Seventeen years after she released her debut album, Taylor Swift is continuing to dominate pop culture conversations. Swift has remained in the media spotlight by re-recording her albums and going on a worldwide tour.
USC Sophomore Sophie Sullivan stated that Swift was the main topic of online discourse on various social media platforms that she engaged with.
Sophie Sullivan: “I think every day over the summer I would open Instagram and every single one of the headlines I saw was Taylor’s was editor this and Taylor’s was after that. And now there’s a movie and of, you know, the hype from the albums and stuff, but feel like she’s doing her thing, like it’s liberating and creates like a really beautiful fandom. Honestly, it is a little bit overwhelming at times, but, you know, it’s fun.”
Her success in the music industry has bled into the film scene with her 2023 concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour”. The film has grossed over 200 million dollars internationally against a roughly 20 million dollar budget.
Her rumored relationship with Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce also led to a substantial increase in NFL viewership amongst Gen Z and millennial women. NBC Sports reported that the Chiefs vs Jets football game this month attracted 27 million viewers - the most for a Sunday night game since Super Bowl 57.
Jane Davidson, an adjunct instructor at the Thornton music school and practing attorney of music law, spoke about how Swift’s brand evolution has contributed to her ongoing success and likened it to a politician’s career.
Jane Davidson: “If you look at any political figure in the Democratic Party who was involved in politics in the early 2000 or nineties use and still is today, you will see that they change. Most of them changed their views on gay marriage, for example, including Obama, who previously was against gay marriage, and then changed his his views on that. And I think that having a brand that can evolve as the public’s views change and hopefully be a step or two ahead of the rest of the mainstream.”
Not all of the discussion surrounding Swift has been positive.
U-S-C student Cler Barnhart noted Swift’s selective activism when it comes to championing feminist ideals.
Cler Barnhart: “I did watch this interesting video essay about, like white feminism and how she kind of, like, really fits into that, like from a more corporate standpoint of like, you know, like supporting feminist ideas when it’s useful for her, but then like, when it’s not important for her career, like, she’s just silent.”
This idea of “corporate activism” is one that has led to heated debates amongst activist and pop culture communities.
Davidson stated that Swift’s activist statements can be best understood when examining them from strictly a brand perspective.
Davidson: “I would not expect to see her to step into the arena on issues beyond kind of those that fit with her brand. LGBTQ issues being the ones that fit with her brand currently, potentially ones related to women, might be issues that she might jump in on, but I wouldn’t expect to see, for example, her commentary, commenting on issues of affecting people of color or anything like that, because I would not expect to hear that from her. From a branding perspective, not saying that that is a good thing for her to do or a bad thing. It’s just simply probably not a branding choice that we’re going to see from her.”
Regardless of the intent behind her activism, the Taylor Swift brand has extended far beyond the scope of music and become a staple of modern mainstream culture on an unprecedented scale.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Aditya Thiyag.