Taylor Swift is Feeding My Superiority Complex

Taylor Swift is happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time- honestly, so am I. The record-breaking artist has gone through several ‘eras’ of her life while documenting them through songwriting. While I was not alive when her first album was released, Taylor Swift has been a big part of my life since I could talk. When I was eight, I was formally introduced to her discography, going through all of the albums. Sure, I had heard the songs passing by, but I never sat down to listen to all of them. I was in elementary school, to be fair. Day by day, I would sing Taylor Swift songs as if Jake Gyllenhal himself had broken up with me. I was in fifth grade when reputation came out. As a ten-year-old, it would be lying if I said it did not change my life. Reputation became the perfect remedy for friend group drama that felt like the world was on fire. I mean, if a group of kids calls you names, you feel a little upset. I fully believed Joe Alwyn and I had a very personal relationship listening to “King of My Heart”. The lyricism in all of Taylor’s albums is masterful, but the underlying message in Reputation is an impeccable representation of her growth as an artist. The underlying message is that even if the entire world hates you, happiness and self-love come first. Taylor Swift experienced this first-hand with the Kim Kardashian-West and Kanye West drama. Many people, mostly fans of Kanye West, on social media called Taylor Swift a “snake.” Those statements became a huge part of her 2017 album, Reputation. She makes many references to past drama in the album and declares her old self dead. She’s got a big reputation, and she knows it. Taylor Swift has become a role model for young feminists, being unapologetically herself and showing that you don’t have to be what others think you should be. When Taylor is on the top of the charts, it makes me and many other Swifties proud, especially because of all of the hate rained on her during certain periods of her music.

During the next era, Lover, I was in 6th/7th grade. It was a very blissful period. Short, but blissful. I was reflecting on the past eras, and then Coronavirus hit. And folklore came out. It was quite a controversial move on Taylor’s part since a lot of her fans only like “the old Taylor.” But in my opinion, it was genius. Records destroyed, awards won, and her growth as an artist still exceeds all of our expectations. Evermore, the sister album of Folklore, came out a few months later. I constantly have an inner monologue of the lyrics just going around in my head. Another beautifully written album that shows Taylor Swift doesn’t need to be in a bad relationship to create magnificent artistry. While everyone is entitled to their opinions, Taylor Swift can’t be canceled for being a woman in a man-dominated world and industry.

By Caroline Lackey