*Before getting to the actual point of this article, I just want to make a sort of disclaimer. I love Taylor. I’m a huge fan. I believe she’s one of the best lyricists and performers of this generation. I genuinely believe that she’s worked hard for her success and that she deserves all of it. However, I don’t necessarily see anything wrong with constructively criticizing her or some of the hype that surrounds her. I do not believe she does certain things with ill intentions. I believe that she is trying to do good, gets caught up in it, and is blind to the damage that she might inadvertently cause.*
Taylor Swift and her gal pal legion has received numerous amounts of criticism since they made their big debut at the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, all starring in Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’ music video. The squad claims to be all for feminism and girl power but we have yet to see just that from them. Even the music video itself is a paradox to what the group of girls allegedly stand for. The song is rumored to be written about their fellow industry peer, Katy Perry. Swift and Perry both dated John Mayer and Taylor claims that things have always been “icy” between the two since. According to a Rolling Stone interview, Perry tried to hire a lot of people out from under her and that she could never really tell if Katy liked her or not. The video features Taylor’s close knit group of actress, singer, and model friends all fighting against another group of girls. This has always struck me as odd, considering feminism is usually about not fighting with our fellow women and trying to raise each other up. Maybe the video would’ve made more sense if the all-female clan was squashing male villains instead? That would be an obvious approach for any self-proclaimed feminist but it seems like all Taylor wanted to do was to subtly call out Katy and threaten her with her large group of friends.
Another thing I’ve personally noticed about Tay’s gaggle of girlfriends is that each and every one of them are well-established and independently successful on their own. But, it seems to me that being a part of her group reduces them to just being another one of Taylor’s minions. Cara Delevinge was a wildly successful model long before she starred in Swift’s video. I remember a time where I couldn’t go to the mall without seeing her face Not only has she impressed by speaking out about her bisexuality and defending the myths that come along with identifying as such. She also quit the modelling industry, spoke openly about dealing with depression, and made a triumphant acting debut in John Green’s ‘Paper Towns.’ I’ve noticed when publications mention the former Victoria’s Secret model, they seem to introduce the fact that she’s a part of the squad first and then list her accomplishments later, as if it doesn’t matter as much as being a part of the infamous squad does. Similar sorts of things tend to happen when people mention Serayah (Empire actress) or Hailee Steinfeld (Pitch Perfect 2, pop singer.) While Taylor seems to love complimenting the talents and personal attributes of her friends, the media seems to want to take a different approach. It’s almost as if the media believes that being in the group entitles them to attach a sense of erasure to the girls and diminish their individual accomplishments. This may not be Taylor’s fault, but it is still damaging nonetheless for her friends to be portrayed this way. An empowering feminist circle is a place where all the girl’s accomplishments are treated with equal enthusiasm but the media is painting a different picture; one where Taylor is the head of the table and the other girls are somehow beneath her.
Obviously, I’m not the only one who’s had reservations about the dynamics of Taylor’s club. Disney Channel’s Rowan Blanchard called out the singer’s squad, worried that it might be giving modern feminism a bad name:
“Of course female friendship is a beautiful thing. It’s insanely powerful. Sisterhood is something so valid and important when you are growing up that I literally think the essence of it should be taught in schools. But, the ‘squads’ we see in the media are very polarizing. Feminism and friendship are supposed to be inclusive, and most of these ‘squads’ are strictly exclusive. Squad goals’ can polarize anyone who is not white, thin, tall and always happy.”
Rowan (unsurprisingly) makes a valid point in a very non-confrontational way. Taylor’s squad comes across as very exclusive. Not only are a majority of the girls in the squad white, most of them are in fact tall, thin, and always happy. This can be polarizing (and scary!) to see as it’s a direct reflection of what Hollywood wants out of a girl. It seems like Taylor, who is very much in control of who is invited in, has made no effort to include women who tend to be more unconventional. In fact, most of them are able-bodied, white, conventionally beautiful women who often frequent magazine covers and fashion show runways. Of course, it is not anyone’s place to tell Taylor what type of people she should select as friends but this group seems very carefully curated. It is almost as if she is trying to assert a super-elite high standard with her gorgeous model friends to protect herself; the ghost of a girl who used to be bullied hiding behind an army of spray-tanned warriors who are ready to defend her at the drop of a pen.
When you remember the fact that Taylor Swift once openly admitted to being bullied and friendless in junior high and high school, you think she’d be more aware of the vibe her self-assembled entourage gives off. In a 2009 interview, a 19 year old Taylor admitted:
Doesn’t that sound oddly familiar? Seven years into the future and Taylor is accused of the very same things that she admitted to being a victim of. I’d understand if Taylor tried to build a legion of girls who were the exact opposite of the group she now “leads” and make sure everyone feels warm, included, and invited. Instead, her squad tends to give off an invitation only feel and I’m not sure if even the “regular, cat loving, awkward girl” Taylor describes herself as would even make the cut.
While Taylor has her faults at times, I’ve always viewed her as an open and easy to befriend person. But that shifted when her famous “almost-feud” with Nicki Minaj took place on Twitter right after the VMA nominations were announced. Minaj took to Twitter and attempted to use it as a platform to bring attention to the fact that black artists are often not included in these nominations.
Minaj’s concerns were very real and fairly accurate. Twitter instantly went off; some agreeing, some disagreeing, some joking that her tweets were about Taylor. I even saw several people on my timeline directly mention Taylor in the tweets and Swift was immediately hit with the ammunition that Nicki intended for MTV. We all know that artists don’t get to pick the awards that they are nominated for, Minaj is clearly aware of this and her shade was in no way directed right at Taylor.
Twitter assumed, Taylor saw, and she reacted:
I don’t blame her for that. I don’t blame her for getting confused in the cross-fire. Anyone else would’ve done the same thing had they believed they were being called out. In my opinion, the scariest part of Taylor’s reaction was that it came with a “you’re either for me or against me” threat. Website MamaMia! describes it better than I ever could:
“Swift had been nice to Minaj, so Minaj could not criticize her. It was a statement about control. Minaj was out of control and Swift had to pull her back in. For some reason, Minaj had to walk on eggshells, so as not to anger Swift. Remember [Taylor’s] rule of friendship #1? “You have to like me.” But that is ridiculous. There is nothing feminist about insisting that women should not criticize other women. That’s as sexist as saying women are not allowed to spit or swear. This isn’t about feminism or solidarity. It is about control.”
Taylor’s squad appears to be more about image, appearance, and the brand of an elite society rather than a close-knit group of female friends. That being said, the squad also does uplift and speak positively of one another. I’m not entirely sure what Taylor’s intentions of her “squad” are. A lot of aspects of it come across as shady, unhealthy and damaging. Some parts of it come off as fun, fabulous, and really cool. The members of the squad all do seem to have a magical female bond and they all seem to genuinely enjoy being around Taylor. My advice to Taylor would be to make sure that the group that she describes as having an “empowering, magical female bond” isn’t coming off as something straight out of ‘Mean Girls’ with Taylor being the Regina George of it all. The squad really does have the potential to be #goals if the group made it clear that they weren’t withholding access, if they took as much time empowering women outside the group as much as they do within the group, and gave us a less scripted and more vulnerable side of their friendships.
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