Ever since Taylor Swift’s first single “Our Song” began playing on every radio station, the pop-country singer’s fame blew up bigger than anyone, including her, could have imagined. She’s had number one hit after number one hit, won “Album of the Year” at the Grammy’s when she was only twenty years old, appeared in movies such as Valentine’s Day, and became the new face of Cover Girl. Sprung upon her was her sweet, innocent, America’s typical “girl-next-door” image that she still maintains.
Many parents approve Taylor Swift as an appropriate role model for their daughters for her tendency to stay out of the Hollywood spotlight and promote a positive image. However, is she really the best role model for young girls across the globe? Let’s find out…
1. She ALWAYS Has a New Boyfriend
Since Taylor Swift became famous, when hasn’t she had a boyfriend? She’s gone through boyfriends faster than I’ve gone through a freshly opened bag of Tostitos (they’re my favorite chips, once you eat one you just can’t stop). From her days with Drew from her song “Teardrop on my Guitar,” to Joe Jonas and Taylor Lautner and possibly John Mayer and Jake Gyllenhall and now her new rumored boyfriend Chord Overstreet from “Glee,” does this girl even know the meaning of Beyonce’s song “Single Ladies?” Probably not. The fact that Taylor always has a boyfriend may give a message to young girls that they should too. Realistically, we are not all going to have a new boyfriend two weeks after we break up with our last one. It is okay to be single for more than 24 hours, Taylor.
2. Her Songs Show Too Much Dependency on Boys
Every signature Taylor Swift song is about a boy. Every. Single. One. She claims that her songs are her diary in music form, and each song is always about a relationship. I don’t know about you, but if I could sing (and I REALLY wish that I could, but as many will be willing to attest to, especially my mom, I can’t), and my music was the form of my diary, it would have more things written down than how a boy put his arm around me for the first time when we were sitting there by the water. Her songs are often emotional, and obviously love has millions of emotions, but it seems as if she is only happy when she is with someone, and upset, hurt, and angry when she is not. Now, many songs in the world are about the great and terrible things of love, but these are all of her songs. Young girls may start to believe that they too should hold grudges with boys and be sad about them, when in reality, just move on and be happy.
3. Life is Not a Typical High School Movie
Life is not this: you’re not the most popular kid in high school, but you still have your close friends. You have an awesome boyfriend and you are all lovin’ life in high school. You graduate, stay best friends with everyone throughout college, and marry your high school sweetheart and you and all of your friends live next door to each other. Taylor Swift promotes this image that everything is a happy fairytale. While it’s great that she stays positive and focuses on being optimistic, I often find with her that she rarely acknowledges the obstacles and unplanned events that happen in life. Girls often say, “I wish my life were like a Taylor Swift song,” but why? In life, it’s the obstacles we overcome that make us stronger and overall better people. Rather than ignoring these obstacles, we should embrace them and know that whatever happens will better us in the end. No one sails through life, not even Taylor Swift, so there’s no need to pretend that she does.
There is more to life than a bad breakup or a boy we’ve liked for a few weeks. I’ll admit, Taylor Swift’s songs are catchy and are fun to sing along to, yet I simply view her songs as that: fun and catchy. While she wants to focus on solely the boy aspect of life, none of the rest of us girls need to, especially young girls who have looked up to her. So go have a fun girls night with your friends, spend time with your family, and know that you can make yourself happy with or without a boyfriend.