Taylor Swift Just Said Some Amazing Things About Feminism (and Emma Watson)
Taylor Swift’s relationship with feminism has been the most epic of sagas.
In 2012, Tay’s party line was “I don’t really think about things as guys versus girls. I never have. I was raised by parents who brought me up to think if you work as hard as guys, you can go far in life.”
This summer, Tay reversed her position on feminism thanks to her famous bestie/well-known feminist superhero Lena Dunham. “Becoming friends with Lena—without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for—has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so,” Swift told The Guardian.
Now, Swift is IN feminism to WIN feminism. She recently gave an interview on a French-Canadian talk show in which she basically championed the feminist movement—and in particular Emma Watson—on air.
Below, some of the choicest quotes from the interview:
On Emma Watson’s amazing U.N. speech on feminism:
“I wish I was 12 years old and I’d been able to watch a video of my favorite actress explaining in such an intellectual, beautiful, poignant way the definition of feminism because I would have understood it and then earlier on in my life I would have proudly claimed that I was a feminist because I would’ve understood what the word means.”
Swift’s take on women who distance themselves from feminism, like she once did:
“So many girls out there say ‘I’m not a feminist’ because they think it means something angry or disgruntled or complaining. They picture like, rioting and picketing, it is not that at all, it just simply means that you believe that women and men should have equal rights and opportunities.”
And:
“To say you’re not a feminist means that you think men should have more rights and opportunities than women.”
Her support of a female artist’s choice to express her sexuality:
I think that no other female artist should be able to tell me to wear less clothes and I’m not going to tell any other female artist to wear more clothes. As long as it’s their idea, and they’re expressing their sexuality or they’re expressing their strength, or it makes them feel like a woman to perform a certain way or dress a certain way. . .as long as it’s coming from them and they’re living their life on their own terms, I cheer them on.
Her exasperation with forced female competition:
“I think when it comes to females in the media, you’ll see something that kind of upsets me which is that females are pinned up against each other more so than men. You know you never see ‘vote for who has the better butt—this actor or this actor.’ It’s always this female singer and this female singer.”
The key to gender equality becoming a reality (according to Swift) is:
The one thing I do believe as a feminist is that in order for us to have gender equality, we have to stop making it a girl fight and we have to stop being so interested in seeing girls trying to tear each other down—it has to be more about cheering each other on as women.
Swift makes so many positive points in this interview, she’s bursting with love and support for women (and gives an especially sweet shout-out to Emma Watson). Not only does Swift now get what feminism means as a movement, she’s absolutely embodying the best of what it means to be a feminist. All the props in the world to Ms. Swift for the distance she’s spanned and the lessons she’s learned. The journey was worth it, and you’re even cooler for it.
