Ok so @all the people who are saying that “the sweet Taylor Swift, which little girls once looked up to, is gone” What you have always been deemed as “The good girl, Taylor Swift” was a forgiving and lenient image of Taylor. One where, when someone stepped on her, she forgave them. She took the high road. She was the bigger person. Taylor is no longer simply “being the bigger person”. In order to be a “good girl”, you expect woman like Taylor to take the bullying and simply be complacent about it. You think a “good girl” is “being the bigger person”. A “good girl” “takes to higher road”. But that mentality is exactly what allows or even encourages bullies to continue their harassing. Taylor was the bigger person. She gave her bullies the benefit of the doubt so many times. When Kayne famously started this whole feud and then apologized for his action, Taylor publicly forgave him and even wrote an entire song about his Innocence, begging people to stop harassing him. She (rightfully) was forgiving. But then Kayne didn’t stop. He publicly said he did not regret the VMAs, he called her a bitch, tried to “expose” an edited phone call with her, and made a music video with a wax figure of her naked body in bed with him. He advanced with his bullying but you still expect Taylor to continue the sweet “good girl” image that you’ve fabricated. You think she should not let it effect her; just hold her head up high and ignore it. You think that shaking it off time after time after time is what little girls should look up to but its not. So, when she says “The old Taylor is dead”, she is not referring to her personal self. Instead, “ The old Taylor is dead” is symboling of her killing the media’s sexist idea of a “good girl role model” who forgives hate and disrespect. With reputation, Taylor is showing that #1: No, she will not be the world’s idea of a “good girl”. and #2: She will continue to be an even better role model to young girls by showing them not to imitate this sexist idea of a “sweet good girl”. Her duty as a role model has changed. She is being the example of a strong woman who will not let bullies like Kayne West step on her.
So, yes, your “old Taylor Swift” is dead. It is the ‘sweet, permissive, good girl’ fabricated image that Taylor has killed. She has and will always give hateful people a chance to correct themselves and will forgive them. But when bullies to not repent and change, she refuses to simply ignore their actions as you believe a “sweet good girl” should. She is putting her foot down with reputation. This album is her stopping the abuse, for herself and for all the little girls who will be bullied in the future. That is what we want our young girls to look up to.
