After releasing “The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore” on Sept. 25, artist Taylor Swift faced heightened scrutiny from both fans and non-listeners alike. Many of the complaints were about  the quality of her lyrics and melodies, and how they don’t compare to her “Folklore” album, which fans deemed her best era. But most of their online critiques were simply bashing the artist for what seemed like no apparent reason. 

I am a neutralist in this situation as I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum: from a die-hard Swiftie in my early high school days, to my indifference towards her now as I’ve matured in taste. To preface, I would like to say that I don’t hate her music. But, I don’t feel connected to it as I once did, for many different reasons including  her newly political indifference and billionaire status. 

During Swift’s Netflix 2020 documentary “Miss Americana,”she discusses publicly opposing Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn in the 2018 midterm race with her family and team. She also addressed her  vow to push for higher youth voter turnout,releasing her political anthem “Only the Young”, which encouraged  young voters to make their voices heard. Similarly, Swift poster her endorsement for Haarris in 2024, but only after noticeable silence from her fans.

Since marrying the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end, Travis Kelce, fans noticed her political silence. Many speculate this might be because of Kelce’s own non-partisan stance, having not publicly endorsed neither Republicans nor Democrats. However, his comment at the Super Bowl LIX about it being an “honor” to play in attendance of Trump  sparked rumors of him being right-wing leaning. 

I don’t care about Kelce, and honestly had no clue who he was before Swift announced their marriage. Swift is undoubtedly one of the most successful artists of our generation, and it’s a shame her music doesn’t reflect her poetic lyricism anymore.People have criticized her business decisions, after releasing over thirty variants of her album, and even UK exclusive tracks. However, the recent body shaming, sexism and belittling criticism she’s faced in the past year have made it hard to not remember her initial appeal. 

Swift’s sixth studio album “Reputation,” released in 2017 after a period of public hiatus, explored themes of public image, media scrutiny and finding herself in romance. As much as her music has changed since, Swift continues to explore these themes as her career expands. Nobody is above criticism, but when does it become too much?