When you run the gamut of young female music stars for girls to look up to, it's hard to find artists who embody positive life choices, family centrism, anti-consumerism, female empowerment. And Taylor does all of that. Unlike an artist like Ke$ha who exudes destructive behaviors and the importance of wealth, Taylor focuses her songs on herself. Sounds very selfish, but in the end she creates a narrative into which any girl can write her self. Sure most of the songs are about love, but they are also inherently about standing up for your self-worth. Her latest album she entitled "Speak Now," a seemingly odd title track, considering the storyline of the song is about a girl voicing her opinions during the wedding [she was not invited to] of her beloved. But she explained (and I could not find the citation to put here- so this is paraphrased) that speak now represented a girl finding her voice when it seemed difficult or out of place but having the courage to go ahead and say what you feel and mean when the moment demands it. The previous album was entitled Fearless-- also a song that was referencing love, but inherently it meant to stand up to face whatever was brought against you. She doesn't write songs about wealth; she doesn't even really talk about partying. Some of the songs are directly uplifting power anthems (see "Change" or "Long Live"). But overall her songs are about relationships, love, and savoring little moments of bliss (I especially loved "The Best Day", which was about her and her mother).
A recent blog post tells us that Taylor "spins, not shares" her private life. And true-- it is almost ridiculous the pointed-ness to which she writes her songs. (Need an example? "Dear John" from the last album. Listen to the first guitar lick and without knowing any of the gossip, you know exactly which John she is talking about). She has made light in the past of how she finds her inspiration in the men she dates, and that if they don't want to be written about, then they shouldn't treat her badly. It's a lot of mythos behind her "love life" and her song writing. But back to this blog post--- I appreciate the author singling out Kelly Clarkson, but I think she missed the mark- especially since she tries to contrast Kelly with Taylor. Kelly does exude the powerful woman, the "feisty gal who will not be broken by the jerks life puts in her way." And she does more so frequently than Taylor because Ms Swift allows herself to be vulnerable. But Kelly doesn't completely overcome that which is put in front of her. Known in her post-Idol career for ridiculously emotive and soaring live blues/soul vocals, every album produced has been in the "pop-rock" vein. After her "All I Ever Wanted" album, she remarked of the album cover something along the lines of "I don't know who that is on the cover, but she sure is beautiful." Kelly hasn't emerged as "independent" (I use quotations to also reference her first single) as many of us had hoped. She still waited over 6 months for this latest album to be released because of the record company. Contrast that with Taylor Swift, who at 15 [!!!] walked away from a major record label because she feared they wouldn't let her write her own music. She took a chance on a fledgling recording company because she knew the producer would allow her to have artistic freedom. Every song on every album she's recorded has been written by her (and only occasionally with the assistance of a writing team). Taylor has been relentless on branding herself as the voice of an ordinary American girl.
What I find amazing is that Taylor is cognisant of the power she has with her fans. She works to include them in her shows-- taking time out of each sold-out packed arena show to walk up and down the aisles to hug people as she goes to her secondary stage. She tells interviewers she is aware that she is a role model to young girls- so she never wears incredibly short skirts, doesn't smoke/drink. She loves her parents- her mom goes with her everywhere. And I think simply the image of a young girl, standing up to the recording industry, to all the nay-sayers (and even writing songs about it), and continuing to be confident in her abilities as a musician and artist is so commendable.
She has a magnetic personality. A friend of mine, with me when we saw Taylor live, said "If Taylor wasn't singing, I think she'd make a good Disney princess." She is electric and so incredibly expressive with her movement on stage. She draws you into her stories. Perhaps she is spinning her songs, but the staying power of her fairy tale-esque songs might be the 10,000+ people a night who watch her, singing along to every word. It's not like a Justin Bieber concert (who by the way does nothing to help formulate a positive male role model for boys)-- where the girls scream over his "sex appeal"-- Taylor's audience is about 75% women/girls. We were definitely not the only 20 something-year old pair of girls at the concert that night. And the girls are singing because something in Taylor's lyrics touched them. She is quite relate-able for all.
And sure there are a litany of other complaints we can throw out from her detractors-- she's vapid, relationship-centered, cannot sing, etc. But one true mark of this remarkable woman.... every single member of her band has been with her for the past three years and has nothing but wonderful things to say. They stick together on tour, hanging out, creating movies like large extended families do. So we could say it's all an act, but if her inner circle loves her as much as it appears, how is it possible that she is anything but what she projects in interviews/on stage. Over the weekend, I watched the documentary from her Fearless tour and it was inspiring. She does so much for the fans, for her band, and thinks so critically about the experience and images she is projecting.
And it is because she is constantly thinking of her projected image and her target audience that I think makes me, as a women's scholar, love her even more.
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