Anyone who knows me knows I’m a huge Taylor Swift fan. It’s one of my core personality traits, if I’m being completely honest with myself. Since I was 11 years old, I’ve been obsessed with her music’s lyricism and her innate ability to capture what feels like an isolating experience into a universal song. Taylor’s music has brought me joy when nothing else could, got me through the emotional rollercoaster of my breakup last year, and has been a constant in my life in the midst of the crazy. I also include myself in her fandom, aptly named Swifties. My Swiftie friends and I exchange our favorite songs, geek out at her performances, and, in pre-covid times, even attend Taylor’s concerts together. The bond we have is incredible, one that only music could form. That said, as much as I value being a Swiftie, I don’t always agree with the extreme lengths other fans will go to defend Taylor. The events of the last week really brought this to light.
On Monday, a line on the Netflix original series “Ginny and Georgia” went viral for making a sexist joke about Taylor. It read “why do you care? You go through men faster than Taylor Swift”. This line is disgusting; it perpetuates the idea that Taylor has dated too many men, whatever that means, and uses her name to make a slut-shaming comment. Taylor responded to the line in a tweet “Hey Ginny and Georgia, 2010 called and wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back. How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse shit as FuNnY. Also, Netflix, after Miss Americana this outfit doesn’t look good on you. Happy Women’s History Month I guess”. The final part of the tweet refers to the fact that last year, Taylor released a Netflix documentary “Miss Americana” in which she mentions the slut-shaming she’s endured throughout her career. Upon seeing the tweet, fans immediately began to attack the actress who said the line, Antonia Gentry. Some of the comments were even racist. Here’s the thing. Antonia is the actress, not the writer. It is her job to read what is written on the script. She is not to blame for the line, the writers are. Antonia is trying to make it in the TV industry in the middle of a global pandemic, which is an incredibly hard, admirable feat. In fact, “Ginny and Georgia” is her first major role, and this career altering moment that she should be celebrating is now being ruined with hate from Swifties.
Honestly, as big of a role being a Swiftie plays in my identity, I don’t feel comfortable aligning myself with a group of people who take down other women. The situation is blatantly hypocritical; the line Swifties are mad about is one that degrades a woman. In an attempt to defend Taylor and take a stand against that kind of writing, they hate on and take down another woman, sometimes even being racist. Being a fan of an artist isn’t an excuse for spewing hate. There are so many people who Swifties at large have deemed canceled that I’m still a fan of because I’m able to separate being a fan of Taylor and being a fan of these other people. I wish that other Swifties would draw the line, too.
On a lighter note, here is my Evermore Ranking, including deluxe songs! (This changes every day lol)
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Gold Rush
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Right Where You Left Me
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Champagne Problems
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Long Story Short
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Tolerate It
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No Body, No Crime
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Ivy
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Happiness
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Coney Island
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‘Tis the Damn Season
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Dorothea
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Cowboy Like Me
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Closure
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Willow
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Evermore
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Marjorie
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It’s Time to Go