If you spot an unusual abundance of cowboy hats, golden dresses, and overcrowded public transport, you know Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour has hit your city.
Her song lyrics, catchy music, and meticulously crafted branding has given her the main spot on music’s world stage.
Whether you’re a fan or not, there doesn’t seem to be a single person alive who doesn’t know her name, but the question is: why are people crazy for Taylor Swift?
Kay, 22, who recently completed her English degree at Oxford, has been a Taylor Swift fan for years.
She said: “I’m an old-time fan – my mum and I used to listen to Fearless in the car together so I can kind of make the argument that I grew up with her.”
But Kay’s literature expertise tells her that ‘poetry’ doesn’t quite describe Taylor’s efforts.
“As someone who’s done an English degree, I would argue that the word poetic does get thrown around too much.
“I would describe her works more as lyrical – there’s a lyricism there, some stuff can be very aspirationally poetic in style, some people say you could read it as a poem, I don’t know if that’s always true.
“I remember when I went to the ‘Reputation’ tour where she read aloud a poem she had written – that was a really interesting moment of her saying that poetry and songwriting are different, she was choosing not to set those words to music.
“She can do both and she’s chosen to keep them separate.
Lyricism considered, it seems that Taylor has gained a reputation as, above all, a business woman, and her status as a billionaire is highly contested.
Kay continued: “Even the megafans will fully acknowledge that she’s a very money-driven and business minded person, she will always try and put out as much music as she can because it’s going to sell.”
Romina, 26, told me: “I didn’t even have that strong an opinion of her, but the fact that people have such incredibly positive things to say about her makes me angry.
“Her use of private jets is insane, the way she hoards money is insane – she’s boring to me.
“I think she’s objectively talented and a good singer – her songs are catchy, that ‘Romeo and Juliet’ song is banger, but the idea that she’s some feminist icon is bizarre.
“All of her songs are entirely male-centric, she doesn’t write any other songs apart from about men and failed relationships.”
Taylor certainly stands for feminism and female empowerment, but the extent to which her promotion of feminism reaches intersectional communities is small, and doesn’t live up to the billion-dollar empire she’s created.
Marcus, 23, said: “As a person of colour I think she promotes white feminism, and I don’t know to what extent, as a white woman, she can take the role of promoting intersectional feminism.
“However, she literally has the biggest musical platform in the world and she should surely be utilising that economic and social capital to do greater good – it’s kind of her responsibility.
“I think the hysteria about her is crazy and scary and I don’t know what they’re obsessing over – because it’s not lyrical talent.
“I think she knows the hacks of pop music, she’s a business woman – that’s how I see her.
“She’s managed to get a huge monopoly on pop music because her music is catchy and relatable, but relatable to who? White women.”
“I think part of me must hold some internalised misogyny about the fact that she’s a red-lip, perfect looking girl – but she’s created a cult of white girls and white gays.”
Taylor Swift recently rushed to Lady Gaga’s defence, addressing pregnancy rumours directed towards the artist as “invasive and irresponsible” .
But she’s also come under fire for her unwillingness to apply her feminist ideology to the thousands of women suffering the effects of war in countries like Palestine, Congo, and Sudan.
Some disappointed fans reportedly sold their Eras Tour tickets and sent the proceeds to humanitarian relief projects for Palestine.
There is no denying the pop star’s blazing two-decade long success, but the sheer scale of that success means Taylor Swift’s actions are closely scrutinised, and she risks alienating a potentially vast fanbase – politically aware people of colour.
