Week 6 post 2: Mad Woman

     For years and years, Swift truly was “America’s Sweetheart” and had refrained from using explicit words. She was universally appealing, and now in the song “Mad Woman” she is addressing an inequality that many would argue does not exist. It’s not just the well-written lyrics but the change in a widely known persona that makes this song an example of impactful feminism. “No one likes a mad woman / You made her like that / And you’ll poke that bear ‘till her claws come out / And you find something to wrap your noose around,” really shows what the song is all about. Men and sexist structures of society provoke women, and then suddenly, when the woman reacts with anger or frustration, she becomes unlikeable, hysterical, and unreasonable. “Does she smile? / Or does she mouth, “Fuck you forever?”” exemplifies who Swift used to be versus who she has become. Swift would never have included a line in a song that said this even 2 years ago. In fact, to hear this line in the middle of a Taylor Swift song is nothing short of shocking. This line with all of its shock puts an emphasis on her message and represents the internal struggle women face of containing their emotions to appease others. 

Most publicized feminism is performative, from aesthetic feminist Instagram posts to outfits that say, “Peg the Patriarchy,” but real, impactful feminism still exists in today’s world and can be found in art, politics, and aspects of our everyday lives. Taylor swift has a complex relationship with politics and social justice. She’s only spoken out in recent years, and even now she fails to use her platform to inspire change over many issues, like staying silent during abortion bans and the Supreme court ruling. She is often brought into arguments over performative feminism and real feminism. Songs like The Man, with cheesy lyrics and a pop beat could even be construed as capitalizing off feminist principles. The song Mad Woman, on its own, hardly draws any revolutionary ideas, but the fact that Swift herself has created a complex song breaking out of her “America’s Sweetheart” persona may make it one of her most impactful feminist stands.