In Defense of Taylor Swift

A response and reflection on the now ten year old Taylor vs. Kanye drama, brought back up by the former’s new Netflix documentary, Miss Americana.

In the new Netflix documentary, Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, a new light is shed upon the feud between Taylor Swift and Kanye West. The feud began in September of 2009, when West infamously interrupted Swift, exclaiming that she didn’t deserve to win the VMA she had won that night for Best Female Video. For over a decade, this incident has been a weight on both of their careers. But as Taylor said back in 2016, she never asked to be a part of this narrative. 

The documentary focuses on the effect the storyline has had on the mental health of Swift. At the time of the initial incident, she was 19 years old. Though Swift was already accomplished in country music, the recognition she had received as a country singer from the VMAs was an incredible stepping stone in her career. Swift explains in the documentary that she had built an entire belief system on the idea that approval from others was the key to her happiness. Though this is a harmful belief for a young woman to have, it makes it easier to understand where she is coming from. Swift reflects on the moment, and explains how when the crowd booed West for what he had done, she registered the booing as being aimed at her. This is where viewers truly start to see how heartbreaking that feeling must have been for a 19 year old woman who sadly relied on the approval of those around her. This is the kind of trauma that can shape and skew anyone’s mental health and outlook. Though there may have been mistakes made down the line, it’s simply important to consider the experiences of others and why they react how they do. In fact, the same could be said for Kanye. It is important that we consider others before we act, and that we choose empathy.