At 34, Taylor Swift has a net worth of 1.1 billion dollars, over 280 million followers on Instagram, and 14 Grammys. [1] Her Eras Tour alone has generated over $1 billion and her public relationship with football star, Travis Kelce, has propelled her even further into the public eye. Whether you’re a fan of hers or not, you’re likely to understand that her prowess has an impact on the lives of many across the world. While earning a career as a singer and songwriter, some begin to question, with all of this influence, should she move beyond singing and begin using her platform to address political issues? While I think that she absolutely does have a role to play in promoting social justice, equality, civic engagement, etc. I think it’s unfair of us to expect her to have a stance on every issue (whether the magnitude) when we don’t hold ourselves to the same level of accountability.
The concept of celebrity politics isn’t a new one. Oprah and George Clooney endorsed Barack Obama back in the 2008 presidential election [2]. Selena Gomez wrote an opinion piece on immigration in 2019 [3]. Even this year, Christian Bale opened up on a plan to build 12 new foster homes in California to help keep siblings together [4]. It’s safe to say that a celebrity’s passion for a political issue can do substantial good and just as demonstrated here, celebrities often choose where to involve themselves subject to areas they are passionate about. On top of that, celebrities can often feel more accessible than politicians. Many Americans care more about what Taylor Swift is up to rather than their local representative, and they often care more about what she thinks about something as compared to their state senator, for example. It’s no wonder then that both Donald Trump and President Biden are chasing Taylor for a 2024 endorsement as opposed to other less prominent political leaders and candidates. They understand that her impact could profoundly impact the number of votes they receive because of her fan base.
While we might not yet have heard her say anything about the 2024 election, we also haven’t heard her say anything about other relevant issues like the situation in Israel and Palestine or Ukraine and Russia. Yet, I voice that she has still done much good surrounding other prevalent political topics. For example, she has done a lot to address issues of homophobia and sexism, both of which are very apparent in American society. On top of that, she has spoken out on mental illness and eating disorders which she herself experienced. So, it’s not that she’s not speaking out and it’s not that these other issues aren’t important to her. I think she sees value in addressing issues that she feels her platform can make a real difference on and that she feels confident in addressing. She definitely could stand to take more stances and engage the public in important issues and conflicts, but I’d rather her speak on those issues through an informed and educated narrative, rather than promoting a stance that would earn her greater popularity. She shouldn’t say something for the sake of saving face. And, at the end of the day, she’s still a celebrity. Her success thrives off of people liking her. By choosing a side in a deeply-contentious issue, she risks losing fans, and therefore, money.
We shouldn’t rely on celebrities to inform us about every issue. While I think celebrities can do much good in exposing us to certain conflicts and topics they themselves care about, I don’t think we should expect them to have a stance on every issue. On the other hand, we ought to expect that from our representatives. They are the ones who substantially impact how America addresses domestic and international issues. With that being said, if you ask your friends and family who their local representatives are, would they even be able to answer you? Did they vote in the latest local, state, or national elections? Those are the people we should be lobbying for action and change. Sure, it’s helpful to learn about issues from celebrities, but at the end of the day, it’s unfair of us to expect them to have a stance on every political issue.
