I feel that it’s appropriate to finish (for now) with one of the most influential women of our generation, who also just recently made history (again) with the release of her re-recorded album: Red (Taylor’s Version). Personally, I have always looked up to Taylor Swift as a woman who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, someone who wasn’t afraid to embrace her creativity- despite over a decade of backlash- and as someone who showed the world who she truly was repeatedly, dorky dancing and all. Swift has been a glittering example for young girls and women who aspire to be more than people are willing to let them be.

Taylor rose to fame with the explosive release of her hit singles “Love Story” and “You Belong with Me” in 2009, eventually winning her several awards including a Grammy for Album of the year and a VMA for Best Female Video. However, when everyone should have been celebrating the 18 year old’s incredible success at the 2009 VMA’s, they were focused instead on a certain male rapper interrupting Swift’s acceptance speech, saying that Beyonce should have won the award instead. Taylor, at the time, said that she forgave Kanye, and even wrote her song “Innocent” about that night singing “32 is still growing up now, who you are is not what you did”. People applauded Swift for her maturity in the situation and her ability to forgive him, even presenting him with an award at the 2015 VMAs and saying how glad she was that their past was behind them. 

2016 brought hard times on Swift when this “friendship” stabbed her in the back, and even buried her for almost a year. The “snake day incident” was a widespread twitter hating on Swift, started by Kim Kardashian West, after a recorded phone call was released where she was heard agreeing to Kanye referencing her in his song “famous”. Swift claimed that while she was consulted about being referenced, she was never given the accurate lyrics being used to describe her, which included some profane language and derogatory terms, the Wests said that she was lying, and proceeded to release the recording of the phone call. Needless to say, cancel culture took over, and Swift made the decision to go underground for over a year. 

Flash forward to November 2017, when Taylor’s social media, now entirely blank, posted three short video clips forming a snake. Swift made her comeback in the most Taylor Swift way possible, with the release of an album and a sold out studio tour. Not only did her album go number 1 and sold over 1.3 million copies in its first week without promotion, but her predicted “flop” of a stadium tour also earned over 345.7 million dollars, the highest grossing tour of all time. Since then, Swift has become more sure of herself, beginning to make music for her and her fans rather than the radio and critics, hence the release of “folklore” and “evermore” in 2020. She also became a bigger advocate for what she believed was right, officially breaking her decade long silence on politics for the 2020 election. She took a strong stance on women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights with her music video for “You Need to Calm Down”, even starting a petition for the senate to support the equality act, with well over the 500,000 votes needed for a response.

Recently, Taylor has been breaking her own records, setting the new record for biggest debut of “Red (Taylor’s Version) with 90.8 million streams on the first day. The record holder before this? Taylor Swift’s “folklore”. In terms of awards, here is a small list of her wins:

• ACMAs – 8 
• American Country Awards- 4
• AMA’s – 32 (most of all time) 
• Billboard Music Awards- 23 
• BMI Pop Awards – 29 
• CMAs – 12
• CMT Artist of the Year – 2
• Grammy Awards- 11
• Guinness World records – 28 (and counting) 
• MTV Awards – 11
• Teen Choice Awards- 26 

With a total of 416 wins over her 15 year-long career. For a complete list of her awards and nominations, click here. 

To say Taylor Swift is an accomplished musician is an understatement of her long and impressive career. And while all of these awards and shattered records are certainly incredible, the most incredible part of this woman is her character. Taylor Swift has received so much backlash, slut-shaming and hate for her career and personal life. Yet she has always prevailed, coming back stronger and better each time, proving over and over again that she is here to stay, no matter what may come her way. Everyone, not just women, can take inspiration from her strength and reliance in the public light. As Taylor says, you gotta “shake it off”. 

If you find yourself resistant to listening to her music because you feel it may be too “cheesy” or “cookie cutter”, here are my personal song suggestions that tell a better story of who Taylor Swift is as a musician than her hit singles. 

• All Too Well
• Nothing New 
• Champagne Problems
• I Did Something Bad 
• tolerate it 
• exile 
• False God 
• Tied Together with a Smile 
• Sad Beautiful Tragic