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Taylor Swift and the era of the "girl" : Code Switch Taylor Swift has become an
American icon, (and she's got the awards, sales, and accolades to prove it.)
With that status, she's often been celebrated as someone whose music is
authentically representing the interior lives of young women and adolescent
girls. On this episode, we're asking: Why? What is it about Swift's persona —
and her fandom — that feels so deeply connected to girlhood? And, because this
is Code Switch, what does all of that have to do with race?

NPR

PERSPECTIVE


CODE SWITCH: PERSPECTIVES

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PERSPECTIVE


CODE SWITCH: PERSPECTIVES


WHAT TAYLOR SWIFT'S ICON STATUS SAYS ABOUT WHO GETS TO BE A 'GIRL'

January 31, 20243:00 AM ET

By 

Leah Donnella

, 

B.A. Parker

, 

Xavier Lopez

, 

Dalia Mortada

, 

Christina Cala

, 

Jess Kung

, 

Lori Lizarraga

, 

Gene Demby

, 

Veralyn Williams

WHAT TAYLOR SWIFT'S ICON STATUS SAYS ABOUT WHO GETS TO BE A 'GIRL'

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Enlarge this image

Taylor Swift, who has been celebrated for her ability to channel the emotions
and perspectives of adolescent girls. Photos: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP, Shirlaine
Forrest/Getty Images for TAS /Design: Jackie Lay/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Photos: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP, Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images for TAS /Design:
Jackie Lay/NPR


Taylor Swift, who has been celebrated for her ability to channel the emotions
and perspectives of adolescent girls.

Photos: Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP, Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images for TAS /Design:
Jackie Lay/NPR

This article first appeared in Code Switch's "Up All Night" newsletter, about
the race-related thoughts, ideas, and news items that our team is losing sleep
over. For first access every Friday, sign up here.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few months ago, I traveled to Bloomington, Indiana to attend an academic
conference dedicated to analyzing an American giant. A lawyer dissected this
person's influence on American copyright law. A sociologist talked about queer
temporality in this artist's work. One scholar echoed the idea that this person
is "the Shakespeare of our time."

We were talking, of course, about Taylor Swift.

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It's funny to say that Swift is having a moment – she's been famous for so long
it's almost hard to remember a time before she started having moments. Even so,
the past year has felt monumental. At this weekend's Grammys, she's in the
running to set a record for most Album of the Year awards, which, at this point
feels almost like small potatoes. After all, already, Swift's Eras tour has
earned more than a billion dollars – the first concert tour ever to do so. The
movie-version of her concert broke box office records, grossing $92.8 million on
opening weekend. She was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year (for the
second time, sort of.) And now, President Biden is rumored to be seeking her
endorsement, bringing fear to the hearts of the Republican establishment. What
is a Grammy to a kingmaker?


MUSIC FEATURES


TAYLOR SWIFT IS THE 21ST CENTURY'S MOST DISORIENTING POP STAR

But as Swift's fame and power grows, her persona has proved, at times,
polarizing. There are people who love her and people who don't. People who
follow her every move, and people who don't understand why her name is suddenly
popping up everywhere. And then there are people who trust her, and people who
don't.

That last division, I think, has a whole lot to do with how different
communities are conditioned to perceive people of Swift's demographics — that is
to say, thin, young, blonde, pretty, white women.


CODE SWITCH


TAYLOR SWIFT, ARYAN GODDESS?

For many, those characteristics help create a persona that they're inclined to
take at her word: the girl-next-door, the naïf, the angelic songstress who
speaks directly from the heart. And Swift has long been lauded for her
incredible ability to spin a yarn. In fact, several high-profile institutions
have suggested that she's the best person to tell her own story. But quieter,
sometimes, are the voices questioning whether the stories she tells are real, or
complete — and what the consequences are if they're not. There's a moment in the
article that accompanied Time's "Person of the Year" announcement where the
writer decides not to question Swift about a certain narrative she's presented;
her feelings, the writer says, are a valid last word.



But Swift is a billionaire businesswoman with a multimedia company to run.
Taking her word about something in her life is like taking Ronald McDonald's
word about McNuggets. Both are characters, trying to sell a product. Only with
Swift, the product is herself. Her emotional health, her cats, her love life,
her friendships, her cardigans — all are parts of a persona meticulously curated
to uphold the narrative that is Taylor Swift.

That's not always a bad thing. Swift affirms the emotional lives of many of her
fans, which is wonderful. Convincing a boatload of people to vote is great, too.
The danger, I think, comes when we conflate the person for the persona; the
mascot for the business.

Enlarge this image

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift celebrate after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated
the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium in
Maryland on Sunday. Patrick Smith/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Patrick Smith/Getty Images


Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift celebrate after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated
the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium in
Maryland on Sunday.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Take the example of Swift's much-publicized relationship with Travis Kelce. On a
human level, who Swift hangs out with or dates or pretends to date is profoundly
unimportant. But who she's seen dating, and where, is another story — a business
story. Swift has the ability to affect the economy of entire towns when she
visits them; when she decides to publicly support the NFL (an institution that
has faced, um, critique) she is making a choice. Now, hordes of young Swifties
who otherwise may have cringed at the league's penchant for, you know,
brutalizing people's bodies beyond repair, are giving football a second look.

There are of course many other things that Swift has done — most of which the
world will never know about. But as she continues to be rightly acknowledged as
one the most influential figures of our "era," it's worth considering what it
means that someone with her position and power is still so often discussed as
authentic, relatable, and ever associated with adolescence.

So: On this week's episode of the podcast, we're digging into some of those
complex questions about what Swift's persona means, how it gets wielded, who it
benefits, and who it may leave behind. And we're heading back to that conference
in Bloomington, Indiana to do it.



In the episode you'll hear from Addie Mahmassani, a cultural historian who
studies women in popular music. Mahmassani was a speaker at the conference; you
can watch her full remarks, about how Swift fits into the canon of women in folk
music, right here.

 * Eras
 * Girlhood
 * whiteness
 * girl
 * grammys
 * Taylor Swift

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