I firmly believe that the criticism many female artists face is downright unfounded and rooted in insecurity and misogyny.
Interestingly, boys with posters and memorabilia of football idols, such as Ronaldo, Messi, and Neymar, are called passionate and dedicated. There is an understanding that these are perfectly normal interests and that having an idol is healthy. But suppose that boy’s sister had the same items for Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams, and One Direction. In that case, they’d be called obsessed, opinionated, and over-the-top. Then there’ll come the argument that footballers are ‘more talented’ or ‘more hardworking’. While I’m not attempting to argue that singers and footballers have the same lifestyle requirements, to discredit their work on such a basis is downright disrespectful.
Therefore, what’s the common denominator?
Misogyny.
Taylor Swift in particular, seems to be a lightning rod for extreme opinions. Every news outlet and person seems to hold a strong opinion on the pop star. There is a noticeable lack of middle ground; it is either a love or an extreme hate relationship. Why is that?
Suppose you look at the way Swift presents herself in the media. In that case, there is a loud and proud catering to her fanbase, predominantly young girls. There is an upstanding belief in the power of voting and left-wing politics. And there is overwhelming confidence in herself and her brand.
To a load of insecure men, this is threatening, as champions of a patriarchal society are not keen on the idea of women thriving on their own. Let’s look at the reception of Swift’s coverage in the NFL since the beginning of her relationship with Chiefs star Travis Kelce.
Ginny Denmead, an 18-year-old student, and Patriots fan, said: “The NFL definitely overdoes it but that’s not her fault.”
In turn, it galvanises the group of men that already want to hate on a successful artist.”
The typical NFL fan doesn’t align demographically with a ‘Swiftie’ – out of those who interact with the NFL every week (58% of Americans), 70% are white males above 50. Interestingly, after the age of 50, US voters are at least 50% likely to vote Republican.
Although political alignment doesn’t always correlate to opinions and actions, to say that the unreasonable outrage over the coverage of an economically prosperous, and openly democratic pop artist, is due to many NFL fans’ misogynistic stance towards women, I’d say, is a reasonable conclusion to make.
Furthermore, the power of these artists’ fans is being collectively dismissed rather than harnessed for positive use. For example, there has been a 400% increase in sales of Kelce’s #87 jersey since coverage of Swift began. Clearly, capturing the interests of and appealing to young female fans can be a lucrative choice. However, instead of recognising it, the media chooses to ridicule. Rather than reporting on the wholesome passion of these fans, who are promoting values such as inclusivity and love, such passion is translated into mania.
The media seems consistently unaware or ignorant of the damage they are facilitating with their choice of language and selective reporting. The male lens is overwhelmingly present.
There is a lack of acknowledgement of this series of misogynistic blunders, and a lack of care towards the female portion of the media’s audiences. A dangerous precedent has been set which facilitates a continued, unfounded hatred towards female artists, their fans, and women overall. It directly influences the discouragement of women from pursuing and vocalising their interests, in fear of ridicule and disrespect.
To an overwhelming extent, historical misogyny is the driving factor behind hatred for female artists and their fans. I believe it is the main contributor towards the criticism of many successful female artists. However, the consequences are more widespread than that. There is an astounding amount of people with an inability to separate the actions of an artist from their art, and from their social contexts. Without an acknowledgement of this, the continuation of misogyny in all mediums is inevitable.
Image credit: Poppy Davies
