Beat logo

Taylor Swift Isn't Looking for Your Approval

She stopped caring a long time ago.

By C.E. ZulinPublished 7 years ago 3 min read
Like

In all the years of listening to music, there's perhaps no greater cultural phenomena than the hatred directed toward Taylor Swift.

Taylor is a talented musician. She writes her own songs, which earns her extra brownie points, and to top it all off, she's an excellent role model for young girls. She's growing as a human being and you can get a sense of that in her music.

So why does she receive so much hate?

One would stop to think that after almost a decade, there would be some rational explanation for it but at this point, I genuinely believe that people hate on her just because it's popular to do so. That's called bullying by the way.

Like her music or hate her music, that's fine. People can respect differences in musical taste with no problem. The problem comes when the shaming and judgment are cast for her multiple failed relationships. This, multiplied with her personal songs depicting her version of events, only adds fuel to the fire in the public eye when they cry "she's playing the victim."

Yeah? And? Think about every failed relationship you've ever had in your life. How many times would you say that you gave yourself 100% of the blame immediately following a break-up? How often do the feelings toward that other person fluctuate over time? Taylor uses her music as an emotional outlet, which is why so many young girls (and boys, admittedly) can associate so well with her music. She captures the emotional roller coaster of a relationship—the ups and downs; the joy, the anger, the sadness—and gives it back to the world to relate to.

In 2012, the hatred was very visible. Then in 2014, almost like a light switch upon the release of "Shake it Off," the world unanimously decided to change its mind. Taylor was acknowledging the hate and brushing it off, taking the higher road while changing her musical style entirely and people respected her for it. Then in 2015, it was like everything collapsed in on itself again with the hate rolling back in.

Last year, everyone's second-favourite man-child, Kanye West and his loving wife decided to leak a video embarrassing Taylor publicly once again, this time sending the message that she approved the distasteful lyrics in his song "Famous" over a phonecall.

But here's the thing. The whole thing was a publicity stunt. You show me the audio clip where he said he was going to call her a "bitch" and maybe I'll concede otherwise.

Now, Taylor has decided to fight back with her new song "Look What You Made Me Do" and the negativity toward her has been overwhelming. Like the song or hate the song, I'm sure we'll all be hearing it nonstop on the radio in a month anyways. It's different, it's quirky, and kids are going to go nuts over it.

But don't hate Taylor. Hate the system that tells you someone should be shamed for struggling to find a meaningful relationship. Hate the system that tells you that women standing up for themselves should be mocked if they release a song you don't like. And hate the fact that we lived in a world that allows you to form such strong opinions based on whatever the media throws at you.

Because, at the end of the day, she's a human being who's been given a really rough ride over things that male artists have been doing for decades. There are more important things to worry about these days, anyways.

C.E. Zulin is the author of Saints of the Paradise Valley, the gripping story of Starseed, a seventeen-year-old girl looking for answers in a world that provides none. Caught in between a war between traditionalism and science, will Starseed be able to find her parents and at long last, Paradise?

Learn more here and look for SOPV in the Amazon or Kobo bookstores.

celebrities
Like

About the Creator

C.E. Zulin

Rockstar. Author. Blogger.

Fan of Dystopian Fiction like "The Hunger Games"? Check out "Saints of the Paradise Valley" at https://www.facebook.com/saintsoftheparadisevalley/

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.