Over 15 years and 11 Grammy wins, Swift has received criticism for writing silly love songs for girls, for dating too many men, for writing songs about her exes, for allegedly being a “snake” (thanks Kanye & Kim). What pushed Taylor Swift to stand up to the haters?
In this episode, we’re joined by long-time Swifties, Soph, Lizzy, and Joss to discuss how Swift squashed the criticism with her sixth album Reputation (2017). After a year of silence from Swift, she dropped Reputation’s lead single “Look What You Made Me Do” – a scathing middle finger to the music industry and the media filled with snakes, vaults of money, and 15 different Taylor Swifts from various eras.
Reputation was the moment Swift stopped caring what the media said about her, stepping into the most authentic version of herself. With the release of Folklore and Evermore in 2020, Swift has finally gained the approval of the media (and took home a Grammy for Album of the Year along the way). But with her turbulent history, how long will the media love Taylor Swift? And when will they realise they are the haters she’s standing up to?
Big thanks to our guests! If you want to talk more, you can find them at the following: Soph (@sophjonesmusic + Download Your Thoughts Pod), Lizzy (@lizzyzyburt + @fairviewofficial), and Joss (@josbrago).
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Want to talk more? Find us: @name3songs | @sara_feigin | @jenna_million
We discussed more of Taylor’s career from the outsider perspective in Taylor Swift versus the Victim Narrative and Misogyny in Pop Music: The Nice Guys and Pick Me Girls.
Sources for Taylor Stands Up to The Haters (Fantake)
The Queasy Double Message of Taylor Swift’s ‘You Need to Calm Down’ (The Atlantic by Spencer Kornhaber, 2019)
Taylor Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” wants to be a queer anthem. It also wants to sell you something. (Vox by Rebecca Jennings, 2019)
Remember When Taylor Swift and Conor Kennedy Reportedly Crashed His Cousin’s Wedding? (InStyle by Isabel Jones, 2019)
Taylor Swift and Conor Kennedy Breakup: Anatomy of a Split (E! Online by Alyssa Toomey, 2012)
Moving on! Taylor Swift and actor Tom Hiddleston spotted kissing on a beach (Today by Randee Dawn 2016)
Tom Hiddleston explains why he wore that ‘I love Taylor Swift’ vest (The Independent by Maya Openheim, 2017)
Taylor Swift Releases Apparent Kanye West Diss Song ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ (Rolling Stone by Brittany Spanos, 2017)
Taylor Swift, a Pop Star Done With Pop (NY Times by Jon Caramancia, 2020)
The road to Taylor Swift’s political Instagram was long and winding — here’s how we got here (Insider by Susanna Heller, 2018)
Taylor Swift Talked Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and “Repulsive” White Supremacy in Rolling Stone Interview (Teen Vogue by Lindsay Diavolo, 2019)
Taylor Swift, Aryan Goddess? (NPR by Leah Donella, 2016)