Most people know who Taylor Swift is: the red-lipped, Pennsylvania-born starlet who skyrocketed into fame after her debut album and never looked back. From selling out stadiums to breaking records with every album she releases, it is undeniable that Swift is one of the biggest stars of our time. However, with this stardom comes a price, and for Swift, it is that everything she does is exponentially magnified. In recent weeks, this has been evidenced by her appearances at Kansas City Chiefs football games, creating massive speculation on her dating life involving Travis Kelce.
As someone who considers herself a “Swiftie,” an avid fan of Swift, I am here to say that the obsession with the pop star as an entity and not a person is absurd. On Aug.19, Swift attended the wedding of close friend and producer Jack Antonoff in New Jersey. Instantly, the news broke out across social media, causing thousands of Swifties to storm the venue in hopes of getting to meet Taylor. However, Paparazzi pictures from the event show Swift’s shocked face, making it clear that this group of Swifties had gone too far.
This required police attention to ensure Swift’s and the massive crowd’s safety. Instead of being able to celebrate her friend’s wedding, she had to worry about swarms of fans and her own safety.
Although a global icon, she should be able to have some sense of normalcy in her life. After all, she is still human and she deserves to enjoy the basic privacies in life that most of us are afforded. I understand that she has put herself in this position of larger-than-life fame, and should expect massive media attention. However, wherever Swift goes, Swifties will follow in droves. This isn’t even the most recent example of her dedicated fans treating Swift as less than a person and more of an object.
Most recently, Swift has been appearing at Kelce’s football games in support of his sportsmanship. Instantly, Kelce’s jersey sales increased nearly 400 percent, and Swifties are now crowding the stadiums in hopes of getting a glimpse of Swift at the game, who is just trying to enjoy herself. This occurrence has caused massive speculation on who she is dating, and, to set the record straight, that is not something to be discussed as if it’s Fantasy Football.
While some may argue that it’s fair for Swift to experience this much attention from going to a football game, after Swift left the game, fans noticed her condiment choices: ketchup, and ‘seemingly ranch.’ This caused a viral internet frenzy, and the condiment company Heinz even released a limited-edition ‘Seemingly Ranch.’ Additionally, the Empire State Building lit up in colors representative of this ‘Seemingly Ranch.’ Plainly put, no one should be this famous. This media attention is too much, and frankly, bordering on the line of dehumanizing for her.
Swift’s dating life is hers and hers alone, and has unfortunately been the speculation of the public for years, particularly the narrative around “what song she’s going to write after said guy breaks her heart.” This is a narrative that is largely present because Swift is a female and one that I’ve heard repeatedly regarding Kelce. If you want Swift to continue making relatable music about relationships, stop feeding this misogynistic narrative.
It isn’t the first time that Swift has experienced sexism in the music industry, however. This has been present since the earliest days of her career, and she herself had neglected to comment on it until 2019 when she highlighted how there are simply different standards for women in the music industry than men. Women in the music industry are subject to constant reinvention to keep the public eye fascinated with them. Upon further examination, her level of fame resembles a zoo attraction, in which she has to create a new attraction each year to keep onlookers interested, or else she could be at risk of losing her job.
It’s no secret Swift loves her fans, which is one of the many reasons why Swifties love her. With that said, it is unfair to expect that she will always be willing to smile, take selfies, and interact with them, especially when they are interfering with her personal life.
People forget that she is a human being, someone who also experiences real life under the speculation of millions of people. It is never a bad thing to be a fan of someone, but swarming personal events and causing emotional stress takes it too far. So, to all the Swifties that have been a part of this issue, as Swift says best: you need to calm down.
