COLUMN: Secrets From A Girl Who’s Seen it All Before
“I’ve had a sort of hesitant attitude towards writing about what I really care about, out of fear of judgment for caring about things that other people might think are a little silly” (Makayla White).
March 27, 2024
Makayla White, Journalism Club Member
This past month, I’ve had a sort of hesitant attitude towards writing about what I really care about, out of fear of judgment for caring about things that other people might think are a little silly. I realized I’m definitely not the only girl in the world that feels this way because I took a step back and thought about why I may have this newfound fear. It makes sense when we’re in a world where we’re too scared to cheer for the Chiefs because that’s what “posers” do. A world where admitting that you enjoy Taylor Swift is practically sentencing yourself to years of hearing “Kanye is better”, and having to fake laugh at jokes about taking private planes to Starbucks.
The Barbie movie, which was written and produced by women to show awareness towards a lot of our daily issues as women. The movie was meant to empower us, and yet it’s being mocked and sexualized by men at awards shows.
There’s something to be said about leaving the house in a band tee and being told to “name three songs”, or wearing your favorite team’s jersey and being demanded to name five players. Why are we so scared to be passionate about silly and fun little things like boy bands or baseball teams?
I like to use the Taylor Swift metaphor to explain this phenomenon in what I’ve been personally referring to as ‘the Taylor Swift effect’. Taylor Swift is a successful pop artist with countless broken records, awards, streams, etc, yet for some reason she is in the spotlight right now amongst NFL supporters. As a sports fan, I understand why this could be upsetting. Even though she’s not on the screen for an outrageous amount of time by any means, I can see why supporters of the NFL would not think it’s the time or place for Taylor Swift.
I think it can be more internal than just really caring about the sport though. I think there’s a lot of people out there who act out of jealousy. I mean I would do anything to be Taylor Swift for a day. You’d be crazy not to want that life of luxury, so it only makes sense such a powerful woman brings out an ugly side of people. okay to behave that way, but jealousy is the root of so many conflicts and is part of the human experience.
That’s when I realized, how cool is it that we’re facing the same problems as women as powerful and inspiring as Taylor Swift and Margot Robbie? It may be on a smaller scale, but it is cool that we’re never alone in facing these issues, literally anyone is susceptible to green-eyed-monsters and fun sponges.
So as you go about your day and you have the mentality that you have an ‘audience’ who is watching your every move, just remember that you could literally be Taylor Swift. Be passionate about silly little things, wear the jersey, cheer for the Chiefs, dance like nobody's watching because you’re confident enough to lead those who can’t do the same.
