I partially admire Taylor Swift for writing these songs. After all, it takes some amount of self-confidence to talk about all of the times you have been dumped, especially in front of a live audience. In my opinion, she's not a great singer, but the songs are fairly catchy, the beat is usually uplifting, and, overall, she's at least somewhat relatable. So, yes, I do listen to her music. What annoys me the most about Taylor is that, although it's obvious that she puts a lot of thought into her music, most of her songs share a very common theme: they're about guys she has either pined over or dated. I appreciate her sincerity and honesty about her experiences, and I understand that this is what (supposedly) teenage girls think about, but at the same time, I don't really want to hear the same general story line again and again. One of my favorite songs is actually not about a love interest, but her mom. The song is titled "The Best Day" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq4W68_h6rw). I really wish she would talk about other aspects of her life, and not just the picture-perfect fairy tale ending.
Taylor's image is extremely clean--she's not too old to still be talking about teenage love stories (she's 20), but is mature and focused on her career. The real issue is the stereotype that many people think she is perpetuating to young girls. This has noting to do with sexual promiscuity, but rather the idea that girls tend to be the 'damsel in distress' in relationships. I don't think Swift is trying to say this in some of her songs (for example, 'Picture to Burn' is her decision to leave a guy when he cheats on her), and I don't believe that this mindset is truly her message behind the words. Contrary, writing songs seems like a productive way for her to vent her emotions & get over relationships. It sells because she's not far from high school herself. A lot of teenage girls relate to her because they feel they should.
So, is Taylor Swift teaching these girls to be 'the girl who always needs a boyfriend to be happy'? Is it possible that being single is sometimes a good thing? When looking for a topic, I 'googled' feminine stereotypes--Taylor Swift, and found a very conservative blog http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/tag/femininity/. The blogger says that Swift is portraying the traditional gender role, and that it isn't fair to criticize her image when a lot of people prefer traditional values and the original definition of femininity. Although I don't agree with this idea, I do agree with the overall statement- Swift isn't doing anything provocative, she just wants to talk about boys. What's wrong with that? What's really wrong with daydreaming, wishing that the person you like will suddenly realize they belong with you (pun intended-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUjLHhC3oEs)?
I'm divided in my opinion of Taylor-- I don't want to believe in and support this submissive stereotype of the female, which does seem to be so explicitly stated in her music, but, at the same time, I don't think this is the image she wants to portray. She is, actually, taking on very masculine traits- she is in-control of her career (she has written or co-written all of the songs) and seems confident in her decisions (the Kayne West incident was fairly indicative of her maturity). I think she is good role model because of how she has handled her career & fame. Unlike a lot of female singers, she seems confident in herself and is in full control of her life. Her reward? Four Grammy Awards. Sacrifices? Possibly living up to this image that she created for herself. Once she decides she wants to write about more serious subjects, it may be the end of her career.
Taylor's image is extremely clean--she's not too old to still be talking about teenage love stories (she's 20), but is mature and focused on her career. The real issue is the stereotype that many people think she is perpetuating to young girls. This has noting to do with sexual promiscuity, but rather the idea that girls tend to be the 'damsel in distress' in relationships. I don't think Swift is trying to say this in some of her songs (for example, 'Picture to Burn' is her decision to leave a guy when he cheats on her), and I don't believe that this mindset is truly her message behind the words. Contrary, writing songs seems like a productive way for her to vent her emotions & get over relationships. It sells because she's not far from high school herself. A lot of teenage girls relate to her because they feel they should.
So, is Taylor Swift teaching these girls to be 'the girl who always needs a boyfriend to be happy'? Is it possible that being single is sometimes a good thing? When looking for a topic, I 'googled' feminine stereotypes--Taylor Swift, and found a very conservative blog http://www.cosmopolitanconservative.com/tag/femininity/. The blogger says that Swift is portraying the traditional gender role, and that it isn't fair to criticize her image when a lot of people prefer traditional values and the original definition of femininity. Although I don't agree with this idea, I do agree with the overall statement- Swift isn't doing anything provocative, she just wants to talk about boys. What's wrong with that? What's really wrong with daydreaming, wishing that the person you like will suddenly realize they belong with you (pun intended-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUjLHhC3oEs)?
I'm divided in my opinion of Taylor-- I don't want to believe in and support this submissive stereotype of the female, which does seem to be so explicitly stated in her music, but, at the same time, I don't think this is the image she wants to portray. She is, actually, taking on very masculine traits- she is in-control of her career (she has written or co-written all of the songs) and seems confident in her decisions (the Kayne West incident was fairly indicative of her maturity). I think she is good role model because of how she has handled her career & fame. Unlike a lot of female singers, she seems confident in herself and is in full control of her life. Her reward? Four Grammy Awards. Sacrifices? Possibly living up to this image that she created for herself. Once she decides she wants to write about more serious subjects, it may be the end of her career.
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