Taylor Swift Is Obviously A Role Model, So Why Are People Saying She Isn't?
Since the glittering Eras Tour came and went, sweeping the UK into a flurry of excitement, it seems as if, more so than ever before, conversations about Taylor Swift are never-ending. Of course, that should come as no surprise. She is this generation’s biggest music phenomenon with three sold-out nights at Wembley under her belt – plus more to come in August – and her latest record-breaking album, The Tortured Poets Department, which has spent 12 consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard 200.
This is an artist who has skyrocketed to success over the show-stopping performance that is her ongoing global tour, but as her presence has grown, so too have the voices criticising her status. In a recently published op-ed, an American publication argued that, despite Swift’s accomplishments, she is not a good role model for young women. ‘At 34, Swift remains unmarried and childless, a fact that some might argue is irrelevant to her status as a role model. But, I suggest, it's crucial to consider what kind of example this sets for young girls. A role model, by definition, is someone worthy of imitation,’ the writer argued. ‘While Swift's musical talent and business acumen are certainly admirable, even laudable, we must ask if her personal life choices are ones we want our sisters and daughters to emulate. This might sound like pearl-clutching preaching, but it's a concern rooted in sound reasoning.’
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As a Swiftie myself, let me explain why this assessment is wildly inaccurate and unjust. Firstly, let us remember that Swift never asked to be a role model. She was transformed into one, and unsurprisingly so. If you’re attracting a female-heavy fan base, you’re almost guaranteed to be dissected as to your worthiness of being somebody they look up to. I’d question whether we use this same standard for male artists.
Besides the sold-out shows and economic growth that Swift generates, there’s also something much less concrete and finance-driven about why Swift is deserving of role model status in the eyes of so many Swifties. The atmosphere of the Eras Tour (to those who have been lucky enough to secure tickets) is truly like nothing else. I’ve heard from strangers to the glimmering sphere of Swift’s discography that, despite not knowing her music, the concert was unlike anything they’ve ever experienced before.
What Swift has created and cultivated among her fanbase is special and incomparable. She has created a concert environment in which I, as an incredibly anxious and cautious London commuter, did not think twice about travelling and dancing around in my short black Reputation-era skirt, and I am confident that other fans of hers would agree that they’d never felt safer than in a stadium of 89,000 people of Swifties. Even as I braved the scenes of those queues spilling out of Wembley Stadium post-show, tirelessly waiting for transport, I was impressed. Not a single sound of frustration, no pushing and shoving to advance through the queues, no moaning about being stuck, packed against others, for several minutes outside. Instead, still chanting away to Swift's songs, her fans waited patiently, arguably still processing the last three hours they had just experienced.
The sexism levied against Swift is something that the artist is all too aware of. It's perhaps not a coincidence that the star's Lover era in her blockbuster concert opens with her single, 'The Man.' Swift’s lyricism directly challenges most of the common arguments against her role model adequacy within the three minute-length of the song. The song highlights the harsh hypocrisy Swift faces as a woman in the industry and provides a perfect imitation of how she has been criticised for her lack of ability to be a role model. She raises a poignant question: if Swift was a man, would she be viewed by the media and criticised by those around her in the same manner as she has been? Do we hold these standards to men in the music industry? Are men criticised for not being role models?
It should go without saying that Swift's musical talent in no way carries an endorsement or glorification of the lifestyle she lives. The way that she lives her life is not something she actively encourages her listeners to replicate, nor is it something that detracts from her success and position as a role model. She is a once-in-a-lifetime talent who is not only a firm role model for many, but as she reaches new heights with her success, will no doubt continue to be so for even more in the future too.
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