The Taylor Swift ‘Reputation’ Reaction Misses the Point on Problematic Faves
Pop culture contains multitudes, y’all.

It’s a classic public reaction to a pop culture moment.
Or it has become one, anyway. A popular figure comes out with something new — in this case, Taylor Swift’s upcoming album Reputation. Across the digital sphere, people pop up with reminders of how that artist has been problematic, hopes that this new venture won’t continue the harmful trend, and tips for the rest of us to know how to spot a change.
And then comes the backlash from the artist’s fans and stans. They throw in their “that was a long time ago”s and their “why are you tearing her down”s and their “stop bashing her!”s.
Just check out the comments in these posts on Bustle’s page “My Favorite F Word is Feminism” and you’ll see what I mean.
If you weren’t paying attention, you would think people could only fall into one of two camps — either criticizing someone like T-Swift for her past adventures in White Feminism, or pledging your undying loyalty to her, vowing to never speak a word about her that’s not all full of rainbows and positivity.
But the options aren’t so rigid, y’all. Pop culture contains multitudes, y’all. There’s not a single public figure who’s perfect, or who never deserves a word of criticism. Not even the ones I adore.
So I’m seeing a chance to clear something up — and now seems like the perfect time, because I’m sure there will be plenty more headache-inducing comments sections before the Taylor Swift Reputation buzz is over.
Criticizing a public figure for harmful things they’ve done does NOT mean that you’re:
- Demonizing her entire existence
- Saying she can’t do anything right
- Or “bashing” her for no reason
Criticizing a public figure for harmful things they’ve done DOES mean that you’re:
- Creating space for them to be accountable and do better
- Standing up for those harmed
- And seeing the celebrity as human — because humans aren’t flawless
It’s also only human to look up to someone, and I get that someone’s art or music might mean something to you, in spite of their flaws or mistakes.
With Taylor Swift, for example, you could point to positive ways she has used her influence. Recently, she was praised by sexual assault survivor advocates for the way she stood up for herself in court and made a statement supporting all survivors in the process.
Does that mean she could possibly have a positive influence in the world? For sure! Does it mean she’s now flawless and above criticism? Hell nah!
If you can’t even see criticism of your favorite artists without getting bent out of shape, that’s a problem. We’re idolizing celebrities to the point of pretending we don’t notice when something’s off. Which can be really bad news if that something “off” is harmful to others.
Let your faves be human — which means sometimes acknowledging that they’re problematic, as we all are. You don’t have to deny their ever having done something wrong to appreciate their art or music.
And this is one way that we can all use our influence to create a better world. We, the adoring public who so often find ourselves swept up in pop culture frenzies, don’t have to sit silently and take whatever the media gives us.
Sometimes we’ve got something to say — and a pop culture buzz that’s got millions of people listening is a great time to say it.
