6 Times Taylor Swift Proved She's A Great Role Model
Being married has nothing to do with being a role model.
Tinseltown / Shutterstock On June 27, Newsweek published what many Swifties would say was nothing less than a hit piece. In “Taylor Swift Is Not a Good Role Model,” writer John Mac Ghlionn offered his opinion on the reasons Swift is not someone young girls should seek to emulate.
“At 34, Swift remains unmarried and childless, a fact that some might argue is irrelevant to her status as a role model,” Ghlionn wrote. “But, I suggest, it’s crucial to consider what kind of example this sets for young girls.”
Ghlionn went on to make his argument that Swift could not possibly be a good role model based on talent, business skills or financial independence alone. Furthermore, her “revolving door of relationships” is the opposite of what one should hope young girls look up to.
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Daily Mail reported on the extreme backlash Ghlionn received from Swift’s fans. They pointed out that the opinion piece, which was written by a man, failed to mention one important fact: “Ghlionn did not comment on the fact that Swift’s boyfriend Kelce is also unmarried and 34 — which was immediately noticed by furious readers.”
Despite Ghlionn’s assertion that Swift cannot be a good role model if she is “unmarried and childless,” there are plenty of examples of Swift doing great things, from treating her fans well to making sure her work belongs to her.
Here are six times Taylor Swift proved she’s a great role model:
1. She took care of her fans, going out of her way to meet them and invite them to special events
Swift is known for treating her fans well — probably better than most celebrities, really. For three consecutive albums, "1989," "reputation," and "Lover," Swift held “secret sessions” at her own homes around the world. She handpicked fans to attend the secret sessions, which were listening parties for the albums before they were released. The Tennessean said that at one, she met fans until 5:00 a.m.
Swift also has a history of choosing fans to invite to different events. Whether it’s concert meet and greets or film premieres, Swift always makes time for fans. When she can’t be there herself, she sends others, like her dad, to make sure fans are taken care. As People Magazine reported he handed out pizza and guitar picks before an appearance on Good Morning America.
2. She donated money where it was needed, whether it was to a fan or a charitable organization
Some have criticized Swift for her billionaire status, but she does try to use that money for good whenever possible.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Swift saw social media posts from fans who said they were struggling financially and she sent them $3,000 each, per Yahoo Movies U.K. Swift also made news when she handed out $100,000 bonuses to her Eras Tour truck drivers, as reported by TMZ.
In addition, Swift has been in the news recently for donating money to food banks. According to The Guardian, she has donated “to food banks in every U.K. city in which she performs.”
While Swift certainly has the means to do so, she has shown that she is generous with her money and willing to help those in need.
3. She reclaimed her life’s work
As reported by The Independent, in 2019, the record label that Swift began her career with, Big Machine Records, was bought by Scooter Braun. Braun refused to sell the rights to Swift’s older music back to her.
This proved to be a difficult time for Swift, who publicly pleaded with Braun to make things right, and with her own fans to do all they could by making noise about the issue. When it became clear Braun would not budge, she chose to take matters into her own hands.
Since 2021, Swift has been re-releasing her older albums which she no longer owns the rights to. These new “Taylor’s Versions” are huge release events, just like any new album would be. Fans now only listen to these newly re-recorded versions, taking away the money Braun would have made off of her music.
4. She overcame hard times when people tried to tear her down
In addition to pushing through challenging times with Braun, Swift has had plenty of other chances to prove her personal strength. According to People Magazine, her “feud” with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian goes all the way back to 2009, when West interrupted her acceptance speech at the VMAs. Over the years, West and Kardashian have publicly attacked Swift and even released recorded phone calls with her.
Despite things looking like they were all over for Swift in 2016 after West and Kardashian did everything they could to make it look like all that had happened was actually her fault, she came out on top and released her album ‘reputation,’ which details the loss of control and isolation Swift felt.
Since then, it seems Swift has made peace with Kardashian, at least in her own mind, based on the new song “thanK you aIMee.”
5. She befriended the mother of a little boy who lost his battle with cancer
In 2011, a boy named Ronan Thompson passed away just before his fourth birthday from stage-four neuroblastoma. His mom, Maya, kept a blog with posts about Ronan and his journey. Swift came across the blog and read it regularly. PopSugar reported that in 2012, Swift reached out to Maya and asked if it would be okay for her to perform a song she wrote about Ronan based on her blog.
Since Maya influenced the song so heavily, Swift credited her as a co-writer on the song.
Swift has remained close with Maya, who regularly defends her against haters on social media. Maya told Vulture of their friendship, “It’s just so sacred to me, and it’s so pure.”
6. She opened up about her eating disorder
At the end of the day, Swift is just another woman in her 30s. Like others, she struggles with body image and weight concerns. Swift addressed her eating disorder in her documentary ‘Miss Americana’ and in an interview with Variety.
“Although she says ‘it’s only happened a few times, and I’m not in any way proud of it,’ Swift admits there have been times in the past when she’s seen ‘a picture of me where I feel like I looked like my tummy was too big, or … someone said that I looked pregnant … and that’ll just trigger me to just starve a little bit — just stop eating,’” Variety reported.
The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders stated that “an estimated 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.”
While it couldn’t have been easy to open up about, Swift let others know they are not alone in their struggles. Someone with her kind of platform talking about something like this is a big deal, and many fans expressed gratitude to the singer.
No one is perfect, including Taylor Swift.
However, saying she is not a good role model because she isn’t married or a mother is simply rude and dismisses all of her other accomplishments.
Women have a purpose beyond marriage and motherhood, and there is no reason they should feel bad for not following a more traditional path.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.