tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post6712810369097213087..comments2023-10-24T05:49:04.269-04:00Comments on The Chaliceblog: Taylor Swift and feminismChalicechickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07781469958573869914noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-24581544771867056532009-12-06T20:58:58.004-05:002009-12-06T20:58:58.004-05:00Yes, Taylor Swift wears too much make-up, but at t...Yes, Taylor Swift wears too much make-up, but at the Macy's where I work in Vermont, there's a lot of teen bling going on in the watches. Most of the folks who buy them seem pretty normal, just enjoy sparkly jewelry. Frankly, as long as we have a natural-look dress code, spoken or unspoken, we are going to be an excluding religion for superficial reason.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-23281569748051665022009-12-06T18:38:11.775-05:002009-12-06T18:38:11.775-05:00In response to the blog post you linked to, by the...In response to the blog post you linked to, by the way, I cringe a bit. I'm a little tired of everything in society being treated as text. As a person who studied ... well, "cultural studies," I understand the concept. But it just pains me that this practice (particularly of hugely popular works and personalities) has become so mainstream, and every time I turn around it's some other person holding up some beloved (or well selling) person or product as sexist/racist/etc. <br /><br />It's not that I don't think these things can be problematic ... but ... so what? This post about Taylor Swift ends, "I don’t know if Taylor Swift is a feminist role model, or a palpable pop princess sent from the Christian right to corral the youth of America into antiquated gender roles. But in light of these videos, I’m beginning to think the Swift question has become . . . urgent." <br /><br />Really? Let's say a bunch of people on the interwebs agree that Taylor Swift is sexist. Then what?!hsofianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-90327602486408128102009-12-06T18:18:09.056-05:002009-12-06T18:18:09.056-05:00Reminds me of the controversy about 20 years ago o...Reminds me of the controversy about 20 years ago over Holly Dunn's <a href="http://popup.lala.com/popup/360569475234071298" rel="nofollow">Maybe I Mean Yes"</a> The song pretty much destroyed her career- but it really was a reflection of a large segment of society.Joel Monkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10631333436948102576noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-18762530833565322552009-12-06T18:09:27.272-05:002009-12-06T18:09:27.272-05:00Gosh, sorry for all the typos; I was just typing r...Gosh, sorry for all the typos; I was just typing really fast!hsofianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-90524805140802473212009-12-06T15:47:22.078-05:002009-12-06T15:47:22.078-05:00Dolly's artifice is very much part of her pers...Dolly's artifice is very much part of her persona; it would be *unnatural* for her to be without blond hair, inflated breasts and a pound of makeup. She's one of very few celebrities who openly discusses and jokes about all the work she's had done; it would go against who she is to pretend that it's real.<br /><br />Whether artists' responsibility is to portray what people actually feel even when those feelings are despicable is an interesting question. I really loathe Toby Keith's song "Courtesy of the Red White & Blue" because I think Natalie Maines's criticism of it is correct: in the guise of patriotism, Keith promoted hatred toward a vague, unnamed enemy, and celebrated ignorant rage. On the other hand, Keith no doubt accurately represented exactly how many Americans felt. (I also dislike Keith's "How Do you Like Me Now" for its nasty, misogynistic attitude, but I'm sure there are plenty of guys who did feel angry at being ignored by the cheerleaders and who feel good about those girls having grown up into unhappy women.) Or to go outside the country music genre, rappers who say "kill the pigs" are promoting the assassination of police officers, but they're also expressing how many people feel.<br /><br />I tend toward thinking that especially when making claims of political or social relevance with one's work, there is a responsibility not to promote ethnic hatred, cop-killing and the like, no matter how genuinely one is representing the sentiments of some people. (Also, there's always ways to frame those sentiments without endorsing them; e.g. in 2Pac's "Changes" where the main narrator of the song has a little back-and-forth with the guy trying to justify his selling crack in the black community. You can give space for expression and explanation of the destructive ideas and behavior without letting them go unchallenged.)<br /><br />But anyone who is giving Taylor Swift a hard time who didn't do the same to Avril Lavigne ("Girlfriend" promotes not just disliking the girl who dates the guy you like, but trying to undercut her by promising the guy more sexual favors, and video is even more overtly mean to the girlfriend) is just a country music hating hypocrite.PGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09381347581328622706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-91833993613443778182009-12-06T14:56:31.372-05:002009-12-06T14:56:31.372-05:00Well, Jane Magazine tried to give Dolly Parton a &...Well, Jane Magazine tried to give Dolly Parton a "Natural Woman Award" and Dolly thanked them but said she wasn't a natural woman and certainly wouldn't want to be photographed as one, so there is some Nashville precedent for the "only wanting to be seen in full makeup" thing. <br /><br />That said, Taylor Swift is no Dolly and it would be nice if she didn't go quite so overboard with the sparkly dresses and such. <br /><br />CCChalicechickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07781469958573869914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9864334.post-86761806278486412572009-12-06T10:23:11.759-05:002009-12-06T10:23:11.759-05:00A few weeks (or months?) ago, I happened to catch ...A few weeks (or months?) ago, I happened to catch some part of Oprah and Taylor Swift was the guest (along w/ a tween journalist who was Swift's "biggest fan." My impression of Swift is that she seems nice and is doing what she loves, working hard, etc. The only thing that bothered me was how the tween showed up to visit her at her house and she was completely dolled up like a Hollywood starlet. Country music sure has gone Hollywood.I don't know how wlese to put it. And I felt like it was a real shame that our culture is such that if she always has to be made up like that for tv appearances - it's what's expected (maybe demanded), and as a young woman you always have to be your absolute "prettiest" - but not too slutty! <br /><br />Everything is so calculated, prepared, and airbrushed. I think being an A-list celebrity is a skill in and of itself, separate from any particular talent. I would never want that for myself.hsofianoreply@blogger.com