2024 was her record year again
Taylor Swift fights against the patriarchy with heartbreak
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Inclusion instead of exclusion: That is the motto of Taylor Swift's fans, the “Swifties”. The singer's hits are not just catchy tunes – they take away the shame of female experiences in patriarchal society. Swift is continuing her meteoric success on the Eras tour in 2024.
In 2024, nobody could get past her: Taylor Swift was the topic of conversation in every medium, on every stage, in every playlist and in every circle of friends. The hype surrounding the singer from Pennsylvania has reached its peak with the Eras tour in 2024. Fans equate their concerts with religious experiences. For the Eras tour, Swift was on stage on 83 days this year and performed at least 44 songs for three hours each evening. It became the most commercially successful tour of all time.
Taylor Swift hasn't had any teething problems in her life. She comes from a family of millionaires, quickly found country music and got her first record deal at the age of 14. Early on, she proved herself to be a consistent hit writer, transforming her sound several times: from country to pop to indie to folk and most recently back to pop again. In contrast to other musicians, she didn't scare away her fans, but instead gained more and more.
Today this fan base has its own name: Swifties. The fan community is a special factor for the singer's success. This was also the result of studies by the mdw University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, which was scientifically studying Swift this summer. Accordingly, the Swifties are “a group that is primarily characterized by solidarity among themselves. At the heart of this pop culture is not the exclusion, but the inclusion of fans, regardless of their backgrounds.”
Swift doesn't portray herself as an unattainable pop diva
And being a Swiftie is an interactive experience these days: On social media, the pop star interacts directly with his fans and regularly includes subtle hints – so-called Easter eggs – in songs, videos or posts. The Swifties, for their part, analyze, dissect and discuss these as if they were the story arc of an exciting series. Despite her huge fan base – there are over 280 million on Instagram – Swift does not portray herself as an unattainable pop diva, but rather always approachable and grateful.
In the New York Times, a psychotherapist explained that Swift takes on the role of a big sister to her fans (and many of her patients). In her songs she would sing about the issues that affect young women: heartbreak, self-doubt and the feeling of not being taken seriously. At the same time, Swift proves with her experiences and songs that it is possible to overcome pain and grow from it.
Taylor Swift serves a market that has been begging, if not screaming, for a figure to identify with for practically decades: young women whose feelings and struggles have always been laughed at. Time, which named Swift Person of the Year in 2023, explained its success by saying that Swift gives girls permission to recognize their inner world as important – even if they have been “conditioned to face rejection, slander and poor treatment from one “to accept society that considers their feelings as irrelevant”.
Eras tour as a revolution against misogynistic thought patterns
Taylor Swift's success represents something. Swift takes away the shame en masse from the female experience in a patriarchal society. When there are not only 74,000 people in the sold-out Munich Olympic Stadium, but also 50,000 more fans populating the hills around it, it is not just a gathering of fans, but a revolution against misogynistic thought patterns.
Because despite her success, Swift and her fans are still met with hatred and hatred today. The British literature professor Elly McCausland explained this in the “taz” with an “aversion to girl's culture” in society. In Swift's case, the aversion is often justified by her supposedly shallow lyrics and constant love themes. McCausland makes an interesting comparison: No one would have ever accused the Beatles of dealing so much with heartbreak and love.
