“There’s nothing I hate more than what I can’t have,” Taylor Swift sings in her song “Gorgeous.” Humans crave what they are unable to achieve. That’s why it’s so easy to become obsessed with a celebrity, whether you like them or hate them. Taylor Swift builds a personal relationship with her fans that allow them to feel as if they know her, which keeps us coming back for more. She is a master lyricist, vocalist, and storyteller, but most of all, she’s human. Whether it’s inviting fans to her house for a “Secret Session” and playing her music acoustic for them, or just talking to them while carrying on her regular life, she always finds a way to connect. 

While Taylor Swift’s career is most famous for her pop songs, she has explored several different genres, including country and indie/alternative.  Many people have misconceptions regarding Swift’s music, thinking it’s just generic pop. However, her music is a lot more than that. She wrote two full alternative albums that have nothing to do with her life. Can one person truly hate all three of those genres? Or do they assume she only makes pop music and does not bother to listen to the rest of it? When I talk about my affinity for Taylor Swift, people usually have one of two reactions: “I love her too!” or “ew, I hate her.” Why do people have such absolute opinions of her? And why do people hate someone they’ve never met, who has never done anything to them? To get to the bottom of this,  I interviewed someone who passionately dislikes Swift. As a die-hard Swiftee, this wasn’t easy:

“I’ve always found her writing to be uninteresting…These lyrics are the same,” says junior Aron Wang. Unlike most artists, Taylor Swift writes her own music, and much of it is autobiographical. Since her lyrics are about her own life, written from her own perspective, they share unifying themes. However, it would be inaccurate to claim that they “are the same.” Over her 10 studio albums, she has lyrics on topics ranging from love to sickness, to mental health, to combating the public’s opinion of her and speaking about her innermost insecurities. “I wish that she would write something that wasn’t about her just liking a dude” is a common statement made about Taylor Swift. However, only 29% of her discography is love songs about her own life. Even if all of her music was about falling in love, would that make her any less of an artist than the countless male artists who also write about their experiences with love? 

Most people who dislike Swift won’t admit to disliking her as a person and disguise it behind disliking her music. However, I believe that many people have another reason for disliking her. Oftentimes, people are intimidated by a strong woman’s success, leading them to envy or feel intimidated by her. Aaron loves Kanye West but stated that he’s “always hated Taylor Swift because she represents someone who is very popular and mainstream in music.” Why is it that someone can completely discredit an artist because they are mainstream, yet love one of the most popular artists there is? “To me, she symbolizes you can get big in music just by having connections… her dad started her off with gigs.” I am not going to argue with the fact that Swift is a nepo-baby, but trying to pin her success on her father is unfair. Even though he kickstarted her musical career, she’s the one who made herself into what she is now. She has only ever canceled one show in her 17-year career and is currently embarking on an extensive nationwide tour consisting of a setlist over three hours long. She has won hundreds of awards, and that success cannot be pinned on anyone but herself. 

Disliking Swift based on her musical talent or niche is justified. However, hating her and discrediting her work based on claims other people have made is groundless. Ultimately, Taylor Swift is one of the most successful artists of the last two decades, if not the last century. She has several awards for her musical capability, and in my opinion, is well deserving of them. So to all the Taylor Swift haters out there, I’ve got one thing to say: ‘Shake it Off’!