Unless you avoid reading the news like the plague or stay off all forms of social media, you have probably heard of the latest drama between Kanye West and Taylor Swift. If you haven't heard, here is a quick recap: Kanye West included the line, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that bitch famous," in his song "Famous" off his newest album. Once the song was released Taylor Swift stated in her acceptance speech for her 2016 Grammy award that others were trying to take credit for her success, making Kanye look like a complete jerk. Then, Kim K came to the rescue and released the video of Kanye clearing the lyric with Taylor, catching Taylor in a lie. On the surface, this may seem like another superficial celebrity feud. After all, Kanye West and Taylor Swift always seem to be in a feud with some celebrity at any point in time. But answer this: Would Taylor have been so easily believed if she wasn't a white celebrity? Would Kanye West have been condemned as a liar so quickly if he wasn't black?

For months I have been a critic of Taylor Swift. The main word I have used to describe her behavior is "shady." She claims she is an outspoken feminist, yet she fails to speak out on many issues facing women in this nation, not to mention the issues women of color face in this nation. She is the definition of "white feminism." She employs very few women. She hangs out with a "squad" mostly consisting of skinny, white supermodels, yet she claims she is down to earth and in touch with reality. I am not criticizing the fact that Taylor Swift is out of touch with reality–I am criticizing the fact that she pretends she is not. Don't get me wrong, Kanye West is pretty out of touch with reality as well, but at least he is honest about it. He can be a complete asshole but he owns up to it. He doesn't pretend to be someone he is not.

My frustration with Taylor Swift began when she won "Album of the Year" at the 2016 VMA's over Kendrick Lamar. This obviously wasn't her fault, but she failed to use her acceptance speech as a platform to bring people's attention to issues in society. She has an incredible amount of influence yet she doesn't use it. For what reason? To protect her image? To ensure her fan base is as large as possible?

Although Taylor Swift is not known for using names in her songs when she disses someone, we all know whom she wrote her most recent hit about based on her breakups. Yet, she is never called out for it. Kanye made sure that the line was okay with Taylor Swift, yet so many people immediately condemned him. Is this because rap is a style of music that stemmed from a group of people systematically oppressed for years and years? We as a society are so used to ignoring and invalidating black voices that we didn't even consider for a moment that Taylor Swift might be the one lying-- not Kanye West.

Kanye West has had some moments where he hasn't put himself in the best light, but he is always honest about it. He is authentic. Taylor Swift is caught in lies more than we realize. She once claimed in an interview that she was a girl who rarely ever had boyfriends. She is now known for an impressive track record of celebrity exes. There is little evidence to support her claims that she is feminist. She is as just as self-interested and self-absorbed as the rest of the celebrity population, which is fine. I just wish she was honest about it. Of course fame, like she has, will affect someone. She just needs to stop pretending like she didn't win the lottery on life and is the victim in every situation.

So, this feud is more than just an issue of "he said, she said." It is an issue of race. It is an issue of always believing what a white person says and ignoring and discrediting an entire narrative (that Taylor did not even want to be a part of). Taylor Swift shouldn't be let off from this situation so easily. We hold Kanye's mistakes over his head anytime he is in the spotlight, it's time for us to do the same with Taylor.