Eva Rinaldi

29 Quotes That Call Out Taylor Swift's White Feminism

We didn't know she was trouble when she walked in. Our fave is problematic, here's why:
Sade Andria Zabala
July 21, 2016
“[asked if she considers herself a feminist] I don't really think about things as guys versus girls. I never have. I was raised by parents who brought me up to think if you work as hard as guys, you can go far in life.”
— Taylor Swift, Don't Go Calling Taylor Swift a Feminist, Says Taylor Swift
Tagged: White Feminism
“Of course female friendship is a beautiful thing. It’s insanely powerful. Sisterhood is something so valid and important when you are growing up that I literally think the essence of it should be taught in schools. But, the ‘squads’ we see in the media are very polarizing. Feminism and friendship are supposed to be inclusive, and most of these ‘squads’ are strictly exclusive. Squad goals’ can polarize anyone who is not white, thin, tall and always happy.”
— Rowan Blanchard, Rowan Blanchard, 14, Slams Girl Squads Like Taylor Swift’s: They Make Feminism Look “One-Dimensional”
Tagged: Squad Goals, White Feminism, sisterhood, Friendship
“Swift had been nice to Minaj, so Minaj could not criticize her. It was a statement about control. Minaj was out of control and Swift had to pull her back in. For some reason, Minaj had to walk on eggshells, so as not to anger Swift. Remember [Taylor’s] rule of friendship #1? ‘You have to like me.’ But that is ridiculous. There is nothing feminist about insisting that women should not criticize other women. That’s as sexist as saying women are not allowed to spit or swear. This isn’t about feminism or solidarity. It is about control.”
— Amy Stockwell, The darker side of Taylor Swift and her Girl Squad.
Tagged: feminism, Pop Culture, White Feminism
“She’s not a saint and she’s not what you think. She’s an actress and she’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.”
— Taylor Swift, Better Than Revenge
Tagged: Pop Culture, Slut Shaming
“Anyone who calls themselves a feminist after learning about the movement from, of all people, Lena Dunham, is not to be trusted.”
— Melissa Fabello, 5 Ways Taylor Swift Exemplifies White Feminism – And Why That's a Problem
Tagged: White Feminism, Pop Culture
“The video for ‘Wildest Dreams’ perfectly demonstrates the ways in which Taylor continually misses the mark: By seeing life through only her experience (and that of those similarly sociopolitically positioned), she’s unable to notice — let alone prioritize — the needs of the most marginalized. So her feminism only helps herself.”
— Melissa Fabello, 5 Ways Taylor Swift Exemplifies White Feminism – And Why That's a Problem
Tagged: White Feminism, Colonization
“Taylor Swift, a woman who has built a career by slut shaming women, publicly humiliating girls who ‘stole’ her exes, teaching women to not have sex because it will mean they are bad sluts, teaching women that their virginity is everything they have and losing it makes them bad sluts, teaching women that if the guy they like happens to like another woman then that woman is a bad slut, does nothing to help gay women, teaching women that wearing short skirts and high heels makes you a bad slut, teaching women that if they enjoy cheerleading or partying then they are a bad slut, teaching women that getting a boyfriend is the most important thing and should be their number one priority, teaching women that it’s totally acceptable to make a move on another women’s boyfriend if you love him, teaching women that it’s good to pathetically mock your ex boyfriend, quite aside from the fact that she doesn’t speak out about women’s rights or donate to women’s charities.”
— mrsmelchiorgabor, via Tumblr
Tagged: Pop Culture, Slut Shaming, White Feminism
“There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women.'”
— Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift Possibly Thinks Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Are Going to Hell
Tagged: White Feminism
“Taylor Swift must be the second coming of Jesus because it’s become damn near impossible to utter a critical word against her.”
— Kevin Allred, Taylor Swift is a Racist Shitfest
Tagged: Pop Culture, Criticism
“We do not live in a post-race (or post-racist) society like many would like to believe. A black man stood up and spoke back to the white establishment for an enormous slight of the music and accomplishments of a black woman; that same black woman then ended up having to apologize for and distance herself from the actions of said black man, instead siding with the white establishment if she didn’t want to be completely demonized; the black woman then disappears into the background and the black man is essentially lynched in the media for an entire year. Sound familiar? We’ve been replaying the dynamic for nearly 200 years; we white people just like to pretend that so much progress has been made because it makes us feel better.”
— Kevin Allred, Taylor Swift is a Racist Shitfest
Tagged: Pop Culture, Criticism, racism
“The song, titled ‘Innocent,’ sees Swift playing judge and jury, offering her verdict that West is finally off the hook. Again, the black man on trial for a crime he was falsely accused of is a familiar occurrence in U.S. history.”
— Kevin Allred, Taylor Swift is a Racist Shitfest
Tagged: Pop Culture, racism
“Alas, to most of America Taylor Swift represents a return to much more conservative morals and values, an anti-feminist heterosexual romantic ideal, and a throw back to the times when paternalism and more subtle forms of racism passed as progress.”
— Kevin Allred, Taylor Swift is a Racist Shitfest
Tagged: Pop Culture, White Feminism
“But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts
She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers.”
— Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me
Tagged: Slut Shaming, White Feminism
“Other girls are obstacles; undeserving enemies who steal Taylor’s soulmates with their bewitching good looks and sexual availability. Unfortunately for these mute yet effortlessly hunky jungle-eyed boys, by choosing the ‘beautiful’ girls over Taylor (who is, suspiciously… also beautiful…), they’re missing out on Taylor’s unique understanding of their heart/inner fireball/angelic rainshower/sweet glory of Jesus. ‘All those other girls are beautiful,’ Taylor pines, ‘But would they write a song for you?

This is perhaps her music’s most grating sin: the sex-shaming girl-bashing passed off as outsider insecurity.”
— Riese, Why Taylor Swift Offends Little Monsters, Feminists, and Weirdos | Page 2 of 2 | Autostraddle
Tagged: White Feminism
“Songs like ‘Fifteen’ dig up the ancient Puritan ideal that girls can only access power by confidently and heterosexually denying access to their pants.”
— Riese, Why Taylor Swift Offends Little Monsters, Feminists, and Weirdos | Page 2 of 2 | Autostraddle
Tagged: White Feminism
“Ultimately this involves three unfathomably rich and famous and annoying people who will continue to be unfathomably rich and famous and annoying. But what Taylor did is a form of what Darth Susans have been doing since America’s inception. Using the inherent empathy and benefit of the doubt her White womanhood allows her to possess — plus the reflexive need to protect and preserve the sanctity of said White womanhood at all costs — to throw a Black person under the bus if necessary and convenient.”
— Damon Young, How Taylor Swift Is The Most Dangerous Type Of White Woman, Explained | VSB
Tagged: Black Lives Matter, White Feminism, white privilege
“When a white female artist pens countless songs bashing her ex-flames & former friends without their stamp of approval, it's considered "musical genius" and "art" but when a black male artist does so, it's considered "character assassination." Another racist double sandard in our country which must end.”
— Daniel Preda, via twitter.com
Tagged: racism, white privilege, White Feminism
“You didn’t ask to be part of the narrative? Sorry. Did John Mayer, Taylor Lautner, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Jonas, or Harry Styles ask to be part of your narrative that you used to portray yourself as a victim?”
— Todd, RIP Taylor Swift (2009 - 2016)
Tagged: Pop Culture, Victim Blaming
“Yes, poor Taylor Swift is the victim once again. A victim of a ‘character assassination’. A character assassination much like when she posted Joe Jonas‘ breakup voicemail on YouTube. A character assassination much like when she described the woman Joe Jonas dated after her, Camille Belle, as ‘an actress, she’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress‘. A character assassination much like the time when she publicly dissed Harry Styles – while he was in the audience – in front of millions while accepting a VMA for yet another song she wrote about an ex. A character assassination much like the time she literally called up all her ‘friends’ to make a video dragging Katy Perry.”
— Todd, RIP Taylor Swift (2009 - 2016)
Tagged: Pop Culture
“Despite insistence from Taylor that she would ‘very much like to be excluded from this narrative, one that [she] has never asked to be a part of, since 2009,’ she followed the VMAs incident up by releasing the song ‘Innocent’ that directly referenced the drama with Kanye. In a quite condescending song, she sang about the situation, ‘It’s okay, life is a tough crowd / Thirty two and still growin’ up now / Who you are is not what you did / You’re still an innocent.’ This naturally pissed off Kanye, as it would any grown man, who’d been portrayed as the angry black man in the media and was now meant to be a doe-eyed Lennie Small who could tend to Taylor’s rabbits.”
— Ira Madison III, I Love Taylor Swift, Soap Opera Villainess
Tagged: Pop Culture, racism
“Try as people might to divorce celebrity from the real world, it directly influences the world that we all live in. Portrayals of black men in the media lead to racist narratives that paint Kanye as a villain and Taylor as the white woman in distress. Putting on a show at the Grammys to become a victim in the face of a black bogeyman perpetuates stereotypes and plays into tropes that have existed since Birth of a Nation.”
— Ira Madison III, I Love Taylor Swift, Soap Opera Villainess
Tagged: Pop Culture, racism
“Because Swift operates on white feminism and white fragility as survival. Her albums, her platform, and her life is based upon being a victim, being the one to be saved and being a white princess. Collaborating with one of the most controversial rappers over lyrics that seemingly destroy the narrative that she’s a fragile white princess changes her scam and her ability to capitalize on her white feminist persona. Black men and hoes like Kim Kardashian are always going to be her enemies.”
— Ashleigh Shackelford, A Liar, A Scammer: Taylor Swift is 'That Bitch' that Lives for White Feminism
Tagged: Pop Culture, White Feminism, racism
“But we can also drag Swift for being a respectable white woman that often performs purity (more whiteness) and constantly plays the victim card, using her white femme womanhood to navigate conflict in ways that avoid accountability or culpability. Especially when this conflict is her pinning the blame on West’s Black masculinity and assumed misogyny that is often read as more dangerous or stringent than white men’s misogyny.”
— Ashleigh Shackelford, A Liar, A Scammer: Taylor Swift is 'That Bitch' that Lives for White Feminism
Tagged: Pop Culture, White Feminism, racism, Misogyny, white privilege
“The best example of Swift’s white feminism is when Nicki Minaj posted about the racism and antiblack misogyny that fuels award nominations after the announcement for the MTV VMA’s in 2015... Swift loves to instigate everything about herself, and then didn’t respond to Minaj until numerous articles were written saying that Minaj attacked and dragged her. By the time Swift responded days later, the white feminist scam had been completed. Minaj and Swift ended up performing together at the VMAs to solidify that the beef had been cooked. But everyone else knew not to forget this moment of manipulation, or the fact that Swift was ready to squash the beef but not address the racist repercussions that Minaj suffered through.”
— Ashleigh Shackelford, A Liar, A Scammer: Taylor Swift is 'That Bitch' that Lives for White Feminism
Tagged: Pop Culture, White Feminism, racism
“Taylor, Selena, her fucking squad, and her ‘swifties’ demand we talk about real issues, but yet do nothing when Leslie Jones a black woman and fellow feminist is harassed, compared to a gorilla, and given death threats to the point she leaves Twitter.

They have never once mentioned the racism in Hollywood against their fellow WOC (besides Zendaya God bless her).

They have never once mentioned how women are being killed around the world due to their religion, race, or sexuality. Hell, their just for being born baby girls are being murdered.

But, they have the nerve to accuse us of not bringing up these issues when their beloved Tay-Tay gets the hot seat.”
— arthurkirklandseyebrows, via Tumblr
Tagged: White Feminism, Pop Culture, Kool Aid
“"Women shouldn't take down other women" is one of the most tired and tiring tenets of pop feminism, slung around by celebrities on social media whenever one of their squad members faces a slight, either outright or the kind you only get if you read into it just the right way.”
— Amy Odell, Kim Kardashian Didn't Just Ruin Taylor Swift, She Ruined Taylor Swift's Squad
Tagged: White Feminism
“There is a difference between an artist who actually employs women to further her feminist message and one who seems to expect them to surround her as though bounce boards there simply to magnify her own limelight.”
— Amy Odell, Kim Kardashian Didn't Just Ruin Taylor Swift, She Ruined Taylor Swift's Squad
Tagged: White Feminism, Pop Culture, feminism
“By centering Minaj’s observation around herself, and thus shifting the narrative into a Nicki vs. Taylor story, she silenced Minaj, dismissed her experiences, and derailed an important conversation about race and gender. Swift tried to deflect Minaj’s criticisms of the music industry (again, not about Swift personally) by pointing out that ‘one of the men’ might have taken Minaj’s nomination spot. This was irrelevant to Minaj’s argument, and a classic example of the way White Feminism works to undermine women of color — trying to make things solely about gender in order to not have to talk about race, while perpetuating the idea that white women and women of color experience the same kinds of sexism and oppression.”
— Zeba Blay, Taylor Swift's Tweets To Nicki Minaj Are Peak 'White Feminism'
Tagged: Pop Culture, White Feminism, Sexism
“Because when you look beyond the millions of dollars, fans and followers, Minaj is simply another black woman being accused of divisiveness by a white feminist for pointing out racial inequality.”
— Yomi Adegoke, Taylor Swift has just proven that she's white feminism's off-beat, bambi-legged patronus
Tagged: White Feminism, racism, Pop Culture