After the Harris-Trump debate, Taylor Swift stunned the internet by posting her endorsement for Kamala Harris on her Instagram. However, this came after she was seen hanging out at the Kansas City Chiefs football game with Brittney Mahomes, the wife of Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who many speculate is a Trump supporter. Whether coincidence or a PR stunt, the juxtaposition of this situation makes me question Swift’s efforts to be on the right side of history, as she claimed she wanted to be in her 2020 documentary “Miss Americana.”
Although Swift may have been planning on endorsing Harris anyway, buddying up to a potential Trump supporter makes her “activism” seem more like reactive-ism. It’s one thing to openly support a presidential candidate, but for her to keep people in her social circle who may support such opposite and hateful views makes me wary about her moral integrity.
In my opinion, the unfortunate truth is that Taylor Swift is not a good activist. She is a huge public figure with this image of wanting to create change but with zero legitimate follow-through. She declares herself to be a feminist but with zero acknowledgment of intersectionality and the unique struggles that women of color face. When she does speak on a debated topic, it is a topic that affects her based on her identity alone and/or is digestible enough for a wide range of people.
I can’t help but suspect that Swift understands this concept of digestible versus radical activism and uses it to her advantage. As long as she speaks on digestible issues, she maintains her ultra-stardom status while also getting to claim that she is an activist. Sinead O’Connor’s protest of the Catholic Church during her SNL performance in 1992 caused her career to plummet, but it sparked conversation and remains powerful to this day. It seems that Swift would rather stay rich and famous now than spark future change on rarely discussed issues.
Activism is about being a voice for those who can’t speak and standing up for issues that may affect you but also affect people outside of your own identity. While there is an incredible amount of risk that comes with that, Swift must own up to her words and use her immense power and influence to fight for underprivileged people’s rights, as a real activist would.
To answer the headline’s question, yes, I believe Swift is on the right side of history, but just barely. If she and other celebrities want to be real activists, they are going to have to put in a lot more effort to promote change. Change is brought about by fighting for equal human rights and pushing people in power to do the same, not just posting who you’re voting for on Instagram.