Taylor Swift is a woman who is extremely vocal about the sexism she has faced within the industry. The hate she has received has followed her all throughout her career with no end in sight. From an incredibly early age, all of Taylor’s actions have been heavily criticized. Everything she wore, did, said, and most importantly who she dated has been under scrutiny. For a child to develop under such a watchful eye is fundamentally damaging to their development. We can see the effects of child stardom through a devastating look at the behavior of childhood stars as they enter their teenage years and adulthood through people like Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Barnes. There is such a weird captivation audiences have for children on screen. There is this mindset that because they were born into stardom that the criticism people give these impressionable children will not affect them. Celebrities are people who can make mistakes, the same as someone who does not have a paparazzi camera in their face every time they leave the house.
There has always been a weird obsession with Taylor’s dating life. Parodies of her teenage lovesick songs have been around since her career first picked up with her self-titled album released in 2006. The concept that a teenage girl could have crushes and date a multitude of people is such a shocking concept for some people to understand. Taylor Swift was simply doing what all teenage girls were doing, having fun.
With the previous knowledge of the obsession over Taylor Swift’s dating life, it is no shock the public outrage her newest relationship has had. Taylor Swift is dating Travis Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Taylor Swift has been going to every one of Kelce’s games, as a supportive girlfriend. Clips of her reacting to the games have gone viral, mocking her for her ‘dramatized’ reactions to Kelce’s injuries. Fans of the football team have been complaining and directing their anger at Taylor saying that the only footage that can be seen of the games anymore is Taylor Swift. Let us think about this for a moment; who is the one filming? Who oversees the camera? It is not Swift or anyone on her team. This anger is misguided and it is frustrating that they are only focusing on Taylor. I am sure it is frustrating for her too. What should she do? Just never leave her house? No, Taylor is allowed to see her boyfriend’s football games.
Football is known for its crazy fans and its majorly male audience. So why is it okay for a man to show up with paint on his chest and anger boiling over to a football game but Taylor cannot let out a gasp when her boyfriend is hit hard on the field? Football fans become violent over a ball being kicked wrong. Why is it okay for a man to have such a violent reaction but not okay for a woman to? It is easy to swallow a man’s fist but not so easy to swallow a woman’s anger. Taylor Swift herself said, “A man is allowed to react. A woman can only overreact.”
