In recent history, few artists have managed to achieve the level of super-stardom that Taylor Swift has reached. With all of her ten studio albums earning platinum status, she is undoubtedly one of the most successful and influential female artists of the 21st century. With this success has come a massive following for the Pennsylvania-born singer. “Swifties,” her fans, have grown to a monstrous size. This is not the first time the world has seen fans of an artist develop their own nickname: BTS’ “Army,” Justin Bieber’s “Beliebers,” Nicki Minaj’s “Barbz,” and Beyoncé’s “Bey (Bee) Hive,” just to name a few. However, the Swifties are louder, crazier, and in some cases, far more childish than any fanbase in recent history. From swaying the economy to forming dance circles in movie theaters, the Swifties are the most obnoxious fan base to have surfaced in recent times, and they need to be stopped.
Amidst Swift’s new relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, the Swifties and media have not wasted any opportunity to give the pop star more screen time. Swift attended several of Kelce’s games, including the Sunday Night matchup against the New York Jets. Many National Football League (NFL) fans complained that the game felt more about her than it did football. Popular comedian and football YouTuber Tom Grossi counted the amount of times Swift was shown during the game. By the end of the fourth quarter, Swift was shown a total of 11 times. For reference, Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was present at the game after having torn his achilles during a September game earlier this season, was only featured eight times throughout the game. Many fans, including senior Jake Schettini, expressed their discontent with the NFL for allowing a spectator to gain this much attention. “Although I am a fan of her music,” said Schettini, “it becomes really annoying when [the NFL tries] to act like she’s more important than the game.” Schettini assured that this is especially frustrating for fans of the team Kelce is playing against: “When the Jets let up touchdowns, the camera would almost immediately pan to Taylor. That really frustrated me.”
Since Swift and Kelce’s relationship became public, Kelce’s popularity has skyrocketed, much to the dismay of football fans. Schettini explained how irritating it is to watch non-football fans tarnish Kelce’s name: “He’s one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history. I don’t like to see him only getting publicity because of who he’s dating.” Schettini also mentioned a photo he saw circulating on the internet, which contained a Swiftie wearing a custom Kelce jersey; however, Kelce’s name was spelled completely wrong. “My favorite team is the Jets, but this just infuriated me as a football fan. He’s a great player.” On top of some Swifties creating misspelled custom jerseys, many others decided to buy official Kelce jerseys; so many, in fact, that Kelce’s jersey sales increased nearly 400 percent after word about their relationship spread.
The embarrassment for the Swifties did not stop with the NFL. On Friday, Oct. 13, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour hit theaters. The nearly three-hour long film displayed Swift’s entire concert from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. As a fan of Swift’s music, Schettini was open to seeing the movie despite his annoyance with Swift’s NFL exposure: “After Travis Kelce put Taylor Swift on the map, I knew The Eras Tour [movie] was something I needed to see.” Unsurprisingly, the movie was subject to great reviews. Schettini called it “a great time for [his] first Swiftie experience.” While the concert undeniably had stunning visual effects with unprecedented camera angles, catchy songs, and impressive choreography and outfits, some Swifties took this experience too far. Videos went viral of people dancing and forming circles that seemed like those of rituals. At my Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour experience, children and adults alike were dancing, throwing food, spilling drinks (alcoholic ones, in the cases of the adults), and screaming in the theater. Granted, this was a concert, so the theater was not expected to be silent; however, there were times when adults and children were indistinguishable, displaying how truly immature Swifties can be.
When an artist reaches the level of fame Swift has, there is almost an equal number of supporters and skeptics. Anti-Swifties dislike her and her fan base for a variety of reasons. Junior Eric Reilly says his discontent toward the Swift brand has come from a lack of musical creativity. “Although she is a great songwriter and I can’t refute the argument that her lyrics are very well written,” started Reilly, “the musical side of her songs is very basic and repetitive. She uses less than four chords throughout her songs, and has almost no melodic variation.” Some people, however, have more of a problem with the culture of her fans than her actual music. Senior Tim Sexton feels he has to be careful with his words in fear of potentially angering the Swifties. “Sometimes I feel like if I say the wrong thing they’ll burn my house down,” Sexton revealed. While he understands what it is like to love an artist and her music, he believes that Swifties take it too far at times: “Running around in circles, screaming at people who disagree with them. Sometimes they’re almost like a cult.”
While Swift’s success is undeniable, her supporters are unavoidable. Supporting your favorite artist is completely understandable, but this “Swiftie Lifestyle” is one that is becoming harder to justify and even bear witness to.
