Taylor Swift doesn’t belong in your Christian era – Crisis Magazine

Unless you live under a rock last year, you’ve probably heard about Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras tour. Referencing the different “eras” or phases of the singer’s life, the Eras Tour features a 44-song set list covering hits from every album from her 17-year career. Time the magazine reported that “[by] By the end of 2023, less than halfway through the tour’s planned 152 concerts, the Eras Tour had earned over $1 billion to become the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. Exorbitant ticket prices and sold-out venues almost instantly led to the release of The tour of eras film on Disney+, and more than 4.6 million viewers have now streamed the concert from the comfort of their homes.

Now, I may be dating myself here, but I will freely admit that I am part of the first of three current generations to fall in love with Taylor Swift’s music. I vividly remember driving around Charleston, South Carolina, where I was in college, with a meal of 20 chicken nuggets from McDonald’s (oh, to get that metabolism back!) in singing “Love Story” at the top of my lungs like it was written especially about me. The following year, 2009, I had a blast with my best friend at Swift’s Fearless Tour. I sobbed to his song “Back to December” on repeat in 2010 after what seemed like a heartbreaking breakup. And then there was that time I jumped on stage at a friend’s wedding reception, around 2014, to perform “Shake It Off” with the band.

But then something curious started to happen. Leaving my university and law school years, filled with all the joys, sorrows and mistakes of youth, I entered a new series of eras: motherhood, then life as a woman (suffice it to say that the order of these personal eras is a subject) for another article). Then no more motherhood. Then a conversion to Catholicism. However, as I grew and matured, Swift seemed to remain stuck in an earlier era. I found it more and more difficult to identify with his songs.

However, as I grew and matured, Swift seemed to remain stuck in an earlier era. I found it more and more difficult to identify with his songs. Tweet this

There’s a reason Gen Z and Gen Alpha love Swift with a ardor that surpasses even that of the Millennials who loved her first: Taylor Swift, though 34, still “feels like ‘have 22’. It is evident that this is a woman entering the latter part of her early childbearing years and remaining lost and alone. She’s a billionaire and has the world at her feet, but it’s clear she doesn’t really know what to do with it. She remains emotionally stunted, repeatedly trying to fill the painful cry of her heart with created things and fleeting romantic relationships.

The only evidence of “maturity” in his music over the last decade – and it’s false maturity of course – is that instead of the fairly innocuous lyrics of fairytale dreams and true love that were the central themes of much of his music. earlier music, she is no longer afraid to incorporate all manner of swearing (albeit sparingly compared to much other pop music) and to make both overt and veiled references in favor of homosexual relationships and sexual relations before marriage. Some of his most popular songs still contain a disturbing element of bullying, a mean streak that most of us will hopefully outgrow as we enter adulthood. There is also darker imagery that has crept into his work, with occult symbolism featured throughout the Eras tour and an overtly sexual cover for his latest album, The Department of Tortured Poets.

Despite seemingly stagnant personal growthSwift wields massive influence. Policy reported that Democrats plan to hold voter registration drives at her concerts and hope that support for Biden from Swift will help turn swing states like Florida blue. Various publications ran full-length articles on the “Swift Effect” on NFL viewership after the singer began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, concluding that her attendance at games had caused a 20 percent increase in sponsorships and an increase of more than 2 million women. the viewers. The cities where the Eras Tour sites are located are reporting enormous economic difficulties. For example, the California Center for Jobs & the Economy estimated that its six concerts in Los Angeles would result in a $320 million increase in Los Angeles County’s GDP.

And then there’s the emotional influence: Instagram Reels show women of all ages crying while listening to Swift’s latest album. More satirical videos show women pretending to leave their husbands or sitting on the couch for days with blankets over their heads, ignoring their families, while they “have a moment” with Swift’s latest lyrics. It’s not at all different than what I did at 21…except there’s a huge difference between someone wallowing in their emotions in their early 20s and grown women, including Swift, who are doing the same thing in their mid-30s.

Which finally brings me to my point: Taylor Swift does not belong in your Christian era. I’m not saying that listening to his music is a sin in itself (although it certainly could be, depending on the song); and I’m not saying that everything we do has to be overtly Christian to be part of the pursuit of faithful living. However, it is a matter of caution. And a good and honest look at Why so many Christian women vehemently argue that listening to Taylor Swift — and worse, allowing their young daughters to listen to her — is worth thinking about.

Women are, by nature, more empathetic than our male counterparts. This empathy is a gift that allows us to more easily imagine ourselves in the place of others, and it makes storytelling a particularly powerful tool with women. Swift is undoubtedly a great storyteller, and that goes a long way to explaining her success. However, are the stories Swift tells ones we really want to tell ourselves? Are these the ones we want our daughters to listen to?

Scripture gives us a wonderful measure to use when making prudential decisions such as these: “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure , whatever is beautiful, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or worthy of praise. — think of such things” (Philippians 4:8). There’s not much that passes the Philippians 4:8 test of a “vengeance trail,” or singing about a series of failed romances marked by drugs and cheating, or criticizing your exes with sarcastic words, or recount sensual fantasies to an uplifting rhythm and questioning. how these thoughts could be “guilty as sin.” It’s actually a near-complete summary of the themes of every song on his latest album.

Women deserve better stories than these. Our girls deserve better role models. It’s time to grow up. Taylor Swift doesn’t belong in your Christian era.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]