you <3
I kind of feel this way about Harry Styles. His music will always be good and I’ll forever listen to it but the music now isn’t relatable. Even though he says he’s enjoying making this music, it’s just a good album. Just not like his other. His merch is also plain, but I feel it’s more to let small businesses profit off of selling Harry items other than him taking everyone’s money.
Loved this! You articulated a lot of what I've been feeling lately, especially in relation to the over-corporatization of Taylor Swift The Brand lately. I don't think that the Swifties understand the harm that they inadvertently cause Taylor and her brand due to their hostile, and as you put it, terrifying nature. This hyperpositivity surrounding her is toxic and in my opinion, leads to lower quality art. I think that post-pandemic people are forgetting that the core of the music industry is art and artistic expression, even in shiny pop music. I think its borderline impossible to put out music at the quantity and pace that Taylor and her team are doing it while simultaneously ensuring that it is authentic and meaningful. Since the release of Midnights, she has put out FORTY-FIVE (45) new songs. In two years. That is absolutely an inordinate amount of music to put out and I think it is reflected in the quality of her music. Everything after Midnights feels very cheapened to me and it makes me sad because I have loved Taylor so deeply for so much of my life. I felt like the release of the different midnights records to make a clock marked the beginning of her sell-out era and it's sad to watch as someone who has been listening to her since I was like eight years old.
I find it really eerie that every bit of commentary on TV and socials I’ve seen on her new album was prempted with a PSA saying something like “We love Taylor, please don’t be mad at us Swifties”.
I think no artist should ever be exempt from criticism. And holding someone who is, rightfully, renowned for their talent, to a certain standard of quality seems absolutely reasonable.
I would want that for my art as well. There should always be someone who’ll be honest with you about your work.
Since you're not a stan and don't identify as a swiftie too might've missed the verified fan debacle for the reputation tour? Where fans were asked to outspend each other, essentially, in order to get better access to tickets. I would posit that's when the corporate Swift really took over, but it wasn't very noticeable outside of the narrow band of people that were affected.
oh i remember that.. i was never very active on swiftie twitter or whatever, but i kind of blocked that from my memory since i ended up getting rep tickets about 3 days before the concert. i definitely agree, corporate swift became very prevalent there and thank you so much for reminding me about that!