Music

Listling Of Commentary: Shit Taylor Swift Fans Say To Me

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In February of 2010, I wrote an article for this website entitled Why Taylor Swift Offends Little Monsters, Feminists and Weirdos. I almost didn’t publish it at all, having decided it was stupid, but our Executive Editor made me do it and whaddya know, it ended up going viral and will not escape me to this day! [Looking back on it, I realize I made some mistakes — like that I shouldn’t have stanned so hard for Lady Gaga because I think that may have lessened my credibility with many readers, but I suppose things were different then and it made sense at the time.]

In any event, one of the true joys of my life is that the comment thread on this article actually never ends, despite it having been published two years ago. As often as several times a week, Taylor Swift fans will find the piece for the first time and give me a piece of their mind. And ladies — although Swift herself is a fairy-tale sweetheart-haired wide-eyed pilar of innocence, some of her fans can be viciously entertaining wildebeests.

The following lines were taken from comments left on the Swift article after its initial moment of glory last February, which I find hilarious. I have left spelling/grammar errors intact.:

1.  First of all, you’re a bitch.

2.  Feminists piss me off for reasons like this article.

3.  wtf were you drunk when you wrote this too? your retarded. taylor swift is amazing. and about 99% of the world hated on kanye after that.

4.  I appreciate the fact that you’ve put a lot of effort into this, and it’s really thorough, but fuck you!

5.  The only real problem that you may have with swift is that she is indeed a strong women, and based on this article, you apparently cannot handle that.

6. It seems that for all the name dropping you do [Dylan, Saving Jane, etc] that you’re not really in it for the music. You’re in for some crazy affirmation of your intelligence or liberation, something that says your choices or beliefs as a leftist are correct, or something that simply validates the stick you have up your ass.

7. haha you mad that Tr*nny didn’t win and Taylor did.

8. Saying the author of this article is jealous of Taylor’s success would be a dramatic understatement. It’s evident she can’t appreciate anything that others would consider mainstream.

9. Don’t think gyrating all over the stage and making out with other girls like Rihanna and Britney is considered “putting on a good performance”. I would rather watch Taylor put on a decent performance before I watch stage sex. I think you should re-evaluate your morals.

10. Your just a lazy piece of shit that took time to write this article that is completely untrue. 99.9 % of the world love taylor swift, and your that .1% who doesn’t.

11. She isn’t a feminist worst nightmare! i have a friend who is a feminist and she adores taylor.

12. Seriously GET over yourself, you sound like a miserable and jealous person

13. PS. I don’t hate you. But I will NEVER like you. GOD BLESS YOU. you are in my prayers.

14. All this blog did was make me a bigger Taylor Fan. Firstly because I believe feminists suck and they are the ones I really don’t want to listen too unlike Taylor Swift.

15. don’t attack Taylor Swift just because you had sex when you were a teenager

16. DONT BASH TAYLOR JUST BECAUSE YOU WANNA SUCK GAGAs COCK AND SHE LOST

17. gather your shit and think and research your shit before you publish it so that you’ll not making yourself look like an ignorant!

18. Not trying to be mean but if you wanna put down classy young girls everywhere, then we will fight back. We only look like delicate flowers, but when we need to fight back, we will.

19. you think taylor is unoriginal and recycling her music from other artist? well i think gaga is a wannabe copycat of madonna! so how about that!!!!

20. I think you need to stow away your burning bra and just relax: just because a 20 something year old girl is singing about boys does not mean the end of feminism is near.

21. This was such a bullshit article, and it made me so disgusted that I don’t think I will ever read another one of your articles because of the lack of research or thought.

22. you’re just a fucking bitch who’s jealous of so leave her the hell alone and get a life

23. This is the stupiest article i’ve ever read.

24. taylor is like the best person i know she is so awsome.i wont to meet taylor so bad its my dream to meet her.i mite not be able to buy her shirts but i love taylor swift so much she is awsome,so awsome i dont really have any words to explian iti love every song u put out.now i wont to move to nashvile tn.close to where u live.but i geus that will be a wile im only 13.in live in tx.but thats not goin to stop me from meeting u one day.please come to dallas soon.I LOVE U TAYLOR SWIFT!!!!!!!!

25. lol fuck whoever wrote this haha really you’re cool.

26. stopped reading this when you indicated you liked Twilight.* How can any one take you seriously as any type of music critic when you obviously have absolutly no taste or working knowledge of quality entertainment? You can’t even tell the difference between something good and a steaming pile of crap.

* I said no such thing, obviously I don’t like Twilight and think it’s one of the most problematic franchises of all time, w/r/t feminist pop culture critique. Anyhow, this commenter is referring to the following statement: “[Taylor Swift] irritates me much like John McCain irritated me for most of 2008… or, more accurately, how Avril Lavigne‘s faux-“punk” abstinence anthem “Don’t Tell Me” irritates me or yes, how the Twilight franchise occasionally irritates me (though I’ve seen it now, and I admit it does look cool).” Mhm. Who’s “an ignorant” now, huh?

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Riese is the 36-year-old CEO, CFO and Editor-in-Chief of Autostraddle.com as well as an award-winning writer, blogger, fictionist, copywriter, video-maker, low-key power lesbian and aspiring cyber-performance artist who grew up in Michigan, lost her mind in New York and then headed West. Her work has appeared in nine books including "The Bigger the Better The Tighter The Sweater: 21 Funny Women on Beauty, Body Image & Other Hazards Of Being Female," magazines including Marie Claire and Curve, and all over the web including Nylon, Queerty, Nerve, Bitch, Emily Books and Jezebel. She had a very popular personal blog once upon a time, and then she recapped The L Word, and then she had the idea to make this place, and now here we all are! In 2016, she was nominated for a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism. Follow her on twitter and instagram.

Riese has written 2554 articles for us.

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144 Comments

    • SHANNON HAS A VERY GREAT COMMENT ON FEB,6 /16 SHE SAYS SHE LOVES TAYLOR INSIDE AND OUT AND I SAY “ME TOO” I THINK TAYLOR IS TODAYS “SHIRLEY TEMPLE”. IN NUMEROUS PHOTO SHOTS..SHE EVEN LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE SHIRLEY.. ONE IS ON HER DVD PACKAGE ANOTHER IS WHEN SHE HOLDS HER GUITAR UP HIGH ON STAGE. HER “FEARLESS” TOUR SOLD OUT TO THE THOUSANDS IS A UNANIMOUS VOTE OF APPROVAL. TOTAL VOTES ARE OVER THE MILLION MARK TAYLOR IS A LEADER WHO UNDERSTANDS WHAT LITTLE GIRLS GO THRU IN LIFE, MAURICE SANG “THANK GOD FOR LITTLE GIRLS WITHOUT THEM WHAT WOULD LITTLE BOYS DO “

  9. YESSSS a companion piece to one of my favourite AS articles. Also Im going to send this to 326879 of the people, lamenting at their worship of “TaTay” and of course imploring them to STOP TRYING TO MAKE TAYLOR HAPPEN

  12. I like Taylor Swift. I mean, I always listen to her before an exam, everybody should try it. I mean I had to study like a hundred pages of organic chemistry and I listen to Taylor Swift and she says that the worst thing that could happen to me is that I break up with my boyfriend. And since I didn’t break up with my boyfriend, and I don’t even have a boyfriend life can’t be too bad right?

  13. honestly, the taylor swift article is what originally brought me to this website. i’m glad that i was recommended the article. i really love what this website offers.

    i use the article in my english 101 courses at a public state university. we use it to talk about analysis, entering the conversation, and what appropriate tone is (and is not) in an academic community. BUT – i don’t teach the last by saying “kids, this is NOT how to write.” instead, i say, “look at how much just a little emotional investment in your writing can yield? WRITE WITH HEART”

    and then i hope they follow your lead.

  14. I totally found Autostraddle for the first time through that Taylor Swift article and was like “What is this excellent ladyblog I have not heard of before!!” and added it but if I recall correctly you guys were not so prolific then as you are now, so I faded away and came back later, after having an argument where I tried to argue that Taylor Swift was the worst and Lady Gaga was the best and I ran into the exact same problem that you did (Lady Gaga is fascinating but not exactly the best).

  16. LAUGHING SO HARD CANT BREATHE.
    Best part of this article: “I have left spelling/grammar errors intact.”
    Favourite comment listed above: 13. PS. I don’t hate you. But I will NEVER like you. GOD BLESS YOU. you are in my prayers.

    Can you totally picture somebody praying that evening for Riese’s taylor-swift-hating-feminist-soul?
    ….because i can.

  20. All 26 of these comments reminded me of the girl I worked with this summer who literally wanted to be TSwift. All summer I wanted to be like YOU’RE TWENTY. You’re past the age where you can daydream about boys all day and then complain that you’re single because you don’t talk to them.

    She goes to a all girl’s college in western Massachusetts too… you’d think she’d be well-acquainted with feminism and female empowerment and all that jazz.

    • ETA I just remembered that this same girl once told me that lesbians were more accepted than straight people at her school and insinuated she felt discriminated against there.

      And also once left my apartment because my roommate drank half a can of beer while we were making stir-fry and she was that uptight about underage drinking.

      God, I forgot how much I disliked being around that girl.

  21. 4. I appreciate the fact that you’ve put a lot of effort into this, and it’s really thorough, but fuck you!

    That was amazing.

    So, I was told a “True story!” Taylor Swift moment from a guy who’s married to someone in the grad department (not necessary) from Tennessee, and he said that his younger brother used to hang out with Taylor’s brother, and one time, Younger Brother was visiting Brother Swift at the Swift residence around when Taylor was starting her music career. Taylor enters the living room and smiles at Younger Brother, expecting him to start swooning. He stares at her. Taylor doubles her efforts at dazzling the boy, so she goes up to him, smiles, and says “Hi! I’m Taylor Swift!” Younger Brother stares back at her: “Hi! I’m [Younger Brother]!…and I’m in your house.” Taylor huffed and stomped off, not being recognized by her brother’s friend.

    So. Yeah. Taylor? You’re kind of a brat.

  22. As a feminist I know I should dislike Taylor Swift because of her ridiculous fairy tales and slut-shaming, but when it comes down to it I am easily swayed by a good cheesy pop song with a catchy hook. I do really like her music. Of course I’d prefer it if, instead of perpetuating the virgin-whore dichotomy like in her video for You Belong With Me, she took a Gender Studies class and remade the video with more lesbianism. (last part optional)

    • The first couple of times I heard “You Belong with Me” on the radio, I was somehow unaware of who Taylor Swift was, and I thought it was a lesbian love ballad. Maybe it was because the song doesn’t use any male pronouns, or maybe it was because I was coming out at the time and everything seemed gayer to me, but that original misunderstanding will always be dear to me.

    • I have fond memories of moshing to Love Story in the chapel of a Christian retreat (a school camp thing) with the rest of the girls in my twelfth grade class. I just hate her music videos and the fact that she won Grammy’s.

  24. This article was the article that helped me crystalize my whole “care-free white girl” type that has plagued my standard of beauty and it’s nauseating(sp) whiteness. I can’t even right now, you became my internet home-girl after that post.

    Another is Jennifer Aniston but that is a different conversation.

  25. 5. “The only real problem that you may have with swift is that she is indeed a strong women, and based on this article, you apparently cannot handle that.”

    This comment is so majestically off-base that I can only assume that it ws written by a performance artist. Like Vermin Supreme.

  30. The Taylor Swift article was the first one I read on AS and I thought, what is this magical place that publishes these amazing articles? This lead me to the L Word recaps, then I watched all of the L Word episodes in a month and realised I liked Shane a little too much. So really, Taylor Swift turned me into a homo.

    • We only do this because, okay, who’s your favorite singer? Or someone you REALLY look up to and can relate to and know that you could always trust to be your role model because you know he/she will always make the right decisions? Well imagine somebody putting that person down. Throwing them to the ground, stomping on them, and spitting on them for good measure. Tell me, would you be okay with that? Or would you be like “Hey man, what the hell are you doing?” And maybe even with a little more audacity and anger and RAGE than that. That’s what we feel for Taylor. I swear, THESE comments were NOT written by the Swifites I know. But they sure as hell weren’t written by crazy fans. They were written by people who look up to Taylor, and don’t want to hear her being put down.

  32. Women who dislike feminists…I don’t get it. You’d rather be a 1960’s housewife? Cool, nobody is stopping you, you can still do that, but let us have the option to be freethinking individuals too alright? Trust me, we won’t force you to use your freedom…

  33. The Taylor article was one of my faves, it hit the nail on the head. I don’t get why it was so controversial though, but then again I had no idea Taylor Swift had so many crazy ass fans.

    • I appreciate the fact that you’ve put a lot of effort into this comment, and it’s really thorough, but fuck you!

      I LUV TYLOR SWIFT SHE WIL B MI BST FREND I WONT TO MEET HER!

      Calling us crazy ass fans is just an attempt to validate the stick up your ass!!

      Lastly, YOUR a bitch.

      Sorry to be blunt, but I love this article so much, I’m just practising using my new argumental tehniques for future.

  34. That article was definitely one of my favorites.
    My new goal is to start every argument with, “First of all, you’re a bitch” and to end it with, “you’re making yourself look like an ignorant.” Thank you Taylor Swift’s crazy ass fans1

  35. #11 sounds like those times when someone you know says something homophobic then goes “im not a homophobe, i have a gay friend.”
    and good for you riese! im glad you have a good sense of humor and didnt let those appaling comments get to you! wow i never thought taylor swift fans could be so nasty.

  37. I enjoy Taylor Swift music like I enjoy deep fried food. I love it, but after too much I get a stomach ache. I would never tell a kid to eat deep fried food. Its so bad for you. But when its just my own health on the line, its sooooooo deliciously tempting… And damn catchy!

  40. It took a lot of deliberation, but I think #13 is my favorite. It’s just a perfect storm of passive aggression, caps lock, and that distinct Midwestern church youth group feel. I would hang that over my doorway. GOD BLESS YOU.

  42. I’ve decided to compose my comment from Taylor Swift song titles: Riese, it’s clear by this follow-up that “Youre Not Sorry” about the first article..And unlike these commenters who will clearly “Never Grow Up”, I don’t think you’re “Mean”..I think you’re “Fearless”..This post is “Better Than Revenge”..It left me “Breathless”…I wish someone could “Tell Me Why” Taylor Swift has such a rabid following..Please if you can, “Speak Now”..Maybe I don’t get it because I’m not “Fifteen”..But I feel like I’m on “The Outside” on this one..But thanks to this post, “Today Was A Fairytale”..No..really..It was “The Best Day”..You helped remind me that those of us who don’t share their Taylor Swift “Love Story” still have “A Place In This World”..So Riese, don’t ever “Change”..Even as the Taylor fans get “Crazier”..You “Stay Beautiful” and know this comment was “Tied Together With A Smile”!

  48. i have not stopped laughing since i started reading the comments on this article. i think it was like loosening up a jar (“I OPENED IT!…but i’m sure it was only because you loosened it first) except actually. did not crack a grin while reading the original hell-comments, but ASers have made me crack up non-stop.

    my favorite tay-swift comment is, like everyone else, 17. (runners up include: 19 [“so how about that!!!”] and 23 [“the stupiest”])

    my favorite AS comment is definitely the lex-willis feminist fist – fisting exchange. also “proud 2 b an ignorant” is succinct and perfect. thanks, sorcha.

    you guys. i love you. i am LAUGHING (this is not a regular occurence).

  51. These are hilarious. I found this from a comment on that article, I think it’s pretty good:

    “Good job, very thorough analysis, but perhaps you should put your analytical talents to greater good…like solving world peace or improving the economy”

    I love you Riese! Even though you have not solved world peace. Get on that.

  54. True story: this one time my cousin and I got into a discussion re: Taylor Swift and she was all well if I have a little girl then I would rather she look up to Taylor Swift than like Britney or Madonna. Because my grandmother was there I didn’t want to talk about the Madonna/Whoreness of the whole thing but instead when I got home I emailed my cousin a link to this article.

  56. “don’t attack Taylor Swift just because you had sex when you were a teenager”

    I feel that #15 has an understated, subtle crazy to it much like a fine boxed wine.

    I must now use this against others in disagreements, “I am sorry roommate that you feel I have wronged you by consuming all of your frozen burritos, but don’t attack me just because YOU HAD SEX WHEN YOU WERE A TEENAGER”

    PURE GOLD 😉

  58. Oh lawd, stan-wars, I can’t even… XD

    The next time the internet goes down or something, I’m just going to amuse myself with some pre-screencapped comments from the original thread… dying, to be honest.

    Also, for the people still bickering away:

    the magical appearance of the actual gif in this comment is brought to you by the time-traveling autostraddle community managerettes

  64. Did anybody see when she performed with Stevie Nicks at the 2010 Grammys? When this happened I was like wait what’s going on? Why is Stevie Nicks singing about being on the bleachers and not getting noticed by the boy who belongs with her?? So weird.

  67. “18. Not trying to be mean but if you wanna put down classy young girls everywhere, then we will fight back. We only look like delicate flowers, but when we need to fight back, we will.”

    I threw up in my mouth a little when I read this.

  68. I posted the graphic from this on my tumblr and have now been having an argument with 24 solid hours with one of my best friends who is defending Taylor Swift (although much more eloquently than any of these comments). Apparently some people just don’t care about the message.

    Sigh. This is the girl who introduced me to Tegan and Sara AND Regina Spektor AND Ingrid Michaelson.

  71. These made me laugh and go back and read the original article/comments, which were more joy. Whoever called you a “dickwad” was classic, not an insult one hears directed often at female shaped people! On the serious side, great that some posters picked up on the infantilizing trend with Twilight girl Bella and a few other female figures in pop culture, I’d even throw in Zooey Deschanel as the subtle, hipster version of the trend (post sex shaming), but 2 years later the crap’s still with us.

  72. First of all, you’re a bitch. Third of all, we should probably do it–methinks you won’t become a Taylor Swift convert until you’ve roll played the shit out of the You Belong With Me video, ie. that Taylor Swift character with multiple personality disorder who is angelic and virginal but suddenly becomes a very dirty cheer captain…

  73. I was just re-reading that post because of this article. Some of those comments are so funny…

    I love the troll who is hating on lesbians and implying they’re “girls who can’t get boyfriends” on a lesbian website. Like, why are you here?

  75. I just learned a lot of German profanity from a book I read, and this presents the perfect opportunity to use it, but I will refrain and tell him/her/it, whoever wrote this, whatever off using non-profane words. That is how Swiftie-ish I am. I wonder what Taylor would say if she could read some of the [again, I am SO tempted to use my new German vocabulary] that these people write. I know she would be above it, but that is because, well, I don’t know. I DON”T SEE HOW SOMEONE CAN READ THIS AND NOT TELL THE PERSON OFF!!!!!!!! I JUST DON’T GET IT!!!!!!!! THIS IS UGH!!!
    And what’s even more offensive is the battle between genres. I am a Monster and a Swiftie. And I USED to like Rihanna before she actually DID start doing #9. I don’t know, this is very offensive to me and I LOVE Taylor and I will back her up no matter what. This, however, is (hold on, let me calm myself down using Taylor lyrics) “Someday, she’ll be living in a big old city [oh yeah, that’s right she already IS] and all you’re ever gonna be is MEAN… and a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life and MEAN…”

    But I’m just voicing my opinion, and my whole point is

    THIS PERSON IS VERY GRRR….. AND I WANT HIM/HER/IT TO JUST GO THE HECK AWAY AND SIT DOWN SOMEWHERE…

    And that is my whole point.

    • I just reread this article for old time’s sake and look at this gem, everybody.

      But I am really offended that this person called Riese “VERY GRRR” and told her to sit down so I am going to calm myself down using some Le Tigre lyrics.

      “feminists we’re calling you”

  76. loved your original piece and am linking to it in a blog post i’m going to put up. those comments are so ridiculous that they totally made my day – sitting here laughing in the middle of a coffee shop.

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