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The (High?) Cost of Taylor Swift’s Liberal Awakening
Is her being a Democrat as daring as “Miss Americana” spins it?
Two years ago, Taylor Swift did what her Netflix documentary Miss Americana wants us to believe was the near-unthinkable. After years of silence (from her) and speculation (from us), she came out as … a Democrat.
It’s a transition that’s explored in detail in the critically acclaimed Miss Americana. We see how Swift completed her metamorphosis from sweet country music ingenue to defiant pop superstar, how she helped pull the #MeToo bandwagon out of the starting gate, and, most notably, how she negotiated her political awakening in 2018.
In some of the documentary’s most-engaging scenes, she stands firm while her team pleads with her to remain apolitical for the sake of her multi-platinum career. It almost feels like a cue for viewers to stand up and cheer her on. How brave! How daring!
I, for one, never thought any less of Swift while she was publicly playing Switzerland. If we all have a right to our opinions, we all have a right to keep those opinions to ourselves. That said, kudos to her for ensuring she’s on the right side of history. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves by exaggerating the bravery or daring of her coming out.
