In honor of Midnights dropping and genuinely altering my brain chemistry, I thought it would be a perfect time to write about the mother of all crazy girls – Taylor Swift. She’s a snake, she’s manipulative, she’s corny… Call her what you want. But no one can take away the monumental leaps she has made for women in terms of emotional vulnerability.
She’s reinvented herself time and time again: country, pop, indie, alternative. She can truly do it all. But other than this fact clearly nodding to her ingenuity, it should make listeners consider WHY the entertainment industry makes it necessary for female artists to do so. We get tired of women the way we do with old clothes. Some might even say like a cardigan we shove carelessly under a bed… Which brings me to the Kanye West ordeal.
From the beginning, Taylor was wronged. He stole her moment at the VMAs, then tried to overshadow the rest of her career with insane accusations of being the reason for her fame, criticizing her dating history, and continuing to just make a fool of himself in public. Which don’t get me wrong, Kanye is a musical genius in his own right, but why do men get a pass for mental illness, and women become pariahs? This is a formal PSA to all my readers: STOP EXCUSING MEN’S UNHINGED BEHAVIOR JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE TALENTED. Dogs can do tricks too, but we don’t let them use the house as a bathroom, do we? Not to compare men to dogs, but I do think Kanye deserves it for everything he’s done to our girl Taylor. Although I will give thanks to Kanye for proving karma is real. Him losing his billionaire status the same week Taylor drops Midnights is a heck of a way to prove who won that war.
Even though Kanye’s actions are bottom of the barrel, I think he pales in comparison to what notorious music executive, Scooter Braun, tried to pull. Taylor Swift is arguably one of the greatest songwriters of our generation. Her songs have her soul bared naked for all listeners to hear, and for a man to swoop in and claim that the profits are his is simply criminal. But in a way, he ended up driving the knife into his own foot, because he gave the fans the greatest gift of all: the re-recordings, better known as “Taylor’s Version.”
The re-recordings feel like a love letter directly from Taylor to her fans who have stuck by her from the beginning. Listening to them with the extra “Vault Tracks” feels like being let in on parts of her story she was never ready to tell before – the details that finally fit together into her mastermind puzzle of Easter egg clues she’s been leaving for avid listeners her whole career.
And yes, some might say this whole debacle was a stunt, or a calculated PR move to frame herself in a victim narrative. But I think Taylor said it best in an interview with correspondent Tracy Smith:
“There’s a different vocabulary for men and women in the music industry, right? Okay. A man does something, it’s ‘strategic’; a woman does the same thing, it’s ‘calculated.’ A man is allowed to ‘react’; a woman can only ‘over-react.”
So it’s about time we gave Taylor props for everything she’s been through. She’s the one redefining MY vocabulary. She’s raised my standards for men, greatness, and most of all, craziness <3.
I agree so much with this blogpost. Taylor’s career has constantly been redefining women in the music industry- yes she talks about breakups and boys, but on her own terms. I was never really a Swiftie until folklore came out and now it feels like I’m rediscovering all of her old songs as well as getting to experience Taylor’s Versions. I also love the way you write! It’s funny and witty but always informative.
Your commentary on this post was hilarious. I really don’t know what to say on Kanye (is there really more to say? actions speak for themselves). I’ve never really been much of a Taylor Swift fan but it’s hard not to get sucked into the whole thing with all the drama that goes on. I think you made a really good point about the way she has been treated, which really just reflects the way other women in the industry are treated too. Women always seem to be pushed aside or dismissed with ‘oh, she’s just crazy or deranged.’ Maybe I’ll give this album a listen 🙂
FULLY AGREE. The dog analogy is so apt, oh my god. Furthermore, with Kanye’s horrifically antisemitic remarks (that are doing real harm!!), it even further stresses how we cannot excuse men’s behaviors solely due to their talent. Separating art from artist, to me, never works. Midnights is incredible and Vigilante Shit… girl!!
I’m so glad you dedicated a post to the queen!!! I completely agree with everything you said. I recently did an essay on “The Man” which does a wonderful job of articulating the double standards that Taylor and other women face, and it reminded me of this post. I also love how you subtly referenced her songs!!
Shreya,
You know how I feel about Taylor, and your blog post effectively emulated my own thoughts. Taylor Swift is one of the greatest musicians of our generation, yet many people continue to dislike her. Every time I encounter someone who feels this way, I ask why, and always receive a response like “she’s crazy,” “all she writes about are boys,” or “she’s too much.” The media has a way of continuously portraying successful females in a negative way due to the patriarchal society we live in. As for the Ye drama, I agree that Kanye is a lyrical and musical genius, but his behavior throughout the Taylor Swift debacle and in the past weeks is inexcusable. In fact, yesterday, I took down the Kanye West poster in my room :(. Overall, super interesting and engaging post. Can’t wait to read more!