Get ready. It's time to read a great deal--A GREAT DEAL--into the lyrics of sensation-among-tweens Taylor Swift.
How do you define politics? One definition is "the use of strategy to obtain power and influence."
A writer can have political concerns, even when studiously avoiding questions about Washington, questions about funding, questions about international relations, questions about tariffs.
It seems to me that Taylor Swift has been an intensely political writer for many years--long before the dramatic "coming-out" Sunday night.
Her subject has been an ongoing war between boys and girls, a struggle one smart girl has to claim, and to hold onto, power--within the (superficially) small sphere of a romantic relationship.
Swift is capable of a dewy-eyed declaration of pure love, but it seems to me that her love songs are often actually thorny; they're descriptions of battlegrounds. They're about a struggle for power.
Shockingly early in her career, Swift had this to say about a seductive ne'er-do-well: "You're the kind of guy that should send me running, but I kinda know that I won't get far." (Notice how "kind" plays two different roles within one sentence: first, it's a noun, and then it becomes part of "kinda," which functions as an adverb. Deliberate--and smart!)
Swift has observed again and again how men--politically-savvy men--play roles and strategize. "Wondering which version of you I'll get on the phone tonight." "You're home listening to some indie record that's much cooler than mine." "You call me up again just to break me like a promise--so casually cruel in the name of being honest." "People throw rocks at things that shine." Pretense, manipulation, doublespeak, studied obtuseness: These are Swift's themes. They are inherently political themes. They would fit well in a chapter from Wolf Hall.
People have felt frustrated with Swift. "She's born into privilege." "She's pale, overrated trash." It's true that she had immense advantages, but many people have immense advantages, and very few people take those advantages and build an empire. Very few people become Taylor Swift. Even before Swift began identifying as a feminist, it was clear, to me at least, that her example could be invaluable for ambitious young girls. Swift could have held onto her trust fund and stayed on her tree farm. She wanted more--and she obtained it. And she did it when she was absurdly young.
There's a knee-jerk tendency to scorn Ms. Swift, both on the left and on the right. For lefties, she's giving too little, too late. She should have spoken out against Trump before the 2016 election. For right wingers, she shouldn't be speaking out at all. ("Why can't a celebrity just shut up and be pretty?") In my view, there's a curious gendered subtext to many of these conversations. I don't see male celebrities getting targeted the way female celebrities so often are. Lena Dunham was excoriated for not having used an adequately diverse cast for "Girls." How many people brought similar complaints to David Chase, or to David Milch?
People became upset when a "mere" celebrity--Stanford brain Reese Witherspoon--offered thoughts on books in a recent Times piece. How many people became upset when a male celebrity--Bruce Springsteen--did the same thing?
I'm delighted by Swift's willingness to take the stand in her assault trial (and her subsequent win), and I'm thrilled by her recent post, which seems, to me, to be a response to Donald Trump and to Brett Kavanaugh.
Swift has indicated that her long-term plan is to try to become someone like Oprah, or like Angelina Jolie. But, of course, those two figures have been outspoken in their politics for many years. It's exciting to me to see Swift take a big step toward becoming what she actually wants to be. (One of many steps, sure!)
Also, there was a pleasantly unguarded quality to the post (though I'm convinced it was heavily vetted). Despite whatever editing it had gone through, it was still vulnerable and risky. It made me recall days when Taylor was regularly willing to be a bit open with her public. "Turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you," Tay Tay.
I'm so happy to hear this new voice, and to imagine where it might go from here.
How do you define politics? One definition is "the use of strategy to obtain power and influence."
A writer can have political concerns, even when studiously avoiding questions about Washington, questions about funding, questions about international relations, questions about tariffs.
It seems to me that Taylor Swift has been an intensely political writer for many years--long before the dramatic "coming-out" Sunday night.
Her subject has been an ongoing war between boys and girls, a struggle one smart girl has to claim, and to hold onto, power--within the (superficially) small sphere of a romantic relationship.
Swift is capable of a dewy-eyed declaration of pure love, but it seems to me that her love songs are often actually thorny; they're descriptions of battlegrounds. They're about a struggle for power.
Shockingly early in her career, Swift had this to say about a seductive ne'er-do-well: "You're the kind of guy that should send me running, but I kinda know that I won't get far." (Notice how "kind" plays two different roles within one sentence: first, it's a noun, and then it becomes part of "kinda," which functions as an adverb. Deliberate--and smart!)
Swift has observed again and again how men--politically-savvy men--play roles and strategize. "Wondering which version of you I'll get on the phone tonight." "You're home listening to some indie record that's much cooler than mine." "You call me up again just to break me like a promise--so casually cruel in the name of being honest." "People throw rocks at things that shine." Pretense, manipulation, doublespeak, studied obtuseness: These are Swift's themes. They are inherently political themes. They would fit well in a chapter from Wolf Hall.
People have felt frustrated with Swift. "She's born into privilege." "She's pale, overrated trash." It's true that she had immense advantages, but many people have immense advantages, and very few people take those advantages and build an empire. Very few people become Taylor Swift. Even before Swift began identifying as a feminist, it was clear, to me at least, that her example could be invaluable for ambitious young girls. Swift could have held onto her trust fund and stayed on her tree farm. She wanted more--and she obtained it. And she did it when she was absurdly young.
There's a knee-jerk tendency to scorn Ms. Swift, both on the left and on the right. For lefties, she's giving too little, too late. She should have spoken out against Trump before the 2016 election. For right wingers, she shouldn't be speaking out at all. ("Why can't a celebrity just shut up and be pretty?") In my view, there's a curious gendered subtext to many of these conversations. I don't see male celebrities getting targeted the way female celebrities so often are. Lena Dunham was excoriated for not having used an adequately diverse cast for "Girls." How many people brought similar complaints to David Chase, or to David Milch?
People became upset when a "mere" celebrity--Stanford brain Reese Witherspoon--offered thoughts on books in a recent Times piece. How many people became upset when a male celebrity--Bruce Springsteen--did the same thing?
I'm delighted by Swift's willingness to take the stand in her assault trial (and her subsequent win), and I'm thrilled by her recent post, which seems, to me, to be a response to Donald Trump and to Brett Kavanaugh.
Swift has indicated that her long-term plan is to try to become someone like Oprah, or like Angelina Jolie. But, of course, those two figures have been outspoken in their politics for many years. It's exciting to me to see Swift take a big step toward becoming what she actually wants to be. (One of many steps, sure!)
Also, there was a pleasantly unguarded quality to the post (though I'm convinced it was heavily vetted). Despite whatever editing it had gone through, it was still vulnerable and risky. It made me recall days when Taylor was regularly willing to be a bit open with her public. "Turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you," Tay Tay.
I'm so happy to hear this new voice, and to imagine where it might go from here.
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