Growing up, when I heard the word "feminist" I immediately cringed. I did not understand what the word meant or really what a feminist was. I just knew it was something the guys in my class made fun of. It wasn't until much later than I would like to admit that I really started to believe in feminism and what it stands for. This realization started with the media's views on arguably one of the most influential women in the world today, Taylor Swift.
I started to notice how the media portrayed Taylor Swift around 2011 and how they continued to portray her through 2013. I remember making comments to my mom wondering why Taylor was constantly the joke at award shows. I didn't understand why as a young, successful, talented, woman, Taylor Swift was blasted anytime there was an opportunity.
I would see headlines that said things like, "Taylor Swift's Boyfriend Timeline: 10 Relationships and Their Songs," "Former Serial Dater Taylor Swift," "Who Has Taylor Swift Dated? The Singer's Many Men." These headlines not only made me upset because they were untrue, but also because out of all of the things for the media to focus on about Taylor, they were focusing on her dating life.
The message the media chose to send by doing that is one of pure sexism, where if you are a woman choosing to write about your emotions, you will be scrutinized for it over and over. Meanwhile, artists like Justin Timberlake, Ed Sheeran and Chris Brown were all writing and singing songs about their love lives. However, they were never depicted as serial daters or overemotional. Men are celebrated for singing about women. This did not settle as OK with me.
With the release of "1989," Taylor was able to create her own image and shoot down whom the media had tried to make her into. She was able to be acknowledged for her vocal talent, songwriting abilities, genius marketing ideas and her character -- not the guy she went to lunch with. "1989" focused on her growth as an individual after years of not being taken seriously. Taylor publicly showed and continues to show her support for other women in the industry instead of taking them down.
The headlines I see about Taylor now are things like, "How Taylor Swift Reversed Female Opinion to Become the Most Famous Pop Star in the World," "Taylor Swift Donates $150,000 to Alabama School District Affected by Tornadoes," "Taylor Swift's 1989 Set To Smash Records," "Taylor Swift's '1989' Hits 5 Million in U.S. Sales, Making It The Fastest-Selling Album In Over 10 Years." These are the types of headlines that empower me as a 20-year-old woman. These are the headlines that focus on a woman for her successes, not for the men in her life.
Taylor Swift helped me realize that sexism, especially in the music industry, is an issue. She helped me learn that being a feminist isn't a bad thing and that the media needs to stop depicting women differently than they do men. Thank you, Taylor Swift for introducing me to feminism and for not letting society dictate what it is you're known for. And most importantly, thanks for being the type of woman that supports other women.
