One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
Imagine me putting down another finger with each number, ultimately forming a fist. There are your reasons. BOOM. I’m kidding.
She’s so fake.
She’s so whiny.
How many boyfriends has she actually had?!
Seriously? Simmer down. Those are just a few of the remarks I hear constantly referring to people’s hatred of Taylor Swift. Really? You hate her? That’s awfully harsh. There are certainly more hatable things than a country-turned-pop singer. If you’re implying you hate her as a person because you’ve met her (which you’re not and you haven’t), then my question becomes: how the hell did you meet her and why didn’t you invite me?!
Let’s do a quick rundown of the reasons why it would be okay to immensely dislike Taylor Swift. It would be acceptable if:
- She were an axe murderer
- She were stuck up
- She didn’t give a crap about her fans
- She weren’t actually talented
- She had an unpleasant personality
- She were discriminatory in her music
- She transitioned into a Bee Gees tribute artist
Are any of those things applicable? No? Then shut the hell up.
Now, what follows is a handful of the many reasons why I personally love Taylor, and you should, too. What’s that? No, no objecting allowed. Sit back, keep quiet, and just read. No, there will not be a Q&A at the end, and no, you may not be excused.
1. She’s a kindhearted individual who loves her fans.
Taylor Swift’s eponymous debut album was released when I was a freshman in high school, back in 2006. I wasn’t too keen on her in the beginning, but that was simply because I’ve never been particularly a fan of country music; it had nothing to do with her personally. That said, I could always tell that she seemed to be a sweetheart. Her approach was very sweet and genuine in interviews and fan meet-and-greets.
In fact, more recently, she hosted (at her own house in LA, mind you) a pre-listening party for her fans in honor of her upcoming album 1989. She took classic polaroid pictures with her fans at said party, baked them cookies, and even let them play with her cat, Olivia Benson. OLIVIA BENSON. What a perfect name for a cat. I bet you wish your cat was named Olivia Benson, instead of the hackneyed Fluffy. Lame.
And remember back in 2009 during the VMAs, when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s award acceptance speech, like a complete ass? She forgave him, and wrote a song about the whole situation–Innocent–the lyrics of which imply that she has no hard feelings. That’s pretty big of her. I don’t think I would take so kindly to something like that, to be honest. I commend you, Taylor, for being a genuinely kindhearted person.
Also, I’m quite often flabbergasted when I hear somebody call her fake. What does that even mean? What’s fake about her? Is it because genuine kindness is so hard to come by these days that when it’s stumbled upon, it’s perceived as the anomaly? Get over yourselves. At least she’s not singing along to grimy beats about how she’s boozing it up and can’t remember who she slept with the night before. Which leads in to my next point…
2. She’s relatable.
Regardless of genre, the world of music is dominated by sexism. Sex sells, sure. But a majority of ‘top hits’ that employ the ‘sex sells’ motto objectify women; denounce them, belittle them, humiliate them. The list goes on. At the 2003 VMAs, Snoop Dogg showed up with two scantily clad women in collars and on leashes. Are you kidding me? What a pig. It doesn’t matter if the women consented or not; that’s disgusting behavior.
I may have digressed a little bit, but what I’m getting at is that Taylor doesn’t do any of that. Her songs aren’t about fooling around with countless men, doing drugs, drinking straight through the night. They don’t objectify anybody. Her lyrics aren’t homophobic, racist, sexist, ageist, ableist, what have you. In fact, I’ve always been fond of the lighthearted approach Taylor Swift takes in her songwriting- she perfectly captures the butterflies one gets when dating somebody new, the anxiety of an imminent breakup, the relief of leaving a toxic relationship. She’s perfectly relatable. Who cares if a majority of her songs center around relationships, successful or not? Countless teenagers and I’m sure even early twentysomethings know exactly how those things feel. I know I do. No matter what you’ve been through, I’m willing to bet Taylor Swift has already written a song about it. And doesn’t music often make everything even just a little better? Yes. The answer is yes and it’s not up for debate.
(Side note: Taylor Swift ‘stirred up controversy’ because she was ‘twerking’ in her music video for Shake It Off. There is twerking present in the video, but the background dancers are the ones doing it. Taylor briefly shakes her ass for maybe about 2 seconds, and she’s standing upright when she does it. Sorry to disappoint you.)
3. She’s talented across the genre spectrum.
Taylor may have started off as a country artist, but the release of her most recent album Red saw a change in direction from country to more mainstream pop music. Some may call this selling out, but personally I’d call it growth. The album still included numerous tracks containing the classic Taylor country melodies, while others incorporated more upbeat pop and occasionally alternative rhythms (22 and State of Grace, respectively). I think it’s wonderful for an artist who’s found great success in one genre to want to broaden her horizons. It really does show immense growth. At least she’s not making a complete 180 and going from country to, say, grindcore/hip-hop. That kind of change would be… I’m not sure what it would be. Frightening, probably. Disappointing, definitely. Thankfully, that’s not the case.
With the recent premiere of Shake It Off, I’m eagerly awaiting the release of 1989 to see what kind of awesome surprises Taylor Swift has in store for us. October 27th can’t come soon enough.
4. She remains grounded.
Aside from Taylor Swift’s musical feats, she’s also a philanthropist. I know, I know, many celebrities are. But Taylor Swift’s philanthropic efforts have been recognized by Michelle Obama, notably for her dedication to helping others.
Arts education, disaster relief, children’s literacy, community service, and civil rights movements are all endorsed, supported by, promoted by, and/or donated to by Taylor Swift. She also works with a number of charities which provide services to sick children. How can you hate somebody with such a big heart? Are you not-so-secretly jealous that you don’t do enough for your community? Maybe you’re the real culprit here. Stop reading this and go plant some bulbs, or something.
Despite skyrocketing to fame musically and altruistically, Taylor keeps her feet on the ground. She hasn’t let fame go to her head and is the furthest thing from snobby or arrogant. Having said that, I’d consider her an excellent role model- for people of all ages. The spotlight often tends to cast a shadow of conceit, but Taylor Swift seems to elegantly avoid that. It’s been fantastic to watch her grow and develop as an artist for the past 8 years. I’m talking as if I know her personally… ah, if only.
5. Because I fucking said so.
Now stop wasting all your energy unfoundedly hating somebody you’ve never even met, and redirect your anger elsewhere. Like, maybe, at ISIS. Or the recent seemingly race-driven murders by cops in the United States.
Wordsmith 