Here's Why Taylor Swift Is An Inspiration To Women
Taylor Swift is one of the most successful singer-songwriters who have consistently given back to her community. She has touched the lives of others and made her fans' dreams come true by sending them money. She was vulnerable about her sexual assault trial and her struggles with having an eating disorder. Swift hasn't been afraid to speak up about the purchase of her master recordings by Ithaca Holdings. She has also donated $1 million to the Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund for the Nashville Tornado Relief Fund.
In 2015, radio personality David Mueller lost his job after Swift's team reported a groping claim to his radio station. He filed a defamation lawsuit against her then she filed a counter suit alleging sexual assault, which she eventually won in court. In court, Swift's mother, Andrea said when Swift first told her she had been groped, she didn't initially go to the police. She said, "I did not want her to have to live through the endless memes and gifs that tabloid media and internet trolls decided to come up with - doctoring the pictures… and making her relive this awful moment over and over again." While Swift's lawyer said the pop star wanted to keep the situation, discreet and confidential.
Swift only asked for $1 in damages from Mueller and has pledged to donate to organizations that defend victims of sexual assault. After the verdict was announced, she said in a statement, "I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this. My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard."
After Scooter Braun purchased Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine Label Group, which included the rights to Swift's music, the pop star revealed plans to re-record her first six albums. In an interview with Billboard, she said, "We need to think about how we handle master recordings, because this isn’t it. When I stood up and talked about this, I saw a lot of fans saying, ‘Wait, the creators of this work do not own their work, ever?’ I spent 10 years of my life trying rigorously to purchase my masters outright and was then denied that opportunity, and I just don’t want that to happen to another artist if I can help it… God, I would have paid so much for them! Anything to own my work that was an actual sale option, but it wasn’t given to me.”
When she won Billboard's Woman of the Decade Award, she used her platform to once again speak up about the purchase of her masters which occurred without her consent, approval or consultation. She stated that she was denied the chance to purchase her music. She said in her speech, "To this day, none of these investors have bothered to contact me or my team directly — to perform their due diligence on their investment. On their investment in me. To ask how I might feel about the new owner of my art, the music I wrote, the videos I created, photos of me, my handwriting, my album designs.”
RELATED: Taylor Swift Cancels Her Lover Fest Tour & All 2020 Performances
In her documentary, Miss Americana, she talks about her struggle with having an eating disorder. According to Swift, she would go through periods of starving herself after looking at photos of herself. She said in the documentary, "It's only happened a few times, and I'm not in any way proud of it. A picture of me where I feel like I looked like my tummy was too big, or... someone said that I looked pregnant... and that'll just trigger me to just starve a little bit." She admitted, "I thought that I was just like supposed to feel like I was going to pass out at the end of a show or in the middle of it. I thought that was how it was. Now I realize, no, if you eat food, have energy, get stronger, you can do all these shows and not feel it. Which is a really good revelation."
A major component of the documentary is Swift's decision to speak out on politics. In October 2018, she broke her silence and wrote an Instagram post bashing Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn. In the past, Swift kept herself mum on politics which she feels guilt over. She says that she was so obsessed with not getting in trouble that she chose to stay mum about her political beliefs. In the documentary, Swift talks about how outraged she is that Blackburn voted against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which protects women from stalking, date rape and domestic violence. Swift has been a frequent target from stalkers.
In an ELLE Feature, 30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30, Swift talked about finding her voice in politics. She wrote, "I took a lot of time educating myself on the political system and the branches of government that are signing off on bills that affect our day-to-day life. I saw so many issues that put our most vulnerable citizens at risk, and felt like I had to speak up to try and help make a change. Only as someone approaching 30 did I feel informed enough to speak about it to my 114 million followers. Invoking racism and provoking fear through thinly veiled messaging is not what I want from our leaders, and I realized that it actually is my responsibility to use my influence against that disgusting rhetoric. I’m going to do more to help."
Her decision to get political also originates from her traumatic experience from the trial. Despite winning in court, she didn't feel like it was a win at all. She said, "You don't feel a sense of any victory when you win, because the process is so dehumanizing. This is with seven witnesses and a photo. What happens when you get raped, and it's your word against his?"
Swift has always been known to be relatable through her personal songs, it's no surprise that fans will resonate with her when they watch Miss Americana. There's no doubt she'll continue to inspire young women everywhere.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGifnqqVqHq4tNhmq5qxnKS%2Fbr%2FWop2tZZmoeqK6jKKlrKiZp661tc6nZK2nXay8rrHNaA%3D%3D