A columnist has caused a stir over an op-ed she wrote describing Taylor Swift as “the sound of whiteness” who gives her fans free rein to “feel no guilt or shame about white privilege.”
In the extraordinary article written for the Saturday Paper this weekend, Zambian-born Australian journalist Santilla Chingaipe lambasted the country’s Taylor Swift mania after the pop star embarked on a seven-date tour of Sydney and Melbourne.
Ms Chingaipe said the country’s love for Swift – including children trading friendship bracelets – was not surprising, given her music apparently “affirms whiteness” for a country that “fails to address its own concerns about race, class and gender eyes to see’.
She also slammed Swift for not singing about political issues like the “climate emergency,” “racial injustice” and “raging conflict,” in what was believed to be a reference to the war between Israel and Hamas.
With almost 200,000 Australians having seen or planning to see Swift live, Ms Chingaipe’s commentary piece sparked outrage on social media, with one wag taunting her that “it’s okay to really enjoy things”.
“This is strangely bitter, not critical,” said another, while a third added: “You have no idea how songwriting works, why people do it, how they do it, and how awful it can be about political/social issues into a political context. writing when it is not in the muse.’
A columnist is facing mounting backlash for an op-ed she wrote describing Taylor Swift as “the sound of whiteness.” Above, Swift performs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
In the extraordinary column, Zambian-born Australian journalist Santilla Chingaipe criticized the Taylor mania that has gripped the nation
In the controversial piece, Ms Chingaipe wrote: ‘In Swift’s world, you don’t have to feel guilty or ashamed about white privilege – you embrace it.
In fact, Swift makes it permissible to buy into this world and many are willing to take on debt to experience this world. She is the sound of whiteness.
“She makes music that affirms whiteness for an audience large enough to be reassured by its whiteness.
‘This may not be the intention, but it is certainly part of the appeal, especially in Australia.
‘At her first show in Melbourne, she told the audience that ‘songwriting was something that really got me through my life’.
“This may be true, but after more than thirty years on this planet, why doesn’t she write about things that the rest of us women in our thirties are struggling with: the climate emergency, which is being repeatedly failed by our political leaders , racial injustice, the raging conflicts?’
Swift has a history of encouraging Americans to vote during elections, and endorsed Democratic candidate Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
She also spoke about her choice to break her silence on politics during her 2020 documentary Miss Americana after being wrongly portrayed as a silent conservative.
Ms Chingaipe expressed her disgust at the streets filled with ‘cowboy boots and sequins’ and the friendship bracelets that children make and trade with each other
The commentary piece has prompted the public to wonder whether a male celebrity would face the same criticism
Her decision to speak out at the time was strongly opposed by members of her team, who were concerned for her personal safety given the long history of problems she had with stalkers during her 18 years in the spotlight.
Ms Chingaipe and the publishers of her column have also been questioned about their priorities following the controversial piece.
“You’ll be holding a literal pop star accountable to real politicians,” one reader commented.
‘As a subscriber, this is a terrible story that should not have been in the newspaper.’
Another person noted that Swift had donated $100,000 to food banks in every city she visited during her world tour — and generated huge profits along the way.
The star has yet to speak out on the 2024 presidential election — likely a rematch between Trump and Biden, but Swift has been the subject of a false conspiracy theory that she would support Biden at the Superbowl after Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs won.
Swift is a four-time Grammy Album of the Year winner, has the most awarded country music album of all time and is recognized worldwide for her contributions to pop music
Regardless, Ms. Chingaipe has based her entire op-ed on the premise that Swift “exists in an apolitical world that refuses to engage with the social and political issues around her.”
“When she does that, the focus is entirely on the men who wronged her, romantically or professionally,” she said.
“A self-declared feminist, Swift made a mark by exposing her inner life as a skinny and beautiful blonde-haired teenager who played guitar and could sing. Despite growing out of her teens and into her thirties, Swift’s art remains stuck in this permanent state of aspirational girlhood, aided by the fact that she is childless, and it is this seemingly innocent and wholesome world that many are drawn into .’
Swift is a four-time Grammy Album of the Year winner, has the most awarded country music album of all time and is recognized worldwide for her contributions to pop music.
She also released two indie folk albums later in her career and is known for going through “eras” to change her sound as she ages.
Daily Mail Australia asked Ms Chingaipe and the Saturday Paper for comment on the response.