Popular Culture and Politics: Taylor Swift’s Version

October 17, 2023

Learning Outcomes:

Understand the concept of popular culture and explore the intersection of popular culture and politics that shape political discourse.
Examine the fine line between artistry and activism, and how artists like Taylor Swift navigate political engagement through their work
Discuss Taylor’s effort to create social change through her songs (importance of youth engagement in politics, tackling gender stereotypes, etc.)
Critically assess Taylor Swift’s impact on political discourse, particularly through songs like “You Need to Calm Down,” which promotes the LGBTQIA+ community and the diverse reactions it gained

Culture plays a role in politics, particularly popular culture, which reflects the thoughts and attitudes of the general public (Atri, 2023, 12). However, up until recently, popular culture studies were considered to be more or less undeserving of serious scientific consideration (Chandra and Schudson, 1986). The study of popular culture now has new analytical tools and validity thanks to advancements in anthropology, history, communication, and literary criticism. Hence, to better comprehend the relationship between popular culture and politics, Taylor Swift, an American superstar who is described by Wilkinson (2017) as the ‘hardest-working, zaniest female in show business’, was selected as the focus of this article by the authors. Not only because Taylor has done something very few singers have managed to do—maintain this level of recognition and success for 15 years—but also because Taylor has openly expressed her opinions through her music. Taylor’s opinions are expressed in a number of songs, including “You Need to Calm Down,” which promotes the LGBTQ+ community; “Only the Young,” which addresses young people getting active in politics; and “The Man,” which explores gender stereotypes and takes into account how women are treated in society. This article aims to analyse Taylor Swift’s impact on popular culture and her foray into the political landscape. This piece also navigates Taylor’s activism with artistry in a delicate way through her songs and sees if it has an impact on political discourse.

Pop Culture and Politics

Before the authors of this piece go into the world of Taylor Swift, they believe it is crucial to analyse popular culture and how it might have an overall impact on politics. Popular culture can be defined as a term used to describe forms of representation that are widely consumed by a large audience, often due to their creation through mass production methods (Dustin, Kim, et al., 2017). According to Dominic (2004), the development of mass media and the commercialization of culture have sparked discussions, controversies, and arguments. Cinema’s development can be viewed as an industrial, technological, narrative, and economic phenomenon. These elements are connected to the public’s growing interest in visual spectacle as a form of entertainment (Domenic, 2014).

Credits: Apoorva Jyoti, Graphics Head at Mandonna

Most kinds of popular culture are industrially created and consumed, and these industries and their products (movies, songs, etc.) transcend state boundaries (Jutta and Christina, 2015). Therefore, it was required to make the case that International Relations (IR) as a field disregarded popular culture some years ago. Thankfully, this isn’t the case anymore. Some segments of what could be referred to as “mainstream IR” continue to suggest, either implicitly or explicitly, that popular culture is not deserving of scholarly IR attention because it is thought to be “low” politics, domestic politics, or not political at all (Jutta and Christina, 2015). However, academics from all views and fields are actively and fruitfully examining a wide range of popular culture in relation to every imaginable facet of international relations and global politics (Jutta and Christina, 2015). One may even claim that Popular Culture and World Politics (PCWP) has become a sub-discipline today. The authors of this piece would argue that Politics and music have long been intertwined. Songs and subcultural genres that use lyrics and music to convey dissent or resistance are two ways politics can be made audible. Since 2006, Taylor Swift has made a living as a musician. Her music is typically cheery and personal rather than political or activist (e.g., about past romances). However, Swift’s persona evolved in 2018 from being devoid of politics (Simone, 2020).

The authors of this piece maintain that bringing up topics and societal challenges through songs is an excellent means to connect with people, particularly young people, and undoubtedly Taylor has tried to do that. One example of this can be when, in 2018, Taylor declared her support for a senatorial candidate, expressing reservations about Marsha Blackburn’s voting history on important topics like equal pay, the Violence Against Women Act, and gay marriage (for example, “You need to calm down,” discussed later) (Simone, 2020). She actively urged her followers to vote, changing her strategy from before and making her message and songs both political and personal. This categorises her as a ‘celebrity Politician’. A Celebrity Politician can be a nonelected politician with a celebrity persona who speaks out on “specific causes and for particular interests” (Street, 2004, 438).

Navigating through Artistry & Activism

Wilcox (2009) talks about how art forms are the best positive alternative to activism as they ensure the involvement of empathy, which is a necessary aspect of achieving social justice. In today’s time of extreme political ideologies and polarity, it becomes important for individuals to become vocal, informed, and involved in whatever side they choose to stand for to ensure that their values are not compromised. However, this only amplifies in the case of artists, especially those like Taylor Swift, who are immensely influential and popular.

In Swift’s 2020 Netflix documentary ‘Miss Americana’, she mentioned how she always felt the need to not express and present her political opinions in front of the world, believing that she wasn’t informed and knowledgeable enough to influence other people on those topics. This pre-2018 stance of hers was heavily criticised and cherished by different groups of people. However, from 2018 onwards, after her long disappearance and upheaval in both her personal life and The States, she has not only been vocal but actively tried to participate in all those ‘difficult’ conversations.

Through both her art and statements on social media, Swift has been very opinionated and influential all these years. She released songs like ‘Only The Young’, ‘You Need to Calm Down’, ‘Mad Woman, ‘Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince’, ‘I Did Something Bad’, ‘The Man;, etc. to endorse her beliefs and righteousness through those songs. They range from themes of LGBTQ+, patriarchy, and women’s empowerment to gender roles and even politics.

With the voice of children in the background track, ‘Only The Young’ is Swift’s most political song yet. Released on January 31, 2020, the song was lyrically powerful and politically charged. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were granted permission to use the song for their campaigns later on.

"You brace for the sound// You’ve only heard on TV// You go to class, scared// Wondering where the best hiding spot would be"

With these lines from the song Only the Young (2020), Swift does what she does best, invoking soulful experiences into the minds of listeners that transcend the situations she is talking about. These lines are references to the devastating number of mass shootings that occur in The US. She also posted a message on Instagram informing people that she had made a donation to the ‘March for Our Lives’ campaign to end gun violence.

Next up, her single, ‘The Man, from Lover’ (2019), is a song filled with fury against the toxic double standards of society and blatant sexism that often goes undetected due to its casual treatment.

"What I was wearing// If I was rude// Could I be separated from my good ideas and power moves"

Taylor Swift has in the past been highly criticised on a very sexist basis and has even been slut-shamed repeatedly for her personal dating life. These lyrics signal how women’s behaviour and attributes are always and mostly condemned repeatedly by society and, in her case, the media. Their power, thoughts, and abilities are always tried to be shadowed by their personal lives, which happens almost in negligible amounts in the cases of men. With this song and its satirical music video, in which Taylor masks up and transforms into a man and behaves in an egotistical manner, unbothered by the results of her actions, she never gets called out for that. In the end, it reads, “No men were harmed in the making of this video.” with the revelation that she was that spoiled normal middle-aged man all the way from the beginning.

aylor Swift’s political posts have always garnered mixed responses, with fury from some and praise from others. However, she has a strong, expanding fan base with which she has a very deep emotional connection, and that not only uplifts her from this blatant criticism but also makes her positive political and social impacts count. From the petition for the Equality Act, which got five times the required signatures, to the high engagement and interaction on her political statements, which in turn fuels her motive of raising awareness and involving youth in the political sphere, it turns out to be undeniably successful.

Described as a modern cultural quintessence, wielding a rare combination of chart success, critical acclaim, intense fan support, and controversy, enabling her to have a wide impact on and response from the music industry and beyond, Taylor Swift has achieved what only a few artists are able to. No human is perfect, but what counts is their effort and willingness towards working and supporting the things they believe in, and Swift has been not just a follower of that but now also stands as an example of that.

Criticism: Swift's Impact on Political Discourse

For an understanding of Taylor’s political discourse, the authors of this piece would like to draw your attention to her 2019 single “You Need to Calm Down”.

Who would have guessed that a cheerful-sounding, overtly LGBTQ-friendly track (You Need To Calm Down) released during Pride month with a video featuring many of popular culture’s most beloved queer faces would be this controversial? For this rainbow-coloured production released during Gay Pride Month, Swift, a heterosexual woman, collaborated with gay choreographer-director Todrick Hall, a long-time Swift collaborator. Some LGBT individuals adore it, while others reject it. Swift’s supporters and many others have praised her for being a strong ally to the LGBTQ community, noting that not only does her video feature LGBTQ celebrities, but Swift has also used her considerable influence to support GLAAD (an advocacy group that focuses on LGBTQ representation in media) and that her release led to a spike in donations to the organisation. But when an acknowledged celebrity like Swift decides to support a cause, she can profit from it. She doesn’t engage in any endeavours that are unlikely to generate a profit, so this is not a coincidence. And for this reason, it can be maintained that Pride Month has become an amazing opportunity to support LGBT causes and generate money.

Swift’s political goals have never been publicly expressed. She hasn’t even sought to stoke a debate with her personal opinions. She has always refrained from stirring up conflict and expressing her opinions. Although Her Reputation era was daring in concept, it was nonetheless modest in action. She chose to remain silent about her opinions and concentrate on promoting individual empowerment despite the political upheaval caused by Donald Trump’s presidency. But particularly prior to this era, she surprised a gay engagement party, started a petition for an Equality Act, performed with Jesse Tyler Ferguson at Stonewall in New York, and cast drag queens in her latest song video.

The authors of this article would like to highlight the fact that Taylor has never engaged in this level of political activism or interaction with the LGBTQI+ community, with the exception of when she released the new single “You Need to Calm Down” and its extremely gay content. It can be understandable that Taylor was trying to capitalise on the lucrative gay market, the so-called “pink dollar.” The term “pink money” is used to refer to the purchasing power of the gay and lesbian community. Pink money has evolved from a marginalised market to a successful economy in many parts of the Western world (Rezwan, 2022).

It has been highlighted that the video’s attention-grabbing end scene, which features Swift and her ex-frenemy Katy Perry hugging and making up, serves as a diversion from the piece’s overall LGBTQ focus and has been criticised for being queerbaiting. (The term queerbaiting is used to criticize the practice as an attempt to take advantage of and capitalise on the appearance or implication of LGBTQ+ relationships without actually having real LGBTQ+ representation) (Mendez, 2021). However, Taylor responded on Tumblr to rumours that she and Katy Perry would kiss in the video. In the post, she defended herself as knowing the difference between allyship and baiting.

"To be an ally is to understand the difference between advocating and baiting. Anyone trying to twist this positivity into something needs to calm down."

(Taylor Swift on Tumblr, 2019)

It can be believed that “You Need to Calm Down” was guilty of equating Swift’s online backlash with the struggles the LGBTQ community has encountered in gaining acceptance from the general public.

“You are somebody that I don’t know / But you’re taking shots at me like it’s Patrón” Swift’s song goes. Beginning with “You Need to Calm Down,” Swift continues with lyrics that seem to be centred on the online hostility she has seen throughout her career, singing about tweets and internet lurkers. The song then changes gears and shifts its focus to denouncing the discrimination of LGBTQ individuals, using the phrase “shade never made anybody less gay” and more references to parades and gowns.

Swift unsurprisingly brought in a flood of opinion pieces and a video, discussing topics like what it means to be an ally, who should be leading the fight for gay rights, and what a “gay anthem” actually ought to sound like.

The response to Swift and “You Need to Calm Down” might be a reflection of the general exhaustion many LGBTQ people experience as a result of so many firms and celebrities “rainbow washing” the LGBTQ community (Rainbow washing refers to brands that adopt rainbow colours or LGBTQ+ symbols in their marketing materials without making any substantial commitment to LGBTQ+ rights or inclusivity) and undertaking “Exploitative marketing” (a strategy involving the use of the Pride Month to promote products or services that are unrelated to LGBTQ+ rights, resulting in accusations of commodifying the LGBTQ+ community) each June (Mahajan, 2023). There’s a certain distaste many have when they see gay allyship tied to rainbow-hued capitalism (Bravo, 2019).

It may also be frustrating to witness a performer from outside the community receive appreciation for ideas and subjects LGBT artists find offensive. Gutowitz (2019) and the authors of this article concur that in a popular culture landscape that is welcoming to queer artists, it should be those out musicians (like Troye Sivan, Sam Smith, Hayley Kiyoko, and Halsey) blazing this trail. However, we can’t criticise Swift for doing what we’ve demanded of her throughout her career: being a vocal ally.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Taylor Swift’s influence on politics and popular culture has been considerable but contentious. Popular culture connects with politics and global relations due to its broad influence and impact on public opinion. Swift’s transformation from a conservative artist to an active activist has spurred debates regarding the reasons behind her advocacy. She is praised by some as a strong ally, yet she is criticised by others for maybe exploiting specific concerns during Pride Month. Despite objections, Swift’s influence goes beyond music, inspiring her fans to participate in political debates. Her songs serve as an example of how popular culture and politics are changing, highlighting the influence of artists on public discourse and their capacity to motivate change. Taylor Swift’s influence demonstrates how vital it is to acknowledge how deeply popular culture affects our perceptions of and attitudes towards politics.

References

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Authorship Credits

Ananya Atri is an International Relations student and currently interns at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research at her university. She has been part of Global Youth India and currently serves as the Director of Communications at NGO Cultural Diversity for Peaceful Future in Georgia. Her interest in writing for Mandonna stems from her belief in equality and inclusion.

Khushi Oberoi is a Political Science graduate from LSR. Her academic journey has led her to understand the world’s political landscape and its impact on society and women in particular. She has a deep love for teaching and animals. Her commitment to animal welfare extends to her professional life, where she runs a small business entirely staffed by women. This venture not only reflects her dedication to gender equality but also allows her to channel my love for animals into tangible change.

Sakshi is a 19-year-old literature student who is right now enrolled at Delhi University. She aspires to keep creating things through different art mediums ranging from music, and filming to writing.

Editing Credits

Prachi Oberoi is an undergraduate student at Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi pursuing a B.A. Political Science Honors. Her keen interests lie in the topics like gender equality, environmentalism, and international relations. With every academic piece that she is associated with, she tries to broaden her intellectual horizons and share a novel, yet important learning to the world!