In Defense of Taylor

Lately I've been reading some articles criticizing Taylor Swift and her song lyrics for sending young girls the wrong messages. The complaints I've heard have centered around two songs- "Fifteen" and "You Belong With Me." I find these criticisms fairly ignorant...

For reference, before I get on my rant, here are the lyrics to "Fifteen"
You take a deep breath and you walk through the doors
It's the morning of your very first day
And you say hi to your friends you ain't seen in a while
Try and stay out of everybody's way

It's your freshman year and you're gonna be here
For the next four years in this town
Hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say
"You know, I haven't seen you around before"

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen feeling like there's nothing to figure out
Well, count to ten, take it in
This is life before you know who you're gonna be
Fifteen

You sit in class next to a redhead named Abigail
And soon enough you're best friends
Laughing at the other girls who think they're so cool
We'll be outta here as soon as we can

And then you're on your very first date and he's got a car
And you're feeling like flying
And you're momma's waiting up and you're thinking he's the one
And you're dancing 'round your room when the night ends
When the night ends

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
When you're fifteen and your first kiss
Makes your head spin 'round
But in your life you'll do things greater than
Dating the boy on the football team
But I didn't know it at fifteen

When all you wanted was to be wanted
Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now

Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday
But I realized some bigger dreams of mine
And Abigail gave everything she had to a boy
Who changed his mind and we both cried

'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen, don't forget to look before you fall
I've found time can heal most anything
And you just might find who you're supposed to be
I didn't know who I was supposed to be at fifteen

Your very first day
Take a deep breath girl
Take a deep breath as you walk through the doors.

The article I read was saying that this song was sending bad messages to girls about what life was like at fifteen, that it was promoting some of the actions in the lyrics. I think if you listen to the song it is not promoting these activities. It is saying that things that you think are extremely important at fifteen aren't really that important in the scheme of your life. Dating a football player may seem like a big deal at 15, but it really isn't. Going all the way with a boy leads to heartache. Having bigger dreams that just love. I think that these are messages we want our young women to receive. These are definitely lessons I want my future daughters to learn. If these critics listened more carefully to the lyrics they would see that it is sending out good messages to young girls.

Here are the lyrics to the other criticized song "You Belong with Me."
You're on the phone with your girlfriend, She's upset
She's going off about something that you said
She doesnt get your humour like I do

I'm in the room, its a typical Tuesday night
I'm listening to the kind of music she doesnt like
And she'll never know your story like I do

But she wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts
She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming bout the day when you wake up and find
That what you're lookin for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me
You belong with me

Walkin the streets with you in your worn out jeans
I cant help thinking this is how it ought to be
Laughing on the park bench thinkin to myself
Hey isnt this easy?

And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town
I havent seen it in awhile, since she brought you down
You say you find I know you better than that
Hey, Whatcha doing with a girl like that?

She wears high heels, I wear sneakers
She's cheer captain and I'm on the bleachers
Dreaming bout the day when you wake up and find
That what you're looking for has been here the whole time

If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me

Standin by, waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know that?
You belong with me
You belong with me

Oh I remember you driving to my house in the middle of the night
I'm the one who makes you laugh when you know you're about to cry
I know your favorite songs and you tell me about your dreams
I think I know where you belong. I think I know it's with me.

Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you?
Been here all along so why can't you see?
You belong with me

Standing by or waiting at your back door
All this time how could you not know that
You belong with me
You belong with me

Have you ever thought just maybe
You belong with me
You belong with me

I find the person that was arguing that this song sends the wrong messages to young girls pretty crazy. Said person was arguing that this song is promoting girls sitting on the sidelines and not doing anything- i.e. the lines "I'm on the bleachers." However, I find this a very odd perspective. I feel like this line is saying that you don't have to be a cheerleader to fit in, get the boy, enjoy life... The point isn't that she is sitting there doing nothing, it is that she is choosing a different path, not the path of popularity and cheerleading, which is to be admired. Plus it's not like she is totally uninvolved, she is at a school sporting event. When I listen to the song I actually picture her, in that line, as a member of the band, sitting in the bleachers, playing for the football or basketball team. I think that the person who criticized this song, was taking one line out of context and using it to say that Taylor is anti-feminist, but I actually find this song and that line in context to be very pro-feminist- saying it is OK to be your own person and not fit that typical stereotype. The young woman in the song is going to be who she is and be loved for that.

I'm not saying that every one of Taylor Swift's song is a banner for feminism (Love Story, probably not so much, Fearless- probably yes) but I just took issue with the those picking at these particular songs.

<3