Side By Side: Should you be a fan of Taylor Swift?   

By Angeline Pommier

Super-Swiftie

Faith Figueroa, freshman psychology major, has liked Taylor Swift since 2019. We talked about the reasons why she likes Taylor Swift and what she thinks of her as an artist.

• Why do you like her and her music?

Unlike a lot of popular artists, she writes all of her songs. She either writes by herself or co-writes all of her songs. Usually, somebody else writes for them. 

It doesn’t make anybody better, but it’s just like she puts in more effort. From interviews I’ve seen with her, she cares a lot about giving people credit. She’ll always mention her choreographers for her tours and for her music videos, and like her camera operators and the assistants. Even like the smallest job, she gives credit to people who worked on these sets, and to her dancers, too. 

She gives credit to everybody. And I would say that she seems like a genuine person in her interviews.

• When did you start liking her?

I knew who she was because of my sister. My sister has been a fan of hers since forever, and basically in 2019 is when I started liking her because that’s when her Midnight album came out and that was the first album that I actually listened to all the way through.

And I’m like, wait, this isn’t that bad. This is something I kind of like. 

And after that, I started actually following her, but I’m more of a newer fan. 

• What do you think of her personal life?

I would say she’s been unfairly criticized for her relationships, and people have always sexualized her in a lot of ways because of those relationships.

People say she’s like a serial dater, right? But like, it’s her life.

• Is there anything that she’s done that you disagree with?

The big thing was her logs for private jets when she was on her Eras tour. The pollution that was caused by it could’ve been avoided. But I’ve heard that somebody from her team came out and said that she also lends her private jet to people. But I don’t know if that’s true.  

• Do you think people should support her music?

I think people should respect what she’s done. I think that she’s done a lot to advocate for other artists and she empowers young women to be more confident and not let society define them, the way society has done to her. 

• What do you think about her fandom? 

I think it’s a range. I think every fandom, there’s the good parts and the bad parts.

The good parts of the fandom are that they’re very supportive of her. The bad part is that when she writes music about her past romantic experiences, her fans will go into the comments of her ex- boyfriends on social media and write hateful comments. 

Like she doesn’t need you, she doesn’t need you to stand up for her, right?

• Finally, what do you think of her current relationship? 

I think it definitely seems like they were meant to be. And they’re getting married so it seems like she’s found the one for her.

Not-So-Swiftie

Emily Druga, a senior Data Analytics major, who has disliked Taylor Swift for a couple of years. We talked about why she dislikes Taylor Swift and what she thinks of her as an artist.

• Why do you dislike her and her music?

When she did country music, it was good. But when her album Red came out, it was okay, I just lost touch. Then I went online and saw all these controversies about how she likes to use people to gain something. I think she purposely picks who she dates, then breaks up with them, and uses it to write her next hit song. 

• When did you start disliking her?

It was a slow process, but I just lost touch, lost interest, and with all the controversies surrounding her, I started to dislike her and her personality. 

• What do you think of her personal life? 

I’ve seen videos of her. Maybe she’s having a bad day. It’s not easy, but you don’t have to act rude. I heard stories of her being rude to her team, being rude to the staff, being rude at all the shows she’s put on. So, it’s one thing to be a pop star and have a bad day, but that doesn’t mean you can be rude to everyone. She’s like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

• Do you think people should support her music?

Listen, I’m not trying to dictate who people should and shouldn’t listen to. I feel like sometimes, if you like the music, you can separate the art from the artist. You can write amazing stuff, movies, songs, whatever, and still be a crappy person.

• Is there anything that she’s done that you disagree with?

Her ridiculously overpriced concert tickets. I understand, tickets can be very pricey, but $1,000 for one person, that’s like paying for bills, or for things like car payments, utilities, rent. It’s too much because you have to pay $1,000 for the tickets, then you have to pay for parking, if you want to get food at the vendor or merch.  And if you’re staying somewhere for the concert.

• Finally, what do you think of her current relationship? 

Honestly, I don’t think they’re gonna last long. I think that she got engaged to him just so she could perform the halftime show.