AIBU to think Taylor Swift is being carefully repositioned and we’re not meant to notice?

[MidnightTheory]

I can’t shake the feeling that there’s a very slow, very subtle shift going on with Taylor Swift’s brand.

She built herself up as pro-choice, feminist, outspoken and a liberal figure. But since this whole NFL era, it feels like the edges are being sanded down. It’s not loud, not obvious, just little things like the relentless focus on her cheering in the boxes, the glossy all American girlfriend framing, the way the messaging has become more family-friendly, less political.

It’s clever because it’s incremental. Nobody suddenly says that she’s gone conservative, but drip by drip she’s aligning with NFL values which are patriotism, wholesomeness and big money sponsors who want safe.

I'm not a massive swiftie, but I have enjoyed her music, and maybe I'm a bit of a cynic but isn’t this how brand re-positioning works? Quiet, steady, so by the time you realise it’s happened, it already has.

AIBU to think we’re watching that play out in real time and it could backfire badly? Especially if the upcoming album turns out to be very beige?

Interesting theory..... I hadn’t thought of her through the JD Vance cat lady lens at all. I suppose she did kinda lean into the independent woman narrative, but can anyone realistically keep that image forever? But was she ever independent?

Maybe the real issue is how uncomfortable we get when women change roles... as if it cancels out the version we liked before.

But what if you think the situation is too complicated to just pick a side? What if your view is more nuanced than that? I can see both sides, and I think it's a pity that everyone can't just share the land. ETA: Genocide is never OK! When I say sides, I'm taking about the issues in Israel as a whole, not what Hamas did, which is horrific and unacceptable.

I don't blame TS whatsoever for not wading into politics. It's complex, and once she starts she'd be forever explaining what she meant, all the crazies would go for her no matter what she said, and ultimately she's a pop star not a politician. I agree she has a lot of influence, but I think that's precisely a good reason not to say anything. People who are easily led need to make their own minds up. She was very unsure about pinning her colours to a particular mast before she endorsed Kamala, for that reason. Too much influence. It's for the politicians to sort out, not for someone who has untold influence but no responsibility for that influence. She's being careful how she wields her power, and I think that's a good thing.

I'm not sure why the finger in mouth photo is so shocking! PPs make it sound as if she's imitating sex or something, but it's just at the corner of her mouth in a sardonic kind of "Hmmmm..." pose. As if she's telling someone who's speaking to her that she thinks they might be bs-ing her.

Someone upthread said that Taylor Swift has a trans sibling. She has one sibling, a brother named Austin, and there is zero evidence that he's trans. Where on earth do some people get their information?!

I'm confused - the photo shows her looking directly into the camera.

Why are you so relentlessly negative about Taylor and why do you ascribe such critical motives to everything she does and doesn't do? I think you must be profoundly jealous of her.

I think you’re overthinking things. Who peoples personas are on stage etc is not who they are in private. She is entitled for her life to progress with marriage and children if that’s what she’s chosen for herself.

No, she didn't. She grew up in Pennsylvania, which was blue from 1992-2016. (And has flip-flopped since then.) She moved to Nashville in her teens for career purposes. She's not from the South. Her family is vaguely Christian in the sense of taking the kids to church on a Sunday and celebrating Christmas.

I can't believe how many people look at her and see a right-winger despite all evidence to the contrary, just because she's getting married and doesn't look as if she needs a good scrub!

I never said she was a right winger.

I said it's naive to think she doesn't know and love people who vote Republican. She went to high school in Tennessee.

I think she is just very busy with work and probably really quite tired. When I was in my 20s, I was out and about shouting at anti-war protests and partying most nights. At 35, I was largely at home watching tv and in bed early (with a dc). I’m as leftist as ever, in my mid 40s. But I’m busy and tired.

Oh ffs, if I see HTH one more time on this thread, I am going to bash my laptop in! And it's a work one, so can the culprits please stop.

HTH

I double checked and you are correct she does look at the camera, I still don't love the pic though for a tween fan. Like I said other people are fine to respond differently to the photo but I can only say that the outfit plus fingers in mouth was a bit much for me. If you still find powerful that's cool for you. I personally found bejewelled etc much more empowered and do hold that the showgirl theme has been very done before. Not heard it so the songs should hopefully be good and am still reserving judgement which is a first for me with one of her albums over the last many years. I think we are both fans, my daughter is too and I really hope this is an album and film that will give her a positive role model as a young woman. Obviously not sold on showgirl with fingers in mouth at the moment!

Her “liberal outspokenness” was actually very short lived. There is plenty evidence of her promoting and upholding “traditional family values” before 1989 came out.

She refused to endorse Obama in 2012.

There were several fans invited to secret sessions with openly racist and homophobic posts on social media (which is where fans were selected from).

A lot of the political rhetoric on Lover /the Miss Americana doc came about precisely because people were lining up to cancel her over her silence on certain issues.

I’m a big fan but I do not trust her politics.

This thread is going bonkers though, as a 40+ Taylor Swift fan from when she was a country star no one had heard of I don't know that HTH even means

Well as a former 90s model who has pulled this pose myself it is a bit of a sexy move. Obviously if she was pretending to have full on sex things would be different and worse. We can completely leave it at I think its a bit too suggestive and obvious and you like it. Do you have a pre teen? Would you like them trying out this pose? Taylor was rare as a pop star not continuiously objectifying and sexualising her content and I was hoping for another film and album to enjoy with my daughter.

I admit, I was surprised when I saw what a sexy direction she's taken with Life of a Showgirl. There's also a photo of her bending over in a black leotard with a naked-esgue butt, looking as if she's ready for a spanking. There was nothing like that from her before, and not on the Eras tour, either.

Maybe she wants to flaunt it before she starts a family! Like a last hurrah! But yeah, it looks like this Showgirl era is set to be less family-friendly than previously. I would be a bit concerned if I had a daughter same age as yours, but more by the spank-my-butt photo than the finger in mouth one.

Oooh, a former model! Would we have heard of you? Curious now!

Strangely invested in this thread despite very low levels of TS knowledge.

I’m not that bothered about her politics tbh

Her songs are quite fun for me - I’m not sure if it’s an ND thing but she uses alot of metaphors in her songs and I like listening to them as though they’re to be taken literally! Probably just me 😂

Edit - sorry I didn’t mean to quote that poster!

No I was a small time regular model but still know that fingers in mouth is on the sexier end. I am not sure how many more ways it can be explained that a woman posing with her fingers in her mouth is a bit sexy. Maybe you should google it, take out all the innocent shush poses and work it out for yourself. Lolly pops, bunches, back shots, most eating especially bananas, combined with significant nudes is sexy and not necessarily empowered. If you google showgirl you will see it has been done many many many times. Jamie lee Courtis dancing to Total Eclipse of the Heart in last years Showgirl film by another artist on the same subject being the best in decades. I get that you don't respond to the pic the same way, that is fine. Don't keep telling me I am not allowed to have that opinion please.

She just loves her family, that's all. She's a Democrat and supports a woman's right to choose. I don't think she has promoted traditional family values at all. In America, that means submitting to your husband in all things and being anti-choice and all that jazz, and I don't think she's like that AT ALL. She wouldn't be so ambitious if she was, and she'd have five kids by now.

She refused to endorse Obama because she was trying not be unduly influential, as she made clear when she eventually endorsed Kamala.

As for your third paragraph, WTF? I am sure she has never done anything like this.

I saw precisely zero political rhetoric on Miss Americana.

I totally trust her politics. She's a left-leaning Democrat. She turned off the surge pricing for her concerts so that people of less means could go, instead of making more money, she has a very diverse cast on the stage, she pays their health insurance and gives all staff generous bonuses, she donates large amounts to charity, she endorsed Kamala....and yet you STILL think she leans right and don't trust her politics!

Some people simply cannot and will not believe that TS is a good person and a Democrat. It's all sexism and jealousy, imo.

She used to be a country singer!

Eh? Where did I tell you that you're not allowed to have that opinion? And where did I do that more than once? I shared my opinion of the photo. That's literally it. Don't get your knickers in such a twist. As for bananas and lolly pop etc, are you talking about Swift? And I don't know what you mean about taking out all the innocent shush poses. Sure, the photo is a bit sexy. I just didn't have the same reaction to it as another poster, who seemed pretty shocked.

I keep telling you that you are not allowed your opinion of the photo! 😂 Wherever did you get that from! Me saying that I saw the photo as sardonic is not me telling you that you're not allowed your opinion! Do you usually have this much trouble with people having different opinions from you?

Yes she has had many original, honest and massively creative eras, still think the country era is a massive influence in her voice at times.

No I don't, lets leave this now its getting a bit boring.

I literally shared my opinion of the photo. I have no idea what you're taking about , saying I keep telling you you're not allowed your opinion. So odd. You make a mic-drop comment like that, and when I ask you to provide more than one example of where I "keep" telling you that you're not allowed your opinion, you say it's boring.

Weirdo. Go and pick on someone else.