Several days go John Mac Ghlionn wrote an opinion piece on Taylor Swift for Newsweek where he stated that she was not a “very good role model.”
Which is absolutely ridiculous. Even more hilarious Mac Ghlionn said that “at 34, Swift remains unmarried and childless, a fact that some might argue is irrelevant to her status as a role model. But, I suggest, it’s crucial to consider what kind of example this sets for young girls.”
I believe that this is a great example for young girls. It shows that they do not have to rush to get have sex, get married, and settle down. Please correct me if I am wrong, yet it seemed it was not that long ago where teenage pregnancy rates were skyrocketing. Now those numbers are at an all-time low.
Then again even more absurd Mac Ghlionn goes in on Swift and who she has dated. He said “should we encourage young girls to see the ‘Swift standard’ as the norm, something to aspire to? Or should we be promoting something a little more, shall we say, wholesome? Would any loving parent reading this want their daughter to date 12 different men in the span of just a few years? This is not an attack on Swift; it’s a valid question that is worth asking.”
Interesting perspective yet do not see Mac Ghlionn asking the same question about Derek Jeter. Who had several highly publicized romances including with Jessica Alba, Minka Kelly, Mariah Carey, and Scarlett Johansson to name a few. How does that reflect on young boys then? Is he not a very good role model?
If you search for Jeter and being a role model, almost all reference him being one. Yet Swift somehow is not? Please.
Also, it becomes more hilarious when he talks about the hypocrisy of Swift as he says “the singer often dates strong, influential men—celebrities who embody significant social and economic power.” Are we surprised that this is his response to her rallying cry at her concerts when it comes “fuck the patriarchy?”
We can easily see why the patriarchy is a problem with the example already used. A man is excused for not settling down right away and there is also the stereotype regarding men and making commitments especially to the woman he supposedly loves.
Yet by far the most ridiculous assertion from Mac Ghlionn is this “Swift makes breakups look easy. In reality, though, they are messy, painful affairs.”
Swift does not, yet she has an amazing outlet as an artist, which is her ability to write lyrics about her breakups. Once again correct me if I am wrong yet don’t her critics state that she writes too many songs about her exes/breakups?
Apparently Swift is not a very good role model because at age 34 she has yet to have a child, is not married, has dated other celebrities, and makes breakups look easy? Really? That is hilarious.
Let’s face it the only reason Newsweek even published the opinion is that they knew it was going to draw attention to it. The old adage of any publicity is good publicity.
In reality Swift is an amazing role model. For example during her Eras tour which as spanned the globe she donates to food banks, gave $55 million dollars worth of bonuses to her tour crew, donated to charities including pet rescues, tornado relief efforts, and 15 and the Mahomies Foundation to name a few, and even more importantly takes time and effort to interact with her fans.
David Draiman the lead singer of the band Disturbed praised Swift and defended her recently by saying “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I think she’s a brilliant woman. I think she’s, like I said, one of the great songwriters of our time. I love her gumption. I love the fact that she gets on stage in front of tens of thousands of screaming young female fans and plays a real instrument and sings live and is the real deal. I mean, there are a number of people within the pop genre that still do it the way that she does it — Pink is one of them; Lady Gaga is one of them. A lot of these people are just so gifted and so great at what they do, and she’s certainly way, way, way up there. I have nothing but the utmost respect for her.”
What bugs someone like Mac Ghlionn is that Swift gets to control her own destiny and she has done it with incredible success. Which perfectly coincides with “fuck the patriarchy.”
Facebook Comments