Taylor Swift is not a stranger when it comes to hits and success. The 31-year-old has achieved an impressive number of 40 Grammy nominations and 11 wins through the years of her career. However, even after all of her achievements, she still has to face an ugly element of the industry that has also impacted other women singer-songwriters: sexism.
After a judicial battle for the rights of her earlier albums, Taylor Swift decided to re-record her previous work and add the (Taylor’s Version) after it, so fans would know that she owns that recording. Her 2012 album Red was the latest re-recording released on November 12 and already has impressive data. Taylor broke the record of the most-streamed album in a day on Spotify, having received over 90.8 million streams. Who had this record previously? Another one of her albums, Folklore which won the 2020 Grammy for Record of the Year.
Taylor Swift Music History
Taylor Swift released her first album, titled after herself when she was only 16 years old. After that, she became a global phenomenon. She started as a country singer that turned to pop. Since the beginning, Taylor faced a mean-spirited comment: she only writes about her boyfriends/ex-boyfriends, even going as far as calling her music ‘boy bashing’.
Taylor has not remained quiet facing these comments and prejudices and is known for fighting back. Especially because, as the majority of singers and songwriters, Taylor writes about her past romantic relationships. Justin Bieber wrote an entire album to apologize to Selena Gomez. Ed Sheeran wrote a song about Ellie Goulding cheating on him with Niall Horan. From Elvis Presley to the Beatles, everyone has done it.
So, why does it bother people so much when she does it?
“You’re going to have people who are going to say, ‘Oh, you know, like, she just writes songs about her ex-boyfriends’. And I think frankly that’s a very sexist angle to take. No one says that about Ed Sheeran. No one says that about Bruno Mars. They’re all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life, and no one raises the red flag there.” Taylor Swift
Is Sexism A Common Ocurrance In The Music Industry?
Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence in the music industry. Female artists are downsized to be the romantic partner of another celebrity or are questioned why they write about this kind of material – as everyone else does. Olivia Rodrigo is only 18 years old and is already a global occurrence. Her debut album Sour received a lot of positive attention: from the pop-punk touch to the well-written lyrics. However, not every comment was about praising the teen sensation. Rodrigo also faced the sexism that Taylor is – unfortunately – used to. Some people claimed that she only writes songs about boys as well as more similar critiques.
“Something I’m really proud of is that this record talks about emotions that are hard to talk about or aren’t really socially acceptable especially for girls: anger, jealousy, spite, sadness, they’re frowned-upon as bitchy and moaning and complaining or whatever. But I think they’re such valid emotions.” Olivia Rodrigo
Another important figure in pop music that also has suffered a lot of sexism is Ariana Grande. The number of interviews where she refuses to answer or actively shows how sexist the question was is insane. Ariana is not known for standing down from a fight, and her fans respect and highlight her behavior as something that the singer shouldn’t need to go through.
“I’m not Big Sean’s ex. I’m not Niall’s (Horan) possible new girl. I’m Ariana Grande. And if that’s not interesting enough, don’t talk to me.” Ariana Grande
Conclusion
It is empowering that they are actively seeking ways to use their platform to show how much this is a current thing they have to face. However, it is incredibly frustrating that these women still have to face judgment for doing what men have been doing for decades. The music industry needs to reevaluate how they are treating women and their work. It is simply unacceptable.
