Taylor Swift

[Yel]

Tbh I think it's been a process for her to say things publicly - though she did begin to in 2014 in "Welcome to New York". For whatever reason (probably that she can't really win either way

I'm not sure it's a process, or more she didn't want to do anything that would damage her bottom line.

I think she really could have won if this was an authentic build up. I don't buy that if we were living in times where the message from the song was needed and controversial she would be saying it. Madonna stood up for LGBT rights at a time where it really needed it during the HIV / Aids crisis and bundled health advice along with her music.

Taylor didn't even link her petition in the video description or an info card. It's all about selling her music, merch and herself. If she wants to seem genuine she should have done a lot more. I'd love her to prove my cynicism wrong though, Taylor Swift is definitely someone you'd rather have as an ally than an enemy.

 

[uwu]

Not into this obvious cash grab - how many albums does a person need to buy to be a “good enough” fan of TS?

This is what KPOP artists do, they always sell more than one album but you get tit loads of extras with it and they are worth the money (Coming from a parent that buys this stuff for their kid). I feel like she has seen how many physicals groups like BTS can sell with their albums and is jumping on that. Unfortunately for her I don't think her fan base care much for 4 photo books of her posing differently.

 

[newtoyou]

I'm not sure it's a process, or more she didn't want to do anything that would damage her bottom line.

I think she really could have won if this was an authentic build up. I don't buy that if we were living in times where the message from the song was needed and controversial she would be saying it. Madonna stood up for LGBT rights at a time where it really needed it during the HIV / Aids crisis and bundled health advice along with her music.

Taylor didn't even link her petition in the video description or an info card. It's all about selling her music, merch and herself. If she wants to seem genuine she should have done a lot more. I'd love her to prove my cynicism wrong though, Taylor Swift is definitely someone you'd rather have as an ally than an enemy.

I'm not LGBTQ or American so I'm not gonna claim to be an expert but I think there'd be plenty of people who would say the message is still needed in America. I think that's the whole point of the petition, to make discrimination against them an offence. But I do agree with you that it's not controversial to support them.

The link is in her instagram and twitter bio, but yeh the social media team could've put it there too.

There are plenty of things that make me eyeroll Taylor (I say this as a fan since Fearless!). I think she's far to concerned about what people say about her and can be hypocritical with regards to how people perceive her/what she shares in her music. But I do think she's genuine in this and all of the causes she supports.

And I do think that because of the way her image has been controlled since day 1, and the fact she's never had a public breakdown/rebellion (like Britney, Demi, Miley, Whitney, Mariah, Selena, Xtina etc etc), that people hold her up to a much higher standard than her contemporaries. I do feel sorry for her because I do think the only way people will stop calling her calculated etc is if she literally rolls out of a club with her head shaved, or something else to "prove" she's human.

 

[SavetheDrama]

Just watched the video and although it’s all a bit “White girl watches RuPaul’s Drag Race and Queer Eye once”, I can still appreciate her taking a stand / making some coin (although agreed with @Yel that it’s not as much of a brave stance as it was even 15 years ago) and I was a big fan of the homophobes being depicted as the bucktoothed hillbillies they are
America is going through a tough time in terms of administration trying to strip hard-fought civil liberties so the message is probably needed.
Good luck to the alt-right blogs still trying to use her as an “aryan princess” with conservative values now

 

[leigh213]

I'm about to REALLY ramble, warning!


She really pisses me off, and not because of any political stance she's taking, but rather the fact she's always been someone who appears to let everything eat at her. Just watched a video about all the symbolism placed in the latest video and like all the others, there are things people are sure are meant to be digs at all the people who have wronged her or called her out. Kanye, Kim, Katy, Beyonce, being compared to Adele... ffs, why does it have to keep being brought up even in the form of subliminal digs? She wasn't able to let the boyfriends or what they did go and she can't let any sort of shade being thrown her way just slide off. She acts like she makes peace with it but then continues to dwell on it for years and dedicate pieces of music vids to them. It seems childish, and I feel like she likes, in some way, to be a victim of something. I do understand though that because she's SO famous and never had a public breakdown or anything like it that this is probably her way of getting out things she wants to say without bluntly doing it. But it doesn't seem like the most healthy thing..

That's one of the things that I've not understood about her for a while now and this has just pushed me over the edge. I've been seeing her as a person who's two faced, and a lot of the guys who have dated her have pretty much confirmed that. The video also said that ( and I don't keep up with her on a regular basis, so apologize if this has already been mentioned) that certain people claim they didn't like her, like Lady Gaga, until they met her and they were just "won over". Everyone who's around her treats her like a queen and is smitten, and I just don't get it.

I think the girl has a good sense of humor and is self deprecating, but I get really tiffed about it because I think it's a facade. I think she knows what to play up to make herself seem the best in any situation and knows how to endear herself to people. I hope I'm making sense, like I hope she's not just using this though I have agreed with a few others here that I think she is part of the community. But however she identifies, I'm liking less and less the person she is because I feel like she's phony.

I hope I haven't upset anybody here but these are just my personal opinions and they've come to a head as I've been questioning a lot of the things she's been doing for a couple years at least but kept getting dragged into thinking she was sweet and great because some of the most decent people I know are massive fans of her and thought " guess they're on to something". But something's just not sitting right with me.

 

[Yel]

Pasted from a gay community, but it does a good roundup of why so many in that community aren't ready to give her applause for the bare minimum:
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Popstars, particularly what we’d consitute as “gay icons”, have had different trajectories in joining the pantheon of idols that invoke stan wars and rabid devotion. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ or a roadmap for queer ascension, but I do think there’s a commonality in how these popstars amass a predominantly (or at least noteworthy) queer fanbase. I think it comes from an expression of sexuality and gender, be it the feminine, the androgynous, or a blend of both. There’s a power in wielding one’s sexuality as fully autonomous regardless of how you express it: we often see it in femininity (Britney), sexual freedom (Janet, Christina), the reclamation of either (Beyonce) or all of the above (Madonna). There’s a shared struggle between queer men specifically and popstars, particularly women, because we are categorically removed from how society views masculinity and what it means to “be a man”. To see a woman express herself so freely and unapologetically was gay empowerment for me growing up in a strictly southern Baptist home, because it taught me that there’s no shame in the feminine qualities I have. Rather, I can take ownership of those traits and they are worthy because as a queer person I can express myself however I damn well please. This is also aided by the welcoming of queer people into the pop world as far back as Cher, Madonna, and Janet and continuing on to Britney and Christina to current day popstars like Ariana: there’s always been a sense of ‘knowing’ with these artists where they have demonstrated an understanding their image and their message is more inclusive than straight women.

This is my primary frustration with You Need to Calm Down, song and video. It’s all artifice, like an imaginary checklist of mainstream gay media and celebrity that can appeal to Taylor’s queer fanbase without alienating the girls who may change the channel when Drag Race starts every week. There are recognizable, #relateable queer celebrities (Queer Eye, Adam Rippon), the queer entertainment (drag queens) and even heterosexual eye candy in case anyone was thinking of tuning out midway through (Ryan Reynolds). But the actual message? It’s relegated to a few lines in the second verse. What is Taylor saying about the queer community, other than telling bigots they’re “shade” is fruitless? I mean, it’s not even inherently telling anyone that being gay is okay, just that it’s inevitable. This isn’t aided by the fact that queer people have always faced suppression in how they express their sexuality, meanwhile Taylor has made a point of being deliberately sexless for most of her career. Which is fine for her in itself, but it also doesn’t provide much common ground with the queer struggle for more broad and free expression. We have reached a point where as a community we’re not only visible but also now up for monetary exploitation, and I think it’s perfectly in our right to question those who seek to partner with us for any commercial or mainstream media. The bar isn’t even that high: I think it’s been somewhat of a shared school of thought that if someone takes the time to understand queer history, the broad spectrum of individuals that make up the community, what we have gone through and continue to go through, then they are welcome as an ally. If Taylor has a fundamental understanding of any of the above, she has failed to show it in this very commercial and very mainstream product from which she is now profiting.

I just find it far less patronizing when a popstar takes the time to understand the queer community, and allows us to organically connect with them based on shared opposition or expression. I think some popstars have done an exceptional job of that throughout their careers, and I’ve highlighted them above. Taylor has spent that time neatly fitting most of her songs into the explicitly heterosexual romantic dichotomy of man-woman, hero-princess, savior-damsel. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but when she decides that she wants to be a gay icon and it happens to be during Pride Month in 2019, I think we’re all warranted in our scrutiny.
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Also this is spot on

 

[disneys]

I'm about to REALLY ramble, warning!


She really pisses me off, and not because of any political stance she's taking, but rather the fact she's always been someone who appears to let everything eat at her. Just watched a video about all the symbolism placed in the latest video and like all the others, there are things people are sure are meant to be digs at all the people who have wronged her or called her out. Kanye, Kim, Katy, Beyonce, being compared to Adele... ffs, why does it have to keep being brought up even in the form of subliminal digs? She wasn't able to let the boyfriends or what they did go and she can't let any sort of shade being thrown her way just slide off. She acts like she makes peace with it but then continues to dwell on it for years and dedicate pieces of music vids to them. It seems childish, and I feel like she likes, in some way, to be a victim of something. I do understand though that because she's SO famous and never had a public breakdown or anything like it that this is probably her way of getting out things she wants to say without bluntly doing it. But it doesn't seem like the most healthy thing..

That's one of the things that I've not understood about her for a while now and this has just pushed me over the edge. I've been seeing her as a person who's two faced, and a lot of the guys who have dated her have pretty much confirmed that. The video also said that ( and I don't keep up with her on a regular basis, so apologize if this has already been mentioned) that certain people claim they didn't like her, like Lady Gaga, until they met her and they were just "won over". Everyone who's around her treats her like a queen and is smitten, and I just don't get it.

I think the girl has a good sense of humor and is self deprecating, but I get really tiffed about it because I think it's a facade. I think she knows what to play up to make herself seem the best in any situation and knows how to endear herself to people. I hope I'm making sense, like I hope she's not just using this though I have agreed with a few others here that I think she is part of the community. But however she identifies, I'm liking less and less the person she is because I feel like she's phony.

I hope I haven't upset anybody here but these are just my personal opinions and they've come to a head as I've been questioning a lot of the things she's been doing for a couple years at least but kept getting dragged into thinking she was sweet and great because some of the most decent people I know are massive fans of her and thought " guess they're on to something". But something's just not sitting right with me.

I get this point, but I kind of also feel like she is someone constantly in the public eye, talked about all the time by media, one of the biggest celebrities out there and if you don't laugh about the 'beef' (which I'm sure a lot of is fake for publicity) and own it then I bet it does get to you.

I used to be a big fan in my teens but I do feel now she's not matured with me. A lot of what she does, I do find immature. But also, it's kind of funny and I love some gossip, so it hasn't bothered me that much.

I have a theory that this Kanye beef was all fake and for views/dowloads/publicity.

 

[Yel]

until they met her and they were just "won over". Everyone who's around her treats her like a queen and is smitten, and I just don't get it.

I guess you'd probably have to meet her to be won over. I think she's like a politician - whoever she's likely to meet she has a briefing over and knows exactly what to say to make them feel special and important. She has two private jets and several fortresses - rarely anyone accidentally meets her.

This petition will have plenty of political people ready to fangirl and some good photo ops in DC with people in power shes won over. That's probably the point of it all, although change.org isn't a charity - far from it so wouldn't be surprised if there was some deal with posting the petition there. Still "only" 325k signatures.

 

[Deepsigh2018]

Did anyone read her latest long public letter about Scooter Braun buying her back catalogue. I think its awful that Scooter Braun (who she hates) now owns her back catalogue and that she was never given the option to own songs that she wrote.

I remember reading a few years back how Michael Jackson bought the beatles songs.

I just dont get why she had to bring up Kim and Kanye again in this she was hardly an innocent party in that drama. (The second time around)

I will admit im not her biggest fan because I feel that she loves to play the victim but she should own songs that she has written.

 

[Tublet83]

Did anyone read her latest long public letter about Scooter Braun buying her back catalogue. I think its awful that Scooter Braun (who she hates) now owns her back catalogue and that she was never given the option to own songs that she wrote.

I remember reading a few years back how Michael Jackson bought the beatles songs.

I just dont get why she had to bring up Kim and Kanye again in this she was hardly an innocent party in that drama. (The second time around)

I will admit im not her biggest fan because I feel that she loves to play the victim but she should own songs that she has written.

Yes I read it, I agree about owning music however this seems a really immature way to go about what is a business deal.

She’s playing the victim again ps I’m not a fan of scooter Braun either

 

[emmer_moans]

What does this mean when she wants to sing her old songs in concert, does she need permission to sing them?

 

[Yel]

I'm happy that she called out scooter, can't stand the guy. But agree why even mention kimea again? Just makes her look so rattled and pissed off by something so many years ago. Kim and Kanye have rocked her so much shes struggled to put out anything that matched what she was doing in her teens and early 20s.

 

[SavetheDrama]

I am no fan of either this gross producer or Kanye and Kim, but TS really has a knack for playing the victim. I did however think Kanye’s video with the naked Taylor and calling her a “witch” in the song was in extremely poor taste (not to mention the obvious misogyny).
I wish she hadn’t used the words “my worst case scenario” because her worst is still incredibly privileged and it makes her sound once again very, very removed from “real problems” and real people.
That said, artists should really own their music and the business side of it seems shady as hell.

 

[Yel]

It's all kicking off, the swifties are digging up pro Israel scooter posts, Arianna deleted her congrats story, justin has changed his caption, Miley and Billie have unfollowed scooter. Well this will be interesting

I'm so ready to get behind Taylor fighting a cause that she beleives in. I might torrent her old albums so I don't stream them, but hey Google play state of grace is so convenient.

Can she just go rerecord them all?

#westandwithtaylor is trending

Samantha mumba has unfollowed scooter, this is not a drill. tit just got real

 

[whatweallthink]

You will always be seen as “playing the victim” when you call out people on their tit because to do something publicly means you must be doing it for personal attention when matter of fact is it’s not about stroking egos it is about (and rightly so) bringing attention to things that should be spoken about.

Mentioning Kim again I can see how people would sit and saying “really Taylor again?!” but unfortunately that plays a big part in her problem with Scooter. It has to be mentioned to put a background on her issue.

Regardless of all of the drama in this there is a massive issue she is bringing to the forefront. SHE does not own her masters that SHE wrote on her own bedroom floor. Just because someone is now privileged doesn’t mean her “worst case scenario” isn’t heartbreaking for HER. People can feel how the duck they want to with a tenner in their pocket or 10 million.

This has truly rubbed me up the wrong way, this happens on a daily basis to smaller artists not just in music were their hard work is taken from them through “ownership” and power - if she has to be a mouthpiece sitting on her million pound throne then so be it. I suppose this is what she meant when people tell her to calm down.

 

[Oohthedrama]

Samantha mumba has unfollowed scooter, this is not a drill. tit just got real

Oh my god whatever happened Samantha Mumba. Iconic pop princess

Didn’t Demi Lovato just sign with Scooter!? (Has this been mentioned and I’ve missed it)
Totally off topic but Justin Bieber needs to get offline, get over Selena, and remember he has a wife...that isn’t Selena Gomez

 

[SavetheDrama]

Oh my god whatever happened Samantha Mumba. Iconic pop princess

Didn’t Demi Lovato just sign with Scooter!? (Has this been mentioned and I’ve missed it)

I hope she hasn’t! She has enough problems to deal with, with her recovery and everything.
Maybe we also need a thread to discuss Bieber and his uber Christian marriage

 

[Oohthedrama]

I hope she hasn’t! She has enough problems to deal with, with her recovery and everything.
Maybe we also need a thread to discuss Bieber and his uber Christian marriage

I think she has she writing her new album, I just hope she has a team of people looking after her, that girl has a habit of hitting the self destruct button too often

Seriously, I can’t with that lad!!!!
I have so many questions about this “marriage” and I really want to sit down with Hayley and say “ok... tell me this... what are we doing here Hayley ”
Justin can profess his undying love to Hayley on Instagram all he wants but when he’s pining after Selena Gomez 90% of the time, if I was her, he’d be sleeping in the god damn shed.
And this Tom cruise boxing match crap. She just needs to change his passwords to all his social media right now.

 

[newtoyou]

Oh my god whatever happened Samantha Mumba. Iconic pop princess

Didn’t Demi Lovato just sign with Scooter!? (Has this been mentioned and I’ve missed it)
Totally off topic but Justin Bieber needs to get offline, get over Selena, and remember he has a wife...that isn’t Selena Gomez

Yeh Demi signed with him and of course is defending him Poor old Justin just really doesn’t come across as the sharpest tool in the shed does he

 

[emmer_moans]

Will Taylor be able to perform any of her old stuff? What does it all mean? Surely she must have songwriting credit?