Taylor Swift is arguably one of the most influential artists of the century. With a career spanning since her mid-teens Swift has not only broken barriers musically but also as a female in the industry. Over the past decade she has garnered an incredible following of devoted fans and the respect of many of her peers.
Although throughout her journey as an artist she has also experienced severe backlash. From critics to fellow celebrities there are people who are ready and willing to take an opportunity they can to knock Swift down. Despite having had missteps here and there the 29-years-old artist has still managed to come out swinging multiple times.
Below are a few times Taylor Swift was a badass. She has proven time and time again she is so much more than a girl and a guitar.
In 2016 Swift made history by being the first woman to win Album Of The Year twice. During her acceptance speech she acknowledged how the accomplishments of young women are often diminished. This also came after Kanye West had a line in a song indicating that he thought he could still have sex with her because she owed him her career. Young women moving into the professional world can oftentimes feel like their male colleagues are trying to discredit their work. Swift encouraged women to ignore men with those sexist ideals and instead to forge on.
Swift has come under fire for not immediately having her music available for streaming services. It could be argued that she didn’t need to do this because she is very wealthy, but looking at the bigger picture shows this was also a win for smaller artists. While three months of “free” content might not hurt her smaller acts would significantly suffer. At the time several indie artists had voiced their concern but Swift has such an influence in the industry and she really forced Apple to give in.
In a 2013 meet and greet a Denver radio DJ allegedly grabbed her ass. While the man aggressively denied this Swift still managed to win her court case against him, for the amount of $1. Admittedly what happened to her was not the worst thing that could happen it definitely showed how the music industry, and the world in general, treats women. She went on to say in an interview that “if he would be brazen enough to assault me under these risky circumstances and high stakes, imagine what he might do to a vulnerable, young artist if given the chance.” Proving that this case went beyond her, she was looking at how others would be affected by her silence.
The case between Kesha and Dr. Luke is infamous and several celebrities showed their support for her during that time with #FreeKesha on Twitter. Despite how serious of a situation this was many still took the time to drag Swift through the mud. They accused her of being a “fake feminist” for not Tweeting about what was happening. That’s when Kesha’s mom Rosemary Patricia “Pebe” Seber came forward saying that Swift had actually done so much more than use a hashtag. After a New York Judged denied Kesha a court injunction Swift donated $250,000 to help with legal fees.
One of the most infamous moments in the singer’s career was when rapper Kanye West took the stage during her 2009 acceptance speech at the MTV Music Video Awards. Fast forward to 2016 West and his wife released video of Swift showing she knew about at least part of his verse in the song “Famous”. Granted there was no indication she knew the extent of the lyric or the music video that included her. Soon the world began referring to her as a snake, with the angry mob being led by West’s wife. Rather than hide her head in shame Swift took the snake narrative and spun it on its head. Her entire Reputation album and tour showed her giving the middle finger to the world and to people who told her she isn’t allowed to be anything other than sweet.
After her tour finished Swift shocked everyone by encouraging her fans to vote in a lengthy Instagram post. She acknowledged how she was unsure of whether or not to express her views publically in the past but due to the current political climate she felt the need to discuss them. She told fans not to only vote, but to vote for Democratic candidates who aligned with her pro-women, pro-equality and pro-LGBTQ+ views.
Most recently Swift has again been forced to go against men in the industry who seek to tear her down. In a lengthy Tumblr post Swift wrote the masters of her entire discography was handed over to Scooter Braun. The manager purchased the company she was under founder Scott Borchetta as part of a reported $300 million dollar deal that Swift knew nothing about. To make matters worse she claims Braun agreed to give her the masters if she agreed to making a new album for every master. While many in the industry, specifically women, stood up for her there were many who took this opportunity to kick her while she’s down. While the outcome of this feud has yet to be decided it’s impressive that Swift was willing to be burned at the stake again for a chance to have the truth told.
Whether or not you’re an avid Swiftie her career is admittedly impressive. Many of her fans take to social media, her concerts and meet and greets to tell her how much she inspires them. Taylor Swift quickly went from being a cute country star to being a true badass in the music industry.
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