Taylor...you go girl!!
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Why make a documentary on TS? Have we nothing better to do?
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I admire Taylor Swift. I think she has it pretty together as a young woman with a ton of fame and fortune, and is slowly trying to do more good for the world by giving her political opinions - and she sometimes uses her stature to stand up for other musical artists. And to admit an eating disorder - as the mom of two tween girls who finds herself horrified by the sickly thin girls on the Disney channel - thank you for admitting you have an issue.
So for her goal to be a second Grammy for album of the year? Baby girl, no!! The Grammy is just a silly little prize capriciously given, and has little to do with the popularity or artistry of your music. You are better than that, Ms Swift - and you have the power and $$ to pick a better mountain to climb.
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i can't wait to vote for her for president.
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The fact that she would call Marsha Blackburn “Trump in a wig” (when Marsha Blackburn has been so cruel and unpatriotic to call a recipient of the Purple Heart, Colonel Vidman, unpatriotic, makes Taylor Swift a hero. — Way too many Senators do not have the courage Ms. Swift has and is demonstrating. Thank you, Ms. Swift. Besides having so much talent and using it to make people feel happy and less alone, you are now demonstrating leadership. May the good-luck and warm grace surround you and your mother.
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So, she’s experienced some consciousness raising. Emblematic of young women who haven’t been exposed to feminism and feminists in their young lives.
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I have no strong feelings about Taylor Swift. As Obama said after the Kanye West/VMA incident, "she seems like a perfectly nice young woman." However, I am happy that she is having a bit of a political awakening. Whether she likes it or not -whether we like it or not - she has political power and what she says does matter. At the least, her words can get her fans to think about issues they may otherwise know nothing about. One point, however: Ms. Swift is a beautiful, young blonde white woman who has come from a background of considerable wealth and privilege. I hope that part of her "awakening" is the realization of how many people do not have anything near her advantages and who suffer from far greater abuse and far less voice as as result.
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Since her teens, my daughter has been fan. She listens to the lyrics. She told me that the lyrics of Taylor’s songs encourage young women to be strong, independent and unaccepting of demeaning relationships. Having attended her concerts, I’ve heard TS implore her young fans to speak truth to power, follow their dreams and stand up for those who are fighting for equality. Given how other songwriters demean women in their lyrics, I’m grateful TS continues to be a powerful counterforce to the misogynistic music that’s shoveled at youth.
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Interesting to see Taylor Swift develop into a lovely young woman and better yet her own woman, the best kind. Surprised she's not a movie star yet.
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Joni Mitchell wrote of the work of “Stroking the star-maker machinery behind the popular song.”
It’s fascinating to see the struggles behind an artist who wants to please, wants to be adored, yet wants to be free without having her music stardom collapse around her for the crime of being herself. It’s a lot better than fiction!
On a more personal note, I have a disabled daughter who can barely speak — but she was able to tell me that she wanted to hear Welcome to New York — and so we have a great time listening to Taylor Swift together. I am so grateful that her music helps me connect to someone who cannot speak.
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I only paid attention to Taylor Swift once she became politically outspoken. I can't name even one of her songs, but you can't discount her fanbase, which is huge and includes people from both parties and I am assuming, with her Tennessee roots, QUITE a few repubs. I don't deny Ms. Swift's success (even if her music is not to my taste) and I think she will be a powerful voice in the upcoming elections if she chooses to speak her truth. That said, the "victim" vibe is a little stale — she, like most other performers of her ilk, chose her profession and must have known the pitfalls and difficulties that choice would incur. I hadn't even realized that her image included being a "nice girl", as most of the photos I've seen of her kind of present the opposite—she looks like the girl whose going to steal someone's boyfriend and love every minute of the drama.
I'll watch this documentary and maybe learn something.
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@lars You nailed it, Lars! She is objecting to the system that objectifies her--which has enabled her success. I like her attitude though, compared to most pop stars'.
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@David People always say that, but wouldn't it be better if someone of her obvious talent and drive could be successful without being objectified? Being pretty seems like a double-edged sword; if it's brought her some of her success, it's also made her less respected as an artist, and it means she's under a lot of pressure to keep looking like a model even though that's not her job. I think this is something men have a hard time understanding, because men, even famous men who are conventionally good-looking, simply aren't objectified to the same degree. They may benefit from their looks, but they don't pay the price of being treated like an object that belongs to everyone. It would be nice if nobody had to pay that price, which I think is the point Swift is trying to make.
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@lars
"The "victim" vibe is a little stale — she, like most other performers of her ilk, chose her profession and must have known the pitfalls and difficulties that choice would incur."
Sorry, but that's precisely the mindset that Swift, the MeToo movement, and feminists in general are fighting against.
No one should have to fear gender-based "pitfalls and difficulties" when choosing any profession. Men shouldn't have to fear being harassed if they choose to pursue a "female" profession like being an airline steward or a make-up designer. Similarly, women shouldn't have to fear being harassed (or sexually assaulted) if they choose to pursue a male-dominated profession, such as the entertainment industry or politics.
And your assertion that Swift dressing sexily for her professional persona means that she's "not nice" and doesn't deserve to be respected is nothing more than the insidious old argument that women who dress sexually have no right to complain if they get raped.
Performers of both genders in many media (e.g. actors, male body builders, erotic dancers, athletes who make commercials, etc.) often create a sexy image as part of their work; that doesn't mean that they want (or deserve) inappropriate sexual advances in their non-working lives.
Sexiness sells, and stars succeed in part by cultivating a degree of objectification. But any type of salesperson also cultivates success by projecting a facade to customers. No one deserves scorn or harassment for that.
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Her genre of music is not what I generally listen to, but I admire her growing up in the public eye, in the age of the internet and keeping herself largely intact. Not an easy thing when you look at the Justin Biebers of the world.
She is self-made- there's been no svengali pulling the strings and I am glad she is asserting and accepting her power. A good example and a credit to all women.
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@MT The svengali is Scott Borchetta. Really. She has certainly grown up in to a possibly capable artist and songwriter, but she wasn't when Borchetta signed her. And put together ALL of her early formative recordings, tours, etc. Borchetta is the svengali.
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I, too, always wear that much lipstick when I'm in my pajamas.
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@Chris
I can understand why Ms. Swift gets frustrated by all the nonsense that gets thrown her way. Your comment is an example. If the subject of this article was a man, would you even think to criticize his appearance? Ms. Swift runs circles around other music greats (even Michael Jackson didn’t write his own lyrics...not to mention, used his fame to abuse others). And she’s got class, to boot. Her talent and character deserve more attention than her choice of lipstick.
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@Chris well, there you go. You’ve
missed the point. None of your business whether she is wearing lipstick or not.
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Personally, I’m thrilled that this documentary will be out soon. I think Taylor’s political journey should be the focus, even if that means pushing Scooter and the Grammy Awards to the side. I can’t wait to see her grow.
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@Mandy Feuerman I completely agree. She's reached the top of the mountain and is wondering, "What next?" Simple (but not easy): find another mountain! She has the mindset and the resources to do a huge amount of good, and her fans will go to the ends of the earth for her.
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