Caps Blog #5 - Stiens

Most of the time it seems like everyone goes through daily life consuming pop culture and never stopping to think about its affects. To be honest, I really didn’t think about the affects it can have until I started reading this chapter. In a way, especially in today’s society, pop culture shapes the views we have of certain individuals and cultural groups. Pop culture is so readily available that it has become our library; our source of information. One type of pop culture I consume on a daily basis would be music. I love it! There are so many types of music that you can find a song for almost every type of feeling you have. Not only do the lyrics convey certain ideas and feelings in the consumer but music videos do so as well. Since there are so many genres of music, different artists, and different music videos, I have decided to narrow down my analysis and be more specific. Recently there has been a lot of hype in the news about Taylor Swift coming out with a new album. That inspired me to analyze a few of the stereotypes that can be found in Taylor Swift music videos.

There are many stereotypes that can be drawn from music videos in general. Just a few I have picked out in the Taylor Swift videos that I have watched are: 1. All girls just want revenge after a breakup 2. All girls have this idea of a fairytale love 3. All girls have a “poor me” attitude when it comes to love. Ok, so these might seem like petty stereotypes but listening to the lyrics and watching some of the videos of Taylor’s songs have made me realize that the majority of them have something to do with at least one of these three stereotypes.

First off let’s take a look at the idea of revenge. Taylor Swift has written multiple songs about revenge. She has written songs titled Picture to burn, We Are Never Getting Back Together, and Better than Revenge. These are all songs that have something to do with revenge after a breakup. The song titled Better than Revenge starts off with the line “Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did” this suggests that girls never think they have anything to do with a breakup or that a guy is always to blame. This may be the case sometimes but not in all situations. Listening to songs like these from Taylor can make you convince yourself that you had nothing to do with the reason a relationship ended but in all reality if a relationship ends it has something to do with both of the people involved.

Next let’s take a look at the idea that all girls have some idea of a fairytale love. Songs that Taylor has written that suggest this would be; Crazier, Love Story, Mine, White Horse and Today Was a Fairytale. Watching the video for the song Love Story and listening to the lyrics you can see that it is a play-off of the famous Romeo and Juliet story. And the song titled Today Was a Fairytale is obviously pretty self-explanatory. Songs like these create expectations for girls that are unrealistic while at the same time convincing others that this is the only type of love that girls believe in. Not all girls do or should expect a fairytale love.

Below is Taylor Swift’s video for her song Love Story. This song is one of those that portray the idea that all girls only envision a “fairytale” love.

Finally let’s look at the “poor me” attitude portrayed in some of Taylor Swift’s songs. Many people have different feelings when they break up. Some people may be happy, others angry, while some may feel a little depressed or have a “poor me” attitude. A lot of Taylor’s songs cater to that “poor me” feeling. Songs such as Back to December, Breathe, If this was a Movie, Last Kiss, Tear Drops on My Guitar, and You’re Not Sorry all play on the emotion of sadness. They help you to throw your own pity party if you will. They make it seem like there is nothing to be happy about now that a relationship has ended. This stereotype about the end of a relationship is not a good one. Often the end of one thing means the beginning of something new. You never know what new beginnings can turn into.

Below is another video with the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s song titled If This Was a Movie. It is one of her songs that gives that “poor me” feeling.

These stereotypes that are conveyed in Taylor Swift’s music are not exactly positive ones. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy a good Taylor Swift song from time to time but imagine if Taylor Swift songs were the only ones we were exposed to. The messages they convey are not always the truth of how people feel before, after or during relationships. The only way to resist these texts would be to not listen to Taylor Swift music at all, however, that is pretty unrealistic if you ever turn on a radio. A better way to resist these texts would be to keep an open mind when listening to lyrics of songs or taking in any sort of pop culture. Take everything with a grain of salt and realize that Taylor Swift’s songs cannot be related to every situation in your life.