Is Taylor Swift actually the villain?

Nobody likes a celebrity guzzle guts

What if Taylor Swift isn’t a great person? That’s the question I’ve been mulling over this past weekend, thanks to my Reddit recommendations.

For some reason and despite being a huge fan of her music, I keep getting recommended the r/TravisAndTaylor subreddit, which is essentially a Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce snark board.

Despite loving Taylor ever since 2012, I wouldn’t call myself a Swiftie. I’ve discussed this on here before, but essentially I feel that superfans ruin everything and I’m too old and grumpy to want to get involved.

In fact, I don’t actually know a lot about Taylor personally, I just like her music. But, I’ve always wondered why some people label her as problematic, when, to me, she seems as clean as JoJo Siwa in her side pony era.

The only criticism I have been aware of, is people complaining that she doesn’t speak up on political issues or use her platform in that way. Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it assumed she was a Trump fan, until she was essentially forced to come out and support Biden?

To me, this criticism has always seemed unfair, so, naturally I was intrigued by this subreddit and wanted to see what else they had to say.

In summary, it’s still a bunch of obsessed Swifties, but just fallen ones. Who don’t seem to understand that there is an entire machine behind this one celebrity and not just a singular fan club chairman.

One of the newest posts, is from a former fan who had cancer and who went viral with a chemo version of Shake It Off.

Despite acknowledging that it was not long after Taylor’s mum was diagnosed with cancer and that she was on her 1989 tour, the “Goal” was to get Taylor to visit the hospital.

When that didn’t happen, the fan received a merch goody bag which unfortunately contained hair accessories, “Taylor doesn’t give a shit about anyone but herself. Even when it comes to fans with cancer,” the fallen fan wrote.

Obviously, I understand that to these young fans, Taylor is their world. But, imagine how many fans Taylor has around the world and how many of them have cancer or are in hospital.

It would be physically, let alone mentally impossible for Taylor to visit every one of them and yes, it’s a cringe mistake, but one that would’ve been made by the team of people that keep Taylor functioning.

So, yes, there’s a lot of that going on. But one complaint, which does need addressing, is one I’ve gradually seen pop up on other non Taylor Swift themed Reddits.

And that is Taylor’s love of a special album release.

The Tortured Poets Department was released on 19th April 2024. Despite it only being two months since launch, 34 versions of the album have been released. Each addition with an additional live performance or voice note.

Now, this isn’t something that just Taylor does, artists all do it these days, just not to the same number or crucially, with the same timing.

Obviously, all these additional released have helped TTPD keep its number one spot on the UK album chart for 8 weeks, but what it’s also done, is block other female artists getting that number one.

When Billie Eilish released her new album in May, Taylor released three new digital album variants and a new CD version of the album. In the US, Billie ended up charting at number two.

Then, this week when Charli XCX looked like she was going to get number one with her new album in the UK, Taylor released six new deluxe album reissues. All exclusive to the UK and limited to buy until midnight.

No guessing who stayed at number one and who debuted at number two.

This has made it out of Reddit forums and into mainstream news and it’s surprising to me because it’s such a bad look to Taylor.

I just don’t understand why her team wouldn’t see this backlash coming, because, like I said, there are hundreds if not thousands of people behind these performers.

Everything about it, just screams bad PR move. So either Taylor has a shit team, or she’s overriding decisions to stay at number one and that’s where her villain era comes in.

I don’t know the full story, but apparently this is something Taylor has done before, which only makes it worse if true.

This, this is problematic. Fallen fans, who think they should have personal access don’t hold any weight to me, but this does make me question Taylor’s character.

Obviously, not enough to make me stop listening to her music, however.

You can take Taylor’s morals but you can never take, But Daddy I Love Him.

We’re all complex people, so obviously celebrities are no exception. But greedy behaviour on a celeb’s part, always feels so much worse.

I still lowkey judge Beyonce for accepting $24million to perform in Dubai (in contrast to Taylor who turned down $9million for a private performance there). These people are all literal billionaires, they don’t need anything else.

If you’re gonna be a guzzle guts, at least get your team to cover your tracks better.

Oh and can someone fill me in on CharliXCX. I always got Beverly Knight vibes from her, like stop trying to make CharliXCX a thing, but now she is a thing?

Fill Grandma in.