Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved Taylor Swift. To me, she is the definition of girlhood.
Throughout her career, she has faced more hate than many artists, mainly because she is a woman, because of her massive popularity, and the fact everyone knows her name. The more your name is said, the more opinions are created, and the more hate you are going to receive.
Whether it was her “Reputation” album, where people said she was trying to be too edgy, her earlier albums where everyone said she only wrote songs about boys and breakups, “Lover” which got a lot of negative attention for the song “ME!” that people labeled as ‘cringe’, or her most recent album, which I have heard people on TikTok claim is “dumbed down so Travis can understand the lyrics,” people always seem to find something to criticize.
It feels like no matter what direction Taylor takes, someone is ready to tear it down. If she is angry, she is “bitter.” If she’s in love, she is now “boring.” If she is experimenting with new genres, she is a “try-hard.” That double standard says more about society than it does about her music.
I have recently found myself straying away from Taylor’s new music, especially this album, because her lyricism is not as strong and poetic as it used to be. That is partially because she is healing, she is in a happy relationship and she is about to get married. In her past albums, she wrote about toxic men, heartbreak and emotional pain. Those experiences made for powerful writing, but they also came from pain. Now that she seems to be in a better place mentally, it seems natural that her music reflects that shift. That growth might contribute to what some interpret as a decline in the quality of her lyrics.
Some people may say that hating on art is never OK, but I think the opposite. Sharing opinions on art helps create conversation, whether those opinions are positive or negative. This discussion is what keeps art alive. What I do not agree with, however, is constantly dragging an artist down.
Many famous artists throughout history have faced harsh criticism, which in some cases helped them grow. Pablo Picasso was heavily criticized during his time and critics called his art “degenerate,” “odd” and “a product of diseased nerves,” according to Park West Gallery. Yet, he did not stop creating because of those opinions. He kept painting, evolving and changing the way we think about art. If he had listened to his critics, the world might never have experienced some of his most iconic works.
Would you stop doing something you loved just because some people online told you it was not good enough? I know I would not. And Taylor has not either. Despite the hate, she has broken countless records, according to The Week, and has sold out stadiums worldwide, as reported by The New York Times.
It is okay to have different opinions on art, because if everyone only had positive ones, I do not believe it would truly be art. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of art is “skill acquired by experience, study or observation.” This definition does not say whether the observation must be good or bad, it just acknowledges that art is meant to be seen, experienced and reflected on. Art is subjective. That subjectivity is what makes it so powerful and allows viewers, listeners or readers to bring their own experiences into their interpretation.
If we only praised art and never challenged it, art would lose its purpose: to create emotion, thought and discussion. But when “critique” turns into hate, we cross a line. Artists like Taylor may live in the spotlight, but that does not mean that they signed up to be targets of hate. There is a difference between saying, “This album was not my favorite,” and saying, “She is untalented and dumbed down.” The first one is an opinion and the second one is hate.
Whether you love Taylor’s music or not, it has inspired millions of people to write, create or feel something deeply. And that is what I believe art is supposed to do. Art invites conversation, not destruction.
