by Leanna Tabora, staff reporter
In an interview with Jules, Merrick & Sophie, Taylor Swift recently responded to the backlash she’s received in her career about people who harshly criticize her for writing about her love life and ex-boyfriends. When asked to reply about the subject, the 7-time Grammy winner responded with her belief that the criticism she receives is very sexist.
“You’re going to have people say, “Oh, you know, she just writes songs about her ex boyfriend” and frankly, I think that’s a very sexist angle to take. No one says that about Bruno Mars. No one says that about Ed Sheeran. They’re all writing songs about their exes, their current girlfriends, their love life and no one raises a red flag there,” Swift said.
Throughout her career, the “Shake it Off” singer has pointed out that her music is centered around her life, ever since her career started when she was 16. This means that she will tend to write about the men she meets over the years, regardless of the negativity she receives for it. Even though she’s found success in the recent years, people will always be ready to speculate who her songs are about.
“The most important thing for me is maintaining artistic integrity, which means as a songwriter I still continue to write about my life,” Taylor said.
People have responded in agreement to Swift, especially women.
“It’s wrong. If you’re a man, how come you’re allowed to express how you feel? But if you’re a woman, society doesn’t find it acceptable to express how you feel,” freshman Kaleya Grant said.
Musicians are inspired to release music about their love life, but it may take a while for society to accept that Taylor Swift and other female artists do it.
Swift’s second single, “Blank Space”, from 1989, addresses and mocks the media and people who call her out for being a “serial dater”. “Blank Space” will be released through radio on November 10.
