Taylor Swift Revealed She ‘Brought Feminism Up in Every Single Interview’
As one of the most famous people on the planet, Taylor Swift wields no small amount of influence. The “All Too Well” singer boasts hundreds of millions of loyal fans and has lived most of her life in the spotlight. And because she’s a public figure, Swift has also been subjected to quite a bit of criticism over the course of her career. Specifically, the songwriter has been called a “white feminist” and accused of only getting involved politically when it benefits her.
What does being a feminist mean to Taylor Swift?
Swift hasn’t shied away from using the word “feminist” to describe herself. She has often called out the double standards that she has experienced over the course of her career. While speaking with Vogue, the Grammy award-winning artist once referred to herself as a “national lightning rod for slut-shaming” because of the way her dating life was portrayed in the media. The 32-year-old also wrote a song, “The Man,” which reimagined her life if she was a man.
But how does Swift define feminism? In an interview with NPR, the Amsterdam actor got candid about what being a feminist meant for her. “I mean, by my basic definition, it means that you hope for the equal rights and opportunities for men and women,” Swift said plainly. In the aforementioned interview, which took place in 2014, Swift shared that, up until that point, she highlighted the importance of feminism in every one of her interviews.
The singer-songwriter reveals why she brought up feminism in every interview for years
“I think that I have brought feminism up in every single interview I’ve done because I think it’s important that a girl who’s 12 years old understands what that means,” Swift shared. “And in talking to so many girls that age, we are dealing with a huge self-esteem crisis. These girls are able to scroll down pictures of the highlight reels of other people’s lives and they’re stuck with the behind-the-scenes of their own lives. It’s so easy and readily available to compare yourself to others and to feel like you lose and you’re not as cool.”
Swift gets candid about how her dating life was treated differently than her male peers
Continuing on, Swift shared that she saw clear differences in the way she was treated in comparison to her male peers. “It’s completely an issue,” Swift shared of being treated differently despite her success and popularity. “It’s an issue every day that I read a headline that says careful guys, she’ll write a song about you. Meanwhile, I have, you know, best friends who are male musicians and songwriters who write songs about their girlfriends, their ex-girlfriends, and that joke is never made about them.”
How is Swift using Twitter to promote feminism?
Certainly, Swift has likely given an interview since 2014 that makes absolutely no mention of being a feminist. However, the Pennsylvania native isn’t afraid to use her platform to call out sexism, especially when it directly affects her. Back in 2021, Swift called out the Netflix show, Ginny & Georgia for making a tasteless joke at her expense. In 2022, Swift again used her platform to express her terror that Roe v. Wade had been overturned. It’ll be interesting to see how Swift continues to use her platform to educate her fans about feminism.
