Women pick their own role models and if it’s Taylor Swift, then be it!

The global music industry is brimming with good talent but every now and then, the world witnesses phenomenal artists who go on to make and break records. If you’re not aware already, a quick Google search will give you the data that proves Taylor Swift is all that and more. She is not just generating a huge amount of influence globally but she is also an economic powerhouse. And yet, despite her achievements, some would say she is not a good role model. We’re looking at the author behind the opinion piece that went viral. 

While everyone is entitled to having opinions and they can choose to love, hate or not care about Swift, the reasons the said author enlisted to justify his views were rather problematic. “At 34, Swift remains unmarried and childless,” the author says it like our core KRAs as women include getting married and reproducing. They further add, “While Swift's musical talent and business acumen are certainly admirable, even laudable, we must ask if her personal life choices are ones we want our sisters and daughters to emulate.” Women have an identity beyond being someone’s sister or daughter, and it sucks that we have to point that out, in 2024. 

The writer also pointed out that Swift has dated many men, “at least a dozen” to be specific. They asked, “Would any loving parent reading this want their daughter to date 12 different men in the span of just a few years?” I can go on a limb and say the women reading this article right now don’t need to be told what is wrong with this statement. Yes, Swift can date as many men as it takes before she finds the one, that is if she wants to. Yes, it’s okay for Swift to be unmarried and childless at 34 and guess what, she doesn’t need anyone’s permission or validation. 

What does it take for a woman to be deemed good enough for a role model? Apparently, being the first woman to have four albums in the top 10 list at the same time is not enough. Becoming the youngest person to win the Entertainer of the Year at the CMAs at the age of 19 is not enough. Having maximum albums at the number one spot by a woman is not enough. The fact that many girls and women around the world are inspired by her success is not enough. 

Swift has exhibited great strength through her vulnerability. She isn’t afraid to wear her heart on her sleeves and she doesn’t let breakups harden her heart. Young girls feel comforted in the fact that they can have multiple breakups and still do great. Women love how she is such a girls’ girl! 

We are not saying she has to be everyone’s role model because women have the right to choose theirs. But we don’t see any reason to make a woman sound less of an inspiration based on whether she has children or how many men she has dated. 

Having said that, what works as an antidote to this article is one by a young girl of age seven who seems wiser than the people who are passing off sexist comments about Swift. “You don't have to be married and have kids to be a good role model. To be a good role model, you have to be kind, sweet, generous and smart. And you have to give girls a feeling like they have power—girl power—and that we can make our own decisions,” she wrote. If that’s the kind of wisdom you can have at the age of seven by making Swift your role model, then I think she’s doing something right. So dear author of the viral attack, don’t fret about how your “daughters” and “sisters” will grow up taking inspiration from Swift. Worry about what you want to teach your boys, and it should definitely start with a thorough understanding of women’s autonomy. 

Lead image credit: Getty Images

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