As someone who is chest deep in pop culture and spending a lot of time online, I want to say to those who think Taylor Swift is a bad influence on young girls: she's the least of your worries.
Personally I do not understand the obsession some people have with Taylor Swift, but then on the flip side I don’t understand people’s hatred for her either. I feel like either way Taylor Swift can’t win, so she just needs to be herself and not listen to the naysayers who constantly have to critique everything about the woman. If she’s happy and in love, then good for her. There are so many terrible influences online that children could be emulating and Taylor Swift isn’t one of them.
I used to respect TS for her independence and achievements. It's not her music that bothers me. I lost respect for her when she publically shamed her own father for his free speech and demanded he not have an opinion she didn't agree with. And her public blubbering about President Trump was infantile.
Excellent take. Thank you for bringing some rational, common sense. Although, I’d love your thoughts on her song Wood. Just as a role model it’s feels a bit trashy when you know you have a large young girl fan base, on the other hand it’s bop and would go over most young girls heads. I grew up with Madonna, probably too young to have absolutely loved Papa Don’t Preach, songs just don’t land the same to kids as they do adults. But for sure a 14-15 year old gets it.
I'm too old to be a Swiftie, and I am right of center, but I respect Taylor Swift's business acumen, the way she treats her employees, and her loyalty to longtime friends like Selena Gomez.
I’m not a fan of her music, but I agree Daniel that her actions toward her employees is admirable. She’s also been able to avoid becoming a dumpster fire like many child artists. Likely a testament to her character and judgment as well as those who advised/protected her during her rise to fame.
Happiness is building something. Whether it is a family or business or home, that’s finding a place in this world. Not building leads to emptiness and we know there’s plenty of that in the world today
Hi Savannah. Love your work. Considerably more than I like Taylor's. Not throwing shade at her, just being clear about where I stand. I'm just not anywhere near her target market.
My issue with Taylor is that the teenage Taylor writing about teenage longings is gone. Much in the way that the teenage you and I are in the past. Instead we have mid-30's Taylor writing about adult themes and using adult language (and it's starting to get a little creepy to hear her singing about love in the schoolyard these days). Sometimes those themes are downright distasteful.
With regard to language, it's interesting to note the changes over the years: Albums before Red had little to no swear words, but last year's album had over 50. It's been a steep climb. (I don't know the count for the most recent album.) She's starting to sound like the time I tried to replace a headlight in my Jeep and ended up having to pay $580 at the dealership to have it done. It was a tapestry of profanity delivered with the sophistication and tenderness we came to only expect from Huckleberry Finn's father.
The first time I noticed more adult themes (because I really wasn't paying attention) was with the LGBTQ+ advocacy of "You Need to Calm Down," which seemed to be written to shame and mock anyone with traditional Biblical ideas of marriage and relationships. Yeah, I'm finding my way to the exit just for that alone.
But more recent examples aren't hard to find. From the 2024 Tortured Poets Department album, Taylor sings about how "your good Lord doesn’t lift a finger" but she alone can "fix" her bad-boy crush. On the same album, she identifies church people as "judgmental creeps" and people who "try and save you ‘cause they hate you."
I don't even need to get into the most recent "Wood" song. Good grief.
Yeah, we all know this kind of stuff isn't new. Heck, I was this many years old when I learned that Madonna's "Like A Virgin" was about a particular sex act. But precedent isn't principle.
Maybe you're right; Taylor might be the "least" of a parent's worries, but I don't think that makes it advisable to throw gas on the fire. I'd be pruning that stuff out of my kids' lives as best I could.
So no, I'm not particularly "mad" at Taylor. Although it's nice (and maybe rare?) to see a woman singing about wanting to settle down and make babies with her husband, she's clearly bought into, and chooses to promote, many of the lies in our culture. Lies that should not be embraced. Lies I wouldn't want someone telling my kids.
I wish her and Travis all the best in their upcoming marriage, following a private ceremony with absolutely no publicity generated by the overworked but highly effective Swift PR machine. A boy can dream, can't he? Hey, maybe I'll write a song about that...
Thank goodness someone else has some sense when it comes to this topic.
Personally I do not understand the obsession some people have with Taylor Swift, but then on the flip side I don’t understand people’s hatred for her either. I feel like either way Taylor Swift can’t win, so she just needs to be herself and not listen to the naysayers who constantly have to critique everything about the woman. If she’s happy and in love, then good for her. There are so many terrible influences online that children could be emulating and Taylor Swift isn’t one of them.
I used to respect TS for her independence and achievements. It's not her music that bothers me. I lost respect for her when she publically shamed her own father for his free speech and demanded he not have an opinion she didn't agree with. And her public blubbering about President Trump was infantile.
Agree with you completely.
Excellent take. Thank you for bringing some rational, common sense. Although, I’d love your thoughts on her song Wood. Just as a role model it’s feels a bit trashy when you know you have a large young girl fan base, on the other hand it’s bop and would go over most young girls heads. I grew up with Madonna, probably too young to have absolutely loved Papa Don’t Preach, songs just don’t land the same to kids as they do adults. But for sure a 14-15 year old gets it.
I'm too old to be a Swiftie, and I am right of center, but I respect Taylor Swift's business acumen, the way she treats her employees, and her loyalty to longtime friends like Selena Gomez.
I’m not a fan of her music, but I agree Daniel that her actions toward her employees is admirable. She’s also been able to avoid becoming a dumpster fire like many child artists. Likely a testament to her character and judgment as well as those who advised/protected her during her rise to fame.
Very thoughtful Savannah. Thank you.
I have no opinion on TS, but appreciate your opinion on the impact of right/left stories on romance and pop culture. Your insight has me thinking.
Happiness is building something. Whether it is a family or business or home, that’s finding a place in this world. Not building leads to emptiness and we know there’s plenty of that in the world today
Hi Savannah. Love your work. Considerably more than I like Taylor's. Not throwing shade at her, just being clear about where I stand. I'm just not anywhere near her target market.
My issue with Taylor is that the teenage Taylor writing about teenage longings is gone. Much in the way that the teenage you and I are in the past. Instead we have mid-30's Taylor writing about adult themes and using adult language (and it's starting to get a little creepy to hear her singing about love in the schoolyard these days). Sometimes those themes are downright distasteful.
With regard to language, it's interesting to note the changes over the years: Albums before Red had little to no swear words, but last year's album had over 50. It's been a steep climb. (I don't know the count for the most recent album.) She's starting to sound like the time I tried to replace a headlight in my Jeep and ended up having to pay $580 at the dealership to have it done. It was a tapestry of profanity delivered with the sophistication and tenderness we came to only expect from Huckleberry Finn's father.
The first time I noticed more adult themes (because I really wasn't paying attention) was with the LGBTQ+ advocacy of "You Need to Calm Down," which seemed to be written to shame and mock anyone with traditional Biblical ideas of marriage and relationships. Yeah, I'm finding my way to the exit just for that alone.
But more recent examples aren't hard to find. From the 2024 Tortured Poets Department album, Taylor sings about how "your good Lord doesn’t lift a finger" but she alone can "fix" her bad-boy crush. On the same album, she identifies church people as "judgmental creeps" and people who "try and save you ‘cause they hate you."
I don't even need to get into the most recent "Wood" song. Good grief.
Yeah, we all know this kind of stuff isn't new. Heck, I was this many years old when I learned that Madonna's "Like A Virgin" was about a particular sex act. But precedent isn't principle.
Maybe you're right; Taylor might be the "least" of a parent's worries, but I don't think that makes it advisable to throw gas on the fire. I'd be pruning that stuff out of my kids' lives as best I could.
So no, I'm not particularly "mad" at Taylor. Although it's nice (and maybe rare?) to see a woman singing about wanting to settle down and make babies with her husband, she's clearly bought into, and chooses to promote, many of the lies in our culture. Lies that should not be embraced. Lies I wouldn't want someone telling my kids.
I wish her and Travis all the best in their upcoming marriage, following a private ceremony with absolutely no publicity generated by the overworked but highly effective Swift PR machine. A boy can dream, can't he? Hey, maybe I'll write a song about that...