Kultorepaso (Taylor’s Version): Her mind turns your strife into…discourse

by Kristian Timothy Bautista, Bea de Guzman, and Raxon Raphael Reyes

Baby, let the games begin!

And for our number one for today’s Daily Top Ten… Love Story… You Belong With Me… Back to December. Such non-verbatim lines from some VJ of a once-famous local music channel were what cemented our status as fans of Taylor Swift, or should we say — in our Swiftie era — in today’s language. Those songs, though we do not relate to our juvenile ages back then, left an indelible, almost permanent mark on our childhood. Little did we know, she would become *the* Superstar, equipped with her own Starlight, making the whole place shimmer.

From terms like Swiftonomics (refers to how she impacted the economies of every city with her unprecedentedly successful Eras Tour) and Swiftian (describes other artworks akin to her picturesque worldbuilding and storytelling in songs) to the lucky one being named after other organisms such as Nannaria swiftae (a newly discovered millipedes species) and Castianeira swiftay (a sac spider species), Taylor Swift has been undoubtedly ubiquitous around the globe.

The 34-year-old American singer-songwriter, who had once pleaded, “Please tell them my name,” currently holds a big reputation in the music industry — begging the question — in her own lyrics, ask me why so many fade but I’m still here. Her phenomenon permeates different industries, which is why this Women’s Month, it is just a matter of time before she receives another record-breaking honor for being the first artist to receive a Kultorepaso — MKule Cult style!

I said remember this moment…

One of the most significant cultural icons in the 21st century, Dr. Taylor Alison Swift currently has ten studio albums, four re-recorded albums (with two more on the way), and a prolific number of approximately 243 songs spanning her 18-year music career. And yes, you saw the title in her name correctly. She’s now a doctor since she received her honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from New York University (NYU) in 2022.

As famously stated in her ‘New Romantics’ introduction to her blockbuster 1989 World Tour, Taylor Swift was born to Scott and Andrea Swift on the 13th of December in the said year, in West Reading, Pennsylvania. Driven by her deep passion for music and storytelling, as well as the lasting influence of her maternal grandmother, the late opera soprano Marjorie Finlay, Swift commenced her larger-than-life career in Nashville, Tennessee — America’s center of country music — with her single,’ Tim McGraw’ in June 2006 from her eponymous debut album.

Taylor’s breakthrough came with ‘Fearless,’ her Grammy Award-winning second studio album, which featured the lead and third singles’ Love Story’ and ‘You Belong With Me.’ These songs achieved huge crossover success, launching the country music scene among international audiences across multiple demographics. Since then, Swift has had a string of commercially and critically successful songs, including ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,’ ‘I Knew You Were Trouble,’ ‘Shake It Off,’ ‘Blank Space,’ ‘Style,’ ‘Bad Blood,’ ‘Wildest Dreams,’ ‘Look What You Made Me Do,’ ‘You Need To Calm Down,’ ‘Anti-Hero,’ and her recent single, ‘Cruel Summer,’ from her seventh studio album, ‘Lover’.

Swift is widely recognized as an influential figure and a game-changer in global popular culture, business, and the music industry. Her impact extends beyond entertainment, influencing economic and political matters on the international stage. Her life is a subject of widespread media coverage, in which critics often characterize her as ‘polarizing’ and a ‘cultural zeitgeist.’ In 2023, she was named TIME’s ‘Person of the Year’ for dominating news cycles and discourses surrounding her personal life, music releases, and the career-spanning ‘Eras Tour’ — the first concert tour to gross over a billion dollars.

Beyond the accolades, records, and other long lists of (ex-lovers) figures you could potentially define the sensational pop star, showing different versions of herself through different lenses would offer a wide array of discussions and repercussions on how the celebrity defines herself. Her career trajectory and cultural phenomenon have made her an intriguing subject, prompting academic interest even from institutions like UP Diliman’s College of Mass Communication (CMC), which offers an elective course dedicated to exploring and analyzing themes of Taylor’s portrayal in the media. This course delves into larger discussions about fame, gender, and power dynamics. It’s taught by the esteemed Professor Cherish Brillon, whose insights we had the opportunity to explore in an interview, shedding light on the inevitable fame of Swift.

Moreover, the Culture Industry by Max Horkheimer offers a lens through which to scrutinize Taylor Swift’s “brilliance,” arguably making her the biggest singer of our generation. Alongside her emergence as an established record-breaking popstar, various issues surrounding the artist could be studied, as well as her dynamics with Swifties, her fans, that sets her apart from other notable contemporaries right up her alley.

Checkmate, I couldn’t lose…

At the onset of Swift’s career, the artist was intricate and particular in integrating social media as an avenue for marketing her work. From disseminating her music on the internet (keep in mind, this was during the early-mid 2000 when physical copies of songs were the norm), to maintaining a personally curated 8-bit website (an uncommon practice for most mainstream artists back then), and engaging with fans through platforms such as Tumblr, the pop star firmly believed that social media would play a significant role in her career. Indeed, it did, both in positive and negative aspects — which regards to how her fans have recently behaved towards her.

Just like how the Culture Industry made sense of how the elites controlled what material is perpetuated as mainstream, the pop star successfully became the frontrunner in shaping her career through social media. Fans could argue that they witnessed Taylor’s evolution from an ambitious teenager writing lovey-dovey songs to a grown woman with prestige comparable to legends like Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley — which is why the Eras Tour holds such a significant rapport relative to other superstars, and why Taylor is one of the few artists who could pull off such a grandiose concept.

Taylor Swift’s music and persona are shaped by encountered feelings, cherished experiences, and time shared with Swifties — which is why in moments she gives the ‘22’ hat in one segment of the Eras Tour or when she dances around the stage with her shimmering octopus golden dress in Fearless, fans may capture the nostalgia and even shed a tear or two because they see a grown-up Swift performing with songs that resonate closely to them. Significantly, over time, we could see artists heavily striving to connect with and relate to their fans, aiming to establish a relationship as close as Taylor has with her Swifties, who have been with her through thick and thin.

Alongside having a connection with fans that lasts for evermore, Swift’s harnessing of social media platforms and her team’s tech-savviness also explains how Swift-nomenons like Easter eggs, the media blackout introducing the Reputation era, and surprise releases (re: folklore and evermore) become part of her fans’ culture — a unique aspect Taylor and Swifties that sets them apart — which allows the pop star to pull impressive numbers and engagement when releasing new music.

Baby, now we got problems, and I don’t think we can’t solve ‘em…

It’s no secret that Swift’s ethnicity plays a role in leveraging her reception globally. As a white artist facing what some perceive as “white problems” and “white concepts” in her life, she definitely benefits from certain societal privileges compared to artists of color. Additionally, coupled with being a product of an upper-middle-class family, many could argue that her upbringing influences her standpoints in many aspects — including her own brand of feminism — which is manifested by the people she associates with and the ideologies she publicly affirms. Many communication theories and models observe that Taylor has gradually evolved and incorporated representations in many aspects of her career, from having a more diverse set of performers helping her in her concert to suing the DJ who sexually harassed her.

While many could only hope and wish Taylor’s intersectionality in political, racial, and social issues — albeit being gradual, and in some instances, non-existent (re: issue on Palestine) — prevail, the practice of putting celebrities on a high pedestal regarding political issues remain a polarizing and debatable topic, as celebrities continue to be in a precarious position in media theories.

Apart from Taylor’s silence on relevant issues, it is crucial to criticize her status as a billionaire and her private jet fiasco, which made her one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Holding her accountable for these issues is definitely a no-brainer, as she gets flamed for it and simultaneously flames the environment with the scorching heat caused by global warming — talk about having a cruel summer. On the other hand, from a larger perspective, it is equally important to note that we should also be vocal in calling out the corporations that significantly contributed to more greenhouse gas emissions comparable to Taylor — which are corporations brought about by the bureaucratic-capitalist society.

Taylor Swift appears to possess traits reminiscent of a scapegoat when it comes to issues regarding the environment, prompting her fans to have been all hands on deck when it comes to justifying her transit on air. This phenomenon sheds light on how celebrity idolatry is put on a different scale for Taylor. Having mentioned that most of her fans, especially those who have stuck with her since the dawn of her career, consider her as a best friend, or in a way, encounter their own sort of relationship with the pop star, it is evident that Swifties channel a defense mechanism to the way Taylor is perceived by the media, which some could note to come across as cult-ish, repetitive, and overboard — a negative aspect of her spearheading the social media marketing strategy.

Tell me that I’m all you want, even when I break your heart …

The phrase ‘parasocial relationship’ started to gain traction on social media in recent years with the dawn of K-pop idols and influencers that use media platforms to build a one-sided emotional connection with their supporters. As mentioned, Taylor Swift has cultivated an extremely devoted fan base through her ‘celebrity text’: in this case, her relatable, girl-next-door persona and songs lifted from her diaries. While parasocial relationships did not originate with Taylor Swift, she also seems to have a PhD in it. Swift has deliberately built her music as a journey throughout her life, writing inside jokes and Easter eggs in songs or social media posts and even inviting fans inside her house for ‘Secret Sessions’ (where they get to listen to her new albums before public release).

Taylor’s business is built on curated authenticity, encouraging fans to see her not as some untouchable billionaire but as a confidante and friend. Furthermore, having enough people who believe in a celebrity’s presented identity can overshadow their feeble principles. Swift is touted by fans as a feminist icon for simply being a successful woman and writing ‘The Man’ because ‘raking in dollars’ and making ‘power moves’ and ‘conquests’ is definitely what feminism is all about. If you happen to disagree, well, beware the Swifties, who have a reputation for being Taylor’s attack dogs. Such is the power of getting an audience on your side!

Speaking of The Man’s girlboss theme, business is business, and for Swift to be successful, she needs loyal customers. Swift’s handpicked fan interactions are made to appear as authentic as possible by a team of PR officers, agents, and managers. Just like how massive corporations like Microsoft or McDonald’s are impossible to completely take down due to their sheer amount of consumers, it is the goal of celebrities to build up such a dedicated customer base so that they aren’t easily knocked over. There exists a symbiotic relationship between celebrities and their supporters, who also expect to gain something from them — products or artworks, emotional satisfaction, validation, pleasure, and many more.

Unlike traditional businesses, celebrities market themselves as the primary product, often more so than their actual artwork. For instance, while individuals like Mark Zuckerberg may be integral to platforms like Meta in the digital age, we don’t typically feel a personal connection or strong emotional investment in them. However, artists like Taylor Swift need people to be emotionally invested enough to commit to them as much as they can. If this move sounds a bit politically familiar, it absolutely is.

If there’s one thing politicians and celebrities have in common, it’s the strategy of building and mobilizing an army of supporters to shield them from accountability and potential threats to their positions. Rather than presenting concrete platforms, their initial focus often revolves around cultivating marketable, charismatic personas. Whether it’s Trump supporters in the United States or Diehard Duterte Supporters (DDS) and Bongbong Marcos (BBM) loyalists in the Philippines, the fervent loyalty of these followers bears a striking resemblance to celebrity fandom. They sport recognizable merchandise (MAGA hat, anyone?) in signature colors (practically a requirement for Philippine politicians) and a burning desire to defend their chosen figure across the internet.

However, politicians do not endow the same pleasure celebrities do — supporting politicians has more to do with supporting them as the figureheads of the ideologies they represent. At the very least, with celebrities, you get to enjoy their art. Idolizing politicians often leaves you with a few tacky wristbands, an obnoxious campaign jingle, (and a 500 pesos bill, I guess?) at most.

Long story short…

Before readers develop bad blood with the Cult Team, at the end of the day, Taylor Swift herself is not the world’s supervillain. Yes, she has had a part in making herself as big of a public figure as she is today, but it does not help that people keep propping her up on a stadium-sized pedestal. Swift began her career as a young, white, upper-middle-class American teenager (read: sheltered) who did not expect that she would be the most famous living celebrity twenty years later.

There is a crucial distinction between wanting celebrities to use their huge platforms and take a stand against global issues and viewing them as the be-all, end-all of humanity’s problems. Celebrities like Swift wield significant influence, but it’s essential to recognize that their power is not unlimited and certainly not much greater than major politicians and business tycoons that run the world. Furthermore, celebrities are put in precarious positions; the higher you are, the greater you fall. Often, the ‘fall’ is not even caused by relevant critiques discussed but by some shallow reason (like getting older, failing to conform to beauty standards, or being in the throes of a competing public figure). It already happened to Swift once.

So, where do we go from here? Do we simply count down the days until ‘The Tortured Poets’ Department,’ after all that’s been discussed? Fans wield more power than they realize — they are the driving force behind the continued relevance of public figures. Hence, it is a must that fans need not be blind worshippers of who they admire.

Two things can exist at once: we can be fans of Taylor Swift, sometimes be disappointed with her politics, and hold her accountable for mistakes.

If a celebrity is genuinely as well-intentioned as we think, they will evolve in their stances over time. At the same time, it is equally crucial for us to exercise the same, if not more, intensity in calling out major corporations and politicians, and demanding systemic changes. To be fair, Taylor’s carbon emissions wouldn’t even exist if authorities regulated or even banned private jet use in general. Both parties should be held responsible, but because of how much celebrities are glorified, the actual roots of the problem are barely addressed.

There are countless more affirmative and negative arguments to be made in the case of Taylor Swift. Even with 2,000 words, we have barely scratched the surface of the Taylor Swift iceberg. There are myriad nuances and talking points about the beloved pop star that couldn’t possibly fit into a single article. So, we leave the rest to our dear readers: are you … ready for it?