Is Taylor Swift Sending a Bad Message to Young Girls?
SodaHead Celebs
2011/08/18 22:03:57
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Generally, Taylor Swift is viewed as a sweet, up-standing, down-to-earth girl who sings innocent songs about love and loss for impressionable young girls -- which is a great image, if it's true.
And, to an extent, it is. However, Andrea Lampros wrote a fascinating opinion article for The Huffington Post attempting to illustrate a darker side of the Swift sensation.
After attending a Taylor Swift concert with her husband and three kids (a boy, 8, and two girls, 10 and 12), Lampros was disturbed to find the premises infested with CoverGirl booths and makeup merchandise all clearly being marketed to children and young teens.
She writes, "The overwhelming message of the Swift concert to the sea of girls ages 5 to 55: be pretty, be conventional, be quiet (well, it's OK to scream for me), and definitely put on some lipstick."
Of course, it's not like Swift is out there telling kids they need to wear makeup to be pretty. If you asked her, we're guessing she would recite the same "natural beauty" spiel you'd expect to hear from someone with less than a pound of makeup on her face.
But Lampros argues the message is implicit.
The concert, she says, was not about the message behind Swift's music. There was no "speaking" in her Speak Now tour, just a lot of showy dresses and convoluted cuteness.
It's an odd stance to take in a world full of Mileys and Momsens, who are quickly declared bad role models when they show up on YouTube smoking a bong or slipping a nip, but perhaps it's the subtly of Swift's "good girl" image that makes it the most dangerous of all.
Lampros concludes, "Better to have to explain the explicit sexuality of someone like Gaga and her "Born this Way" message than to have to undo the message of female powerlessness -- especially from an artist who is so fervently emulated by girls."
And, to an extent, it is. However, Andrea Lampros wrote a fascinating opinion article for The Huffington Post attempting to illustrate a darker side of the Swift sensation.
After attending a Taylor Swift concert with her husband and three kids (a boy, 8, and two girls, 10 and 12), Lampros was disturbed to find the premises infested with CoverGirl booths and makeup merchandise all clearly being marketed to children and young teens.
She writes, "The overwhelming message of the Swift concert to the sea of girls ages 5 to 55: be pretty, be conventional, be quiet (well, it's OK to scream for me), and definitely put on some lipstick."
Of course, it's not like Swift is out there telling kids they need to wear makeup to be pretty. If you asked her, we're guessing she would recite the same "natural beauty" spiel you'd expect to hear from someone with less than a pound of makeup on her face.
But Lampros argues the message is implicit.
The concert, she says, was not about the message behind Swift's music. There was no "speaking" in her Speak Now tour, just a lot of showy dresses and convoluted cuteness.
It's an odd stance to take in a world full of Mileys and Momsens, who are quickly declared bad role models when they show up on YouTube smoking a bong or slipping a nip, but perhaps it's the subtly of Swift's "good girl" image that makes it the most dangerous of all.
Lampros concludes, "Better to have to explain the explicit sexuality of someone like Gaga and her "Born this Way" message than to have to undo the message of female powerlessness -- especially from an artist who is so fervently emulated by girls."
Top Opinion
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Laura Lovegood 2011/08/18 22:14:54
Second of all, it was a song where SHE apoligized for breaking up with him and for breaking his heart. Read the lyrics, PLEASE!
"So this is me swallowing my pride
Standing in front of you, saying I'm sorry for that night
And I go back to December all the time
It turns out freedom ain't nothing but missing you
Wishing I'd realized what I had when you were mine"
and
"I'd go back in time and change it, but I can't
So if the chain is on your door, I understand"
Writing songs is a way for her to deal with things that happens to her.
And when she writes this BEAUTIFUL song to her mom, how is that bad?
"I'm thirteen now
And don't know how my friends Could be so mean
I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys
And we drive and drive Until we've found a town Far enough away
And we talk and window-shop Until I've forgotten all their names
I don't know who I'm gonna talk to Now at school
I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you
Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay
But I know I had the best day With you today"
She is a role model for millions of people around the whole world.
I don't know how I could have handled several of situations in my life without her music to listen too. She loves ALL her fans and I don't know how a girl who is so down-to-earth, honest and good can be bad for ANYONE!
Theres lots of people who say Taylor is "perfect" and a "goddess" but Taylor doesn't want people to think that! People think she's sending a bad message to girls about being perfect and wearing makeup...NO! It's the complete opposite! She's saying that it OK to be different because she once was. She used to be that not so cool girl in the corner of the classroom. She's saying that she wants girls to dream big and work hard!!!
With Make up
not that big off a difference
These celebs cant win no matter what they do; if they get a boyfriend---bad message; if they wear something provocative---bad message; if they consume alcohol (at legal age, of course)---bad message; if they decide they want ot be smaller and diet---bad message; if they decide they like themselves at a "healthy" size 12 and refuse to diet---bad message. And now, sweet Taylor Swift who does nothing wrong and lives a bad decison-free lifestyle is being knocked for "sending a bad message".
These celebrities---thier target audience be damned-----are human beings with the same human rights as all of us, and those rights include the right to live your life in whatever manner they believe will make them happy. The message these kids may receive is NOT thier responsibility; its the responsiblity of the parents to make sure that whatever message they think is being sent to their kids, their kids know the right way to look at it, and that howev...
These celebs cant win no matter what they do; if they get a boyfriend---bad message; if they wear something provocative---bad message; if they consume alcohol (at legal age, of course)---bad message; if they decide they want ot be smaller and diet---bad message; if they decide they like themselves at a "healthy" size 12 and refuse to diet---bad message. And now, sweet Taylor Swift who does nothing wrong and lives a bad decison-free lifestyle is being knocked for "sending a bad message".
These celebrities---thier target audience be damned-----are human beings with the same human rights as all of us, and those rights include the right to live your life in whatever manner they believe will make them happy. The message these kids may receive is NOT thier responsibility; its the responsiblity of the parents to make sure that whatever message they think is being sent to their kids, their kids know the right way to look at it, and that however this celeb chooses to live thier life, they are not expected to emulate them.
This constant celeb bashing is essentially nothing more than jealousy---looking for anything they can, whether its really there or not, to find something to hold against them; in truth, those people are the ones sending the REAL "bad message":)
How is having or selling make up make you a bad role model seriously
I bet Half those girls are teenagers and already wear make up anyway!
vs
Give it up.
Taylor is in Hollywood and she's a great rolemodel. She hasn't screwed up & people need to live with it.
She's amazing(:
But no, somebody is going to go after Taylor swift over makeup advertisements at her shows? Holy hell
she is not responsible for those booths and is very talented
i've been to a taylor swift concert and it did not send that message at all!she was in a covergirl ad, so what? its just marketing!
She is very careful about the image she promotes and she is aware that she is a role model. That is a good thing. I would rather her promote some makeup than some of the other things that "stars" promote. She could be promoting drinking, drugs, slutty clothes, pre-marital sex and other things like that.
I am aware that there might be a day that she does something that will really affect her image since no one is perfect; but, until that day happens, don't go creating controversy where there is none.