Taylor Swift, Girlhood, and the Patriarchy
BY Delaney Gruver
The topic of Taylor Swift versus her haters has been brought to light recently because of her relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce. In America, the National Football League is the prime example and definition of a patriarchal society. Throughout the holidays, I watched a lot of football games with my male family members. Without fail, there were passive-aggressive comments about Taylor Swift being shown on camera at the games every. single. time. Why do they care? She is arguably the most popular female singer in the world right now. So why wouldn’t the NFL show Taylor Swift at the football games? It is making them so much money and gaining an entirely new audience. I’ve never heard men complain about Bradley Cooper or Kevin Hart being shown on the camera watching and enjoying football games. So why can’t Taylor Swift watch her boyfriend play football without complaints about her trying to get attention? The answer is clear and straightforward: misogyny.
Taylor Swift at the Chief’s game
I am a die-hard Swiftie. Since I was six, I have looked up to Taylor Swift as a role model. As I have grown older, I have found comfort in her music, feeling understood in shared experiences such as friendships, romantic relationships, and, of course, misogyny.
I did a survey asking people I know of all ages and various demographics how they feel about Taylor Swift at NFL games. One of my respondents said, “I don’t mind her being at the game, but they shouldn’t show her on the screen.” I wonder why it is so upsetting for her to be on the screen. I know they want to watch the game, but they show Taylor Swift for about 3 seconds in 3 hours of a game, so why is this such a big problem?
Me at the Red Tour circa 2013
Growing up, I was always passionate about my love for Taylor Swift and her music. I repeatedly heard comments like the following, “All of her songs are about breakups,” “All she does is date men and get broken up with,” “Taylor Swift fans are crazy,” and “Taylor Swift is ruining the music industry,” and “Taylor Swift has played the victim for years.” As a young girl, this feels demeaning and discouraging. No one hates on young boys for being passionate about the sports teams that they love. No one hates on male artists for singing about breakups. Male artists and athletes aren’t called “sluts” for dating multiple women throughout the years of their careers. In Taylor Swift’s words, “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 overreact.” This is a double standard that all women will face at some point in their lives.
In 2016, Taylor Swift was ”canceled” on the internet for an incident with Kanye West. People called her a snake, calculated, conniving, and a liar. This is because Kanye called her a bitch in one of his songs and edited a phone call to make it look like she agreed to it. The entire Internet was against her. There was a hashtag trending on Twitter demeaning her, and people were chanting “fuck Taylor Swift” at Kanye’s concerts. Following this controversy, she hid entirely from the public eye for a year. During that year, she wrote her record (my personal favorite) Reputation. This record is about overcoming the world's misogyny and hate and, of course, falling in love with her boyfriend at the time, Joe Alwyn. She took a terrible situation and used it to make a record that shows her fans and the young girls who look up to her that it is okay not to be liked, It is okay to overcome a bad time in your life, and, of course, that it is okay to take time away from toxic people and come out of it 10x stronger. Many fans feel that this album is empowering, and it is arguably the most revolutionary time in her career.
Dr. Joe Hancock, a Retail Intersections and Women and Gender Studies Professor at Westphal College of Media Arts and Design Drexel University, does not like Taylor Swift’s music. Still, he says that Taylor Swift is breaking a barrier for women and the double standard regarding gender. He says, “Taylor Swift is teaching young women that they can be anyone they want to be. She is teaching young women that they can be president”. He sees Taylor Swift’s power as a positive light in society, as she brings revenue to big cities in the United States and the National Football League, as fans who previously never watched football are suddenly interested. He says that part of publicity is circular, and famous people will go through phases of being liked and disliked, but that Taylor Swift has never done anything harmful or controversial.
A sexist comment towards one woman is a sexist comment towards all women. Whether it is Taylor Swift or not, all young girls have a successful woman they look up to. It is harmful for these girls to grow up watching the person that they idolize be constantly hated on for things that men do without a blink of an eye from the world, because they will eventually face a similar double standard and feel like there is no way out. This teaches them that they must tone themselves down and accept mistreatment. Mindy Gruver, who has a child psychology degree from Penn State and teaches in early childhood education, feels the same. She thinks these harmful comments only teach young girls that they must be less successful and accomplished to avoid offending anyone.
Track 12 of Taylor Swift’s 2020 Album Folklore is titled Mad Woman. This song is about the way that women face constant misogyny from the world and will then be called crazy for their reactions as if it is their fault for reacting. She opens the song with the lyrics, “What did you think I’d say to that? Does a scorpion sting when fighting back?” She later writes, “Every time you call me crazy, I get more crazy; what about that?” Taylor says it best herself. It is so unbelievably frustrating to grow up as a woman in a world where men will literally drive you insane and then act like it’s your fault for having a perfectly normal reaction.
I know that the hate that Taylor Swift receives is detrimental to young girls. She is one of the most successful people in the world, with others constantly trying to bring her down. But despite that, there are more positives than negatives regarding her impact. She is immensely creative, authentic, and a role model for young girls everywhere, and she deserves to be highlighted at whatever NFL football game she attends.